IC Recommendation

Hi Chia Cheng,

I do not believe that we have an equivalent MAX20340EWL part for bidirectional DC powerline communication Management IC. AFE03x (AFE030, AFE031 & AFE032) are analog front end Powerline Communication controller, but the data modulation is done via FSK (frequency shift keying) or OFDM (Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, similar to wireless cell phone transceiver protocol) analog methods. Although both ICs are called powerline communication ICs, their operating principles are entirely different and used in different applications. AFE03x is designed for longer distance communication via existing DC or AC powerline (DC, 120Vrms, 220Vrms powerline etc.) up to miles or longer and it only operates in half-duplex mode by design, where Tx or Rx can be sent or received one direction at a time, not bidirectionally in full duplex mode. 

MAX20340 PLC chip enables simultaneous communication (plc) and charging via a single line. So it is equivalent to 1-wire communication protocol, with charging capability (higher current as 1-wire protocol driver). The data is transmitted or received digitally. The data transmission distance is limited. In this sense, it is a beefed up 1-wire communication IC controller with up to 1.2A charging capability. It is operating in two wire system, except the ground wire is nearby within meters apart (both communication ports are shared with the same ground), since the transmission line has to complete in a closed loop.

If you have additional questions, please let us know. 

Best,

Raymond