NCT210
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by the data byte read from the data register. This is
shown in Figure 15.
2. If the address pointer register is known to be
already at the desired address, data can be read
from the corresponding data register without first
writing to the address pointer register, so Figure 14
can be omitted.
NOTES:Although it is possible to read a data byte from a data
register without first writing to the address pointer register,
if the address pointer register is already at the correct value,
it is not possible to write data to a register without writing to
the address pointer register; this is because the first data
byte of a write is always written to the address pointer
register.
Remember that the NCT210 registers have different
addresses for read and write operations. The write address
of a register must be written to the address pointer if data is
to be written to that register, but it is not possible to read data
from that address. The read address of a register must be
written to the address pointer before data can be read from
that register.
ALERT
Output
The ALERT
output goes low whenever an out-of-limit
measurement is detected, or if the remote temperature sensor
is open-circuit. It is an open drain and requires a 10 kW
pullup to V
DD
. Several ALERT
outputs can be wire-ANDed
together so the common line goes low if one or more of the
ALERT
outputs goes low.
The ALERT
output can be used as an interrupt signal to a
processor, or it can be used as an SMBALERT
. Slave devices
on the SMBus cannot normally signal to the master that they
want to talk, but the SMBALERT
function allows them to do
so.
One or more ALERT
outputs are connected to a common
SMBALERT
line connected to the master. When the
SMBALERT
line is pulled low by one of the devices, the
following procedure occurs, as shown in Figure 16.
Figure 16. Use of SMBALERT
ALERT RESPONSE
ADDRESS
MASTER SENDS
ARA AND READ
COMMAND
DEVICE SENDS
ITS ADDRESS
RD
START
ACK
DEVICE
ADDRESS
NO
ACK
STOP
MASTER RECEIVES SMBALERT
1. SMBALERT
is pulled low.
2. Master initiates a read operation and sends the
alert response address (ARA = 0001 100). This is
a general call address that must not be used as a
specific device address.
3. The device whose ALERT
output is low responds
to the alert response address and the master reads
its device address. The address of the device is now
known and it can be interrogated in the usual way.
4. If more than one devices ALERT
output is low,
the one with the lowest device address has priority,
in accordance with normal SMBus arbitration.
5. Once the NCT210 has responded to the alert
response address, it resets its ALERT
output,
provided that the error condition that caused the
ALERT
no longer exists. If the SMBALERT
line
remains low, the master sends the ARA again, and
so on until all devices whose ALERT
outputs were
low have responded.
Low Power Standby Modes
The NCT210 can be put into a low power standby mode
using hardware or software, that is, by taking the STBY
input low, or by setting Bit 6 of the configuration register.
When STBY
is high or Bit 6 is low, the NCT210 operates
normally. When STBY
is pulled low or Bit 6 is high, the
ADC is inhibited, so any conversion in progress is
terminated without writing the result to the corresponding
value register.
The SMBus is still enabled. Power consumption in the
standby mode is reduced to less than 10 mA if there is no
SMBus activity or 100 mA if there are clock and data signals
on the bus.
These two modes are similar but not identical. When
STBY
is low, conversions are completely inhibited. When
Bit 6 is set but STBY
is high, a one-shot conversion of both
channels can be initiated by writing 0xXX to the one-shot
register (Address 0x0F).
Sensor Fault Detection
The NCT210 has a fault detector at the D+ input that
detects if the external sensor diode is open-circuit. This is a
simple voltage comparator that trips if the voltage at D+
exceeds   V
CC
1.0 V   (typical).   The   output   of   this
comparator is checked when a conversion is initiated and
sets Bit 2 of the status register if a fault is detected.
In this respect, the NCT210 differs from and improves
upon competitive devices that output 0 if the external sensor
goes short-circuit. These devices can misinterpret a genuine
0癈 measurement as a fault condition.
If the external diode channel is not being used and is
shorted out, the resulting ALERT
can be cleared by writing
0x80 (128癈) to the low limit register.
Factors Affecting Accuracy
Remote Sensing Diode
The NCT210 is designed to work with substrate
transistors built into processors, or with discrete transistors.
Substrate transistors are generally PNP types with the
collector connected to the substrate. Discrete types can be
either PNP or NPN, connected as a diode (base shorted to
collector). If an NPN transistor is used, the collector and
base are connected to D+ and the emitter to D. If a PNP
transistor is used, the collector and base are connected to D
and the emitter to D+.
The user has no choice in the case of substrate transistors,
but if a discrete transistor is used, the best accuracy is