Bus Length
As the length of the bus increases, several factors degrade the differential signal transmitted.
The resistance of the copper wire reduces the signal level, although this is typically not
significant. 3 More significant is the attenuation of high-frequency components of the signal. This
can produce rounded edges on signal pulses, and can lead to inter-symbol interference (ISI) and
bit timing jitter. Because of these effects, the combination of bus length and signaling rate must
be considered. For most energy meter applications, signaling rates below 250 kbps are
adequate. The standard DL/T 645 specifies signaling rates below 100 kbps. At these rates, the
effect of high-frequency signal attenuation is negligible for bus lengths of even 1200 meters.
Transceivers such as the SN65HVD12 and the SN65HVD3082E have driver outputs optimized
for these signaling rates, and thereby have reduced levels of electromagnetic interference (EMI)
and reduced problems due to stub reflections on the bus.