TM

Single-Ended To Differential Twisted Pair Driver

Application Note May 1997 AN9723

Introduction
The proliferation of personal computers and especially video cause distortion. R5 adjusts the current through both
applications has created a requirement for sending high transistors, and because the gain is proportional to the
speed analog signals over twisted pair for short distances emitter current R5 functions as a gain control. If the gain
(up to 200 feet). Twisted pair data transmission is easy to set range is too high float the inverting inputs (pins 3 and 6) of
up, the wire cost is very low compared to coax, so it is the HFA1212 programmable gain amplifiers, and the gain
becoming a popular replacement for coax. Most electronic will fall to half of it’s previous value. If higher gains are
signals exist in a single-ended format, so the signal must be required because longer twisted pairs must be driven, the
converted to a double-ended or differential format prior to differential output must be fed into a transformer which then
taking advantage of twisted pair data transmission schemes. drives the twisted pair cable. The transformer drive
The circuit described in Figure 1 converts single-ended increases the signal amplitude without introducing distortion.
analog or digital signals into a differential signal capable of
The circuit as shown will drive twisted pair cables directly.
directly driving a twisted pair cable.
Each wire in the cable is connected to one of the differential
Q1, Q2, and Q3 are one half of a HFA3102 dual long-tailed outputs, and the cable is terminated at the receiving end in
pair transistor array, and they are configured in Figure 1 to it’s characteristic impedance (about 100Ω). The frequency
function as a linear differential amplifier. Because the response for linear signals is shown in Figure 2, and it
transistors are matched they will yield nearly identical indicates a -3dB bandwidth of 200MHz. The frequency
performance depending upon their bias circuits. The base of response of twisted pair cables falls off at higher
Q2 is biased at 1.24V, and the base voltage of Q1 ranges frequencies, so the amplifier response curve is purposely
from 1.0V to 1.6V depending on the setting of R3. When R3 peaked at higher frequencies in an attempt to compensate
is set at 1.24V the signals are amplified equally by both for this. The combination will yield a flatter overall frequency
transistors, thus R3 becomes a symmetry adjustment which response curve. This driver when coupled with a differential
can be used to obtain equal amplitude but opposite phase receiver will reliably transmit data over 200 feet of twisted
outputs at the collectors of Q1 and Q2. This criteria satisfies pair cable in the presence of several hundred millivolts of
the definition of a differential signal. single-ended noise. Digital signals should be handled the
same as video signals except that wide fluctuations in the
The differential gain is 5 to 7 as configured in Figure 1. The
digital data rate will cause skew because of the AC coupling.
gain is set in this range because a typical video signal is less
than two volts in amplitude, and these low gains will not

+5V +5V

R8
200 0.01
0.01
3 8
+
2 -
R12 1
0.01
SIGNAL 2K U1A
Q1
INPUT
R1
75
+5V DIFFERENTIAL
SYMMETRY OUTPUT
ADJUST
R10
+5V 910
R2 R3 R6
3.3K 620 Q2
1K 6 U1B
R11 - 7
300 +
5 4
-5V -5V
R13 R14
R4 R5 200 2K
620 Q3
5K
R7 +5V
R9
390 147

-5V

FIGURE 1. SINGLE ENDED TO DIFFERENTIAL TWISTED PAIR DRIVER

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 Application Note 9723

OUTPUT DIFFERENTIAL SIGNAL

0.300 100 700

FIGURE 2. FREQUENCY RESPONSE PLOT FOR THE SINGLE-ENDED TO DIFFERENTIAL TWISTED PAIR DRIVER

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