For many video and information systems, especially in the automotive sector, reliably functioning transmission of graphics data from the graphics processor to a remote display is desired. LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) provides a fast interface that facilitates interference-resistant transport of video data via a twisted pair conductor over distances of up to 10m while itself causing only minimal interference.
LVDS is a very energy efficient interface (“Gigabits with milliwatts”). The serial differential transmission takes place on the driver end with a switchable power source of 3.5 mA, while a switching level of up to ±350mV on a terminating resistance of 100 Ohms results on the receiving end. Differential signal transmission permits small switching levels and data rates of up to several Gbits/s.
Pic. right: Max9217 and Max9218 transmit data via a two-wire line
MAXIM offers chipsets for the signal transmission from the graphics processor to the display that realize parallel/serial transformation on the sending end and serial/parallel transformation on the receiving end. The MAX9217/MAX9218 27-bit Serializer/Deserializer Chipset can drive displays with a resolution of up to 800x480 pixels. The MAX9247/MAX9248 or MAX9250 SerDes chipset, which has a higher data transmission rate, is suitable for displays with resolutions of up to 1280x480 pixels.
