
AD8177
Rev. 0 | Page 30 of 40
DIFFERENTIAL AND SINGLE-ENDED OPERATION
Although the AD8177 has fully differential inputs and outputs,
it can also be operated in a single-ended fashion. Single-ended
and differential configurations are discussed in the following
sections, along with implications on gain, impedances, and
terminations.
Differential Input
Each differential input to the AD8177 is applied to a differential
receiver. These receivers allow the user to drive the inputs with
an uncertain common-mode voltage, such as from a remote
source over twisted pair. The receivers respond only to the
differences in input voltages and restore an internal common-
mode suitable for the internal signal path. Noise or crosstalk,
which affect the inputs of each receiver equally, are rejected by
the input stage, as specified by its common-mode rejection ratio
(CMRR).
Furthermore, the overall common-mode voltage of all three
differential pairs comprising an RGB channel is processed and
rejected by a separate circuit block. For example, a static discharge
or a resistive voltage drop in a middle-of-Cat-5-run with sync-
on CM signaling coupling into all three pairs in an RGB channel
are rejected at the output of the AD8177, and the sync-on
CM signals are allowed through the switch.
The circuit configuration used by the differential input receivers
is similar to that of several Analog Devices general-purpose
differential amplifiers, such as the
AD8131. The topology is that
of a voltage-feedback amplifier with internal gain resistors. The
input differential impedance for each receiver is 5 kΩ in parallel
with 10 kΩ or 3.33 kΩ, as shown in
Figure 50.
IN+
IN–
RG
RCM
RCVR
RF
OUT–
OUT+
TO SWITCH
MATRIX
0
660
5-
0
23
Figure 50. Input Receiver Equivalent Circuit
This impedance creates a small differential termination error
if the user does not account for the 3.33 kΩ parallel element.
However, this error is less than 1% in most cases. Additionally,
the source impedance driving the AD8177 appears in parallel
with the internal gain-setting resistors, such that there may be
a gain error for some values of source resistance. The AD8177
is adjusted such that its gain is correct when driven by a back-
terminated Cat-5 cable (25 Ω effective impedance to ground at
each input pin, or 100 Ω differential source impedance across
pairs of input pins). If a different source impedance is presented,
the differential gain of the AD8177 can be calculated as
S
dm
R
G
+
=
kΩ
5
.
2
kΩ
525
.
2
where RS is the effective impedance to ground at each input pin.
When operating with a differential input, care must be taken to
keep the common-mode, or average, of the input voltages
within the linear operating range of the AD8177 receiver. For
the AD8177 receiver, this common-mode range can extend rail-
to-rail, provided the differential signal swing is small enough to
avoid forward biasing the ESD diodes (it is safest to keep the
common-mode plus differential signal excursions within the
supply voltages of the part).
The input voltage of the AD8177 is linear for ±1 V of differential
input voltage difference (this limitation is primarily due to
ability of the output to swing close to the rails because the
differential gain through the part is +2). Beyond this level,
the signal path saturates and limits the signal swing. This is not
a desired operation, because the supply current increases and
the signal path is slow to recover from clipping. The absolute
maximum allowed differential input signal is limited by long-
term reliability of the input stage. The limits in the
Absoluteto avoid degrading device performance permanently.
AC Coupling of Inputs
It is possible to ac-couple the inputs of the AD8177 receiver,
so that bias current does not need to be supplied externally.
A capacitor in series with the inputs to the AD8177 creates
a high-pass filter with the input impedance of the device. This
capacitor needs to be sized large enough so that the corner
frequency includes all frequencies of interest.
Single-Ended Input
The AD8177 input receiver can be driven single-endedly
(unbalanced). Single-ended inputs apply a component of
common-mode signal to the receiver inputs, which is then
common-mode-to-differential-mode ratio of the part).
The single-ended input resistance, RIN, differs from the
differential input impedance, and is equal to
)
(
2
1
F
G
F
G
IN
R
+
×
=
Note that this value is smaller than the differential input
resistance, but it is larger than RG. The difference is due to the
component of common-mode level applied to the receiver by
single-ended inputs. A second, smaller component of input
resistance (RCM, also shown in Figure 50) is present across the inputs in both single-ended and differential operation.
In single-ended operation, an input is driven, and the undriven
input is often tied to midsupply or ground. Because signal-
frequency current flows at the undriven input, such input
should be treated as a signal line in the board design.