Dual power rail I2C bus GPIO expanders improve system design

Diodes Incorporated has released the 16-bit PI4IOE5V6416Q and 34-bit PI4IOE5V6534Q bidirectional voltage-level translation GPIO expanders for automotive applications. Claiming to represent an industry first for the automotive industry, the automotive-compliant AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualified devices with dual voltage rail offer enhanced programmable I/O for next-generation low voltage microprocessors and microcontrollers through the I2C interface.

As part of its ongoing expansion into the automotive industry, the new devices offer engineers a simple solution when additional I/Os are required while keeping interconnections to a minimum.

Both devices operate from 1.65V to 5.5V on the GPIO port side. On the SCL/SDA side (I2C interface), the PI4IOE5V6416Q operates from 1.65V to 5.5V and the PI4IOE5V6534Q from 0.8V to 3.6V. This dual power rail enables the devices to interface with next-generation low-power microchips on the SCL/SDA side. The expanders provide an especially low standby current consumption of 1.5µA at 5V and 1µA at 3.3V for the PI4IOE5V6416Q and 2µA at 3.3V for the PI4IOE5V6434Q.

Each 16 or 34-bit GPIO on these devices is configurable, and each port offers a programmable pull-up or down resistor and a programmable output current. Unlike many I/O expanders, the devices also offer programmable open-drain outputs as part of the enhanced I/O features. The devices feature an interrupt masking option, allowing the designer to mask the interrupt from an individual GPIO port and initiate a system-level action.

The 16-bit PI4IOE5V6416Q is packaged in a 24-pin TSSOP, and the 34-bit PI4IOE5V6534Q is available in the W-QFN4565-46 package. Both devices support PPAP documentation and are manufactured in IATF 16949 certified facilities.