With modern high speed data transmission systems aiming for cable lengths close to 1000’, bus transceivers with high common-mode capability have become more important than ever. As shown on this slide, RS-485 offers advantages over all other high speed interface standards, such as high differential driver output voltage swing of Vod = ±1.5 V combined with high receiver common-mode input voltage range from Vcm = -7V to +12V. Some of Renesas' high speed transceivers are designed to provide even higher voltage ranges, such as Vod = ±2.1V and Vcm = ±25V. While other high speed interfaces, such as Ethernet, cope with even higher ground potential differences and their associated common-mode issues through the use of isolation transformers, their implementation raises system design cost significantly. Another major advantage of RS-485 is that it allows for the design of point-to-point and multipoint applications with more than 150 transceivers connected to one bus segment. Furthermore, RS-485 data links can be designed for half-duplex operation to save cable cost, or full-duplex operation for minimum latency and increased data throughput. Unlike Ethernet and USB, which are complete interface standards requiring dedicated high-level software protocols, RS-485 is a basic transceiver specification, commonly labeled as “electrical-only” standard. This makes RS-485 adaptable to any type of high-level software protocol. Thus many interface standards, such as Profibus, Modbus, Interbus, etc. utilize RS-485 as their physical layer.