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AFE031: Need help selecting a power line communications AFE - AC and DC

Hai-Yue Han
Prodigy 25 points
Part Number: AFE031
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: AFE032, THS6212, THS6222

I'm looking to get some guidance on selecting a power line communications IC for home energy storage and electrification! I'm currently doing a market survey to figure out the right PLC analog front end for our devices and would like some help in looking at what TI has to offer!

Specifically, I'm looking to select a power line communications IC that is:
-Able to work with both DC and AC line couplers. DC voltage could be as high as 600V and AC line voltage as high as 264V (240VAC + 10%)
-Wide temperature range (-40 to 85C or wider preferred)
-Cost competitive: quantity per year could be 1M or higher in 2022; need cost competitive solution to help scale
-High reliability: our target lifetime is 10+ years in the field
-Compact: there are some applications (e.g. smart outlets) where we'd like to fit the PLC device into a very small space
Can you provide me with some choices? I saw that TI has the AFE031 but was wondering if there are other choices from TI!
  • 0
    TI__Mastermind 47996 points

    Hi Haiyue,

    -Able to work with both DC and AC line couplers. DC voltage could be as high as 600V and AC line voltage as high as 264V (240VAC + 10%)
    -Wide temperature range (-40 to 85C or wider preferred)
    -Cost competitive: quantity per year could be 1M or higher in 2022; need cost competitive solution to help scale
    -High reliability: our target lifetime is 10+ years in the field
    -Compact: there are some applications (e.g. smart outlets) where we'd like to fit the PLC device into a very small space
    Can you provide me with some choices? I saw that TI has the AFE031 but was wondering if there are other choices from TI! 

    Yes, AFE03x family can meet the above design and application requirements. TI mainly has AFE031 and AFE032 for Narrow Band NB-PLC application. NB-PLC implies the transmission frequency is <500kHz.  AFE031's full power BW is up to 300kHz, and AFE032's full power BW can go up to 670kHz. Both are in 7mmx7mm 48pin QFN package, but they are not pin to pin compatible. 
    DC and AC powerline couplings with AFE03x are not issues. AFE03x can operate up to 24Vdc, single rail typical. For DC powerline coupling, it can be coupled via capacitor or coupled inductor. For AC powerline coupling, it is typically done via transformer coupling method. Therefore, the powerline's operating voltages are not issues. Our customers use AFE03x with higher PLC voltage than 600Vdc or 240Vrms in their applications. 
    AFE03x can handle the temperature from -40 to 125C without use of heat sinks. It is able to meet the high reliability requirements. AFE031 has been released since 2010 and has been fully scrutinized by our customers under various testing conditions per the datasheet specifications. 
    You are able to find AFE031 EVM in the link below. The EVM is recommended to use our C2000 MCUs. However, you do not have to use our MCUs, if you favor a 3rd party MCU for the application. I will support the PLC interface anyway. 
    Our other products that related to PLC application are Broadband (BB) PLC line drivers, such as THS6222/THS6212. BB-PLC has operating frequency above 500kHz. THS62x2 products are simply PLC line drivers. AFE03x product integrates the required PLC features into a single chip (except MCU). 
    If you have additional questions, please let me know. I am the application engineer who supports the product lines currently.  
    Best,
    Raymond
  • 0 in reply to Raymond Zhang1
    Prodigy 25 points

    Hi Raymond! 

    Thank you so much for your quick feedback!

    I am definitely looking to learn more about PLCs! I am looking to use PLC as the primary form of communication for a fairly high volume (200k to 1M yearly) application for manufacturing in the next 18 months.

    Can we take this discussion offline? 

  • 0 in reply to Hai-Yue Han
    TI__Mastermind 47996 points

    Hi Haiyue,

    Sure, we can discuss this further offline. 

    Please submit "friendship" request via E2E . Once we established the communication, we are able to discuss the related topics via E2E private message. 

    I will close this inquiry, after we establish the communication via E2E private message. 

    Best,

    Raymond