“The OS82150 coaxial transceiver broadens Microchip’s portfolio of MOST150 network solutions,” said Dan Termer, vice president of Microchip’s Automotive Information Systems Division.

“It offers an exciting new option for customers to implement efficient infotainment networks, and to easily migrate from optical to coaxial cabling while protecting their existing investment in MOST150 technology. The design-in of the OS82150 is straightforward and total system costs are optimized.”

This simple solution reflects today’s market demands for powerful automotive infotainment systems that include a navigation unit, antenna module, amplifier, tuner, Blu-ray player, rear-seat entertainment, instrument cluster, head-unit display, camera and more. MOST networking technology provides the means to distribute these multimedia entertainment functions among the various control devices inside the car.

With an integrated coaxial-cable receiver featuring an equalizing function, the OS82150 coaxial transceiver assures robust and reliable network connectivity by providing automatic adaptation to various cable types and continuous compensation for initial and long-term cable loss effects. Designed for automotive-grade electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), the device also integrates functions to minimize electromagnetic emissions and handle automotive electromagnetic interference (EMI) levels, facilitating smooth installations of MOST150 networks into vehicles.

By seamlessly interfacing with MOST150 Intelligent Network Interface Controllers (INICs), such as Microchip’s OS81110 and OS81118BF, the OS82150 can be easily integrated into existing designs. Additionally, the signal and timing specifications of the OS82150 are compliant with the MOST Physical Layer Specification, ensuring interoperability.

Additional features of the OS82150 coaxial transceiver include a low-power sleep mode with activity detection for wake-on-signal functionality, to reduce power consumption and facilitate the power management of electronic control units (ECUs) in the vehicle. Support for dual-simplex transmission allows for a ring topology that enables expandability and scalability of the network. A single, 3.3 volt power supply further eases design-in, as only a single voltage level is needed.