Help guys...communication issue, I think?

[HenrikOlsson]

Chris,
You can't use Roberts aproach since you DO have the tranceiver chip in between the PIC and the bus. It doesn't matter if you turn of the USART TX in the PIC, the driver in the tranceiver chip will still be enabled and will still "hold" the line.

Since Robert does NOT have any tranceiver chip in between the PIC and the "bus" turning of the USART TX (ie making its pin high impendence) is effectively the same as what you need to do with your tranceiver chip (turning off the transmitter that is).

If your application invloves any sort of distances and/or deployement in the "real world" I'd definitely stick with some kind of bus like you have now. I wouldn't want to expose the PICs inputs/outputs directly to tens or hundreds of metres wires acting as antennas. Of course YMMV.

/Henrik.

[kevlar129bp]

Thanks guys,

I have succumbed to the fact of the board rework. Bummer for sure. 1 more question...I have looked at so many datasheets for transceivers that I have lost track. On some datasheets it shows the termination resistor on both the Tx and Rx endpoints, and on others it shows it only on the Rx endpoints? I suppose that was more of a statement rather than a question, but you guys get where I'm going with it... I've got my Rx endpoints terminated now...Am I good with that? Don't want to rework twice.

Thanks guys,
Chris

***Little deja vu here http://www.plcforum.it/f/topic/79753...422-multidrop/

[HenrikOlsson]

Hi Chris,
There's a section specifically covering bus termination in the .pdf linked to earlier, it covers the differences.

/Henrik.