1 Features
1• Designed for TIA/EIA-485, TIA/EIA-422 and
ISO 8482 Applications
• Signaling Rates (1) up to 50 Mbps.
• Fail-Safe in Bus Short-Circuit, Open-Circuit, and
Idle-Bus Conditions
• ESD Protection on Bus Inputs Exceeds 6 kV
• Common-Mode Bus Input Range –7 V to 12 V
• Propagation Delay Times < 18 ns
• Low-Standby Power Consumption < 32 μA
• Pin-Compatible Upgrade for AM26LS32,
DS96F173, LTC488, and SN75173

2 Applications
• Supports Defense, Aerospace, and Medical
Applications
– Controlled Baseline
– One Assembly and Test Site
– One Fabrication Site
– Extended Product Life Cycle
– Extended Product-Change Notification
– Product Traceability

3 Description
The SN65LBC173A is a quadruple differential line
receiver with tri-state outputs, designed for TIA/EIA-
485 (RS-485), TIA/EIA-422 (RS-422), and ISO 8482
(Euro RS-485) applications.
This device is optimized for balanced multipoint bus
communication at data rates up to and exceeding 50
million bits per second. The transmission media may
be twisted-pair cables, printed-circuit board traces, or
backplanes. The ultimate rate and distance of data
transfer is dependent upon the attenuation
characteristics of the media and the noise coupling to
the environment.
The receiver operates over a wide range of positive
and negative common-mode input voltages, and
features ESD protection to 6 kV, making it suitable for
high-speed multipoint data transmission applications
in harsh environments. These devices are designed
using LinBiCMOS®, facilitating low-power
consumption and robustness.
The G and G inputs provide enable control logic for
either positive- or negative-logic enabling all four
drivers. When disabled or powered off, the receiver
inputs present a high-impedance to the bus for
reduced system loading.