
8B/10B Coding Scheme
MC92604 Dual Gigabit Ethernet Transceiver Reference Manual, Rev. 1
B-2
Freescale Semiconductor
B.1.1
Naming Transmission Characters
Transmission characters are given names based on the type of data in the byte and the bit values of the
character. Two types of transmission characters are specified: data and special. Data characters are labeled
‘D’ characters and special characters are labeled ‘K’ characters. Each transmission character has a bit
value and a corresponding decimal value. These elements are combined to provide each character with a
B.1.2
Encoding
Following is a simplified sequence of steps in 8B/10B coding:
1. An 8-bit block of unencoded data (a transmission character) is picked up by a transmitter.
2. The transmission character is broken into sub-blocks of 3 bits and 5 bits. The letters H, G, and F
comprise the 3-bit block, and the letters E, D, C, B, and A comprise the 5-bit block.
3. The 3- and 5-bit sub-blocks pass through a 3B/4B encoder and a 5B/6B encoder, respectively. A
bit is added to each sub-block, such that the transmission character is encoded and expanded to a
total of 10 bits.
4. At the time the character is expanded into 10 bits, it is also encoded into the proper running
disparity, either positive (RD+) or negative (RD-) depending on certain calculations (see
Sectiondisparity.
5. The positive or negative disparity transmission character (see
Figure B-3) is passed to the transmit
Figure B-3. Character Transmission
Table B-1. Components of a Character Name
H G F
E D C B A
8B/10B notation
0 0 1
1 1 1 0 0
Data bit value
1
28
Decimal value of the bit value
D or K
Kind of transmission character
D28.1 = Data name assigned to this data byte if it is a data character.
K28.1 = Data name assigned to this data byte if it is a special character.
Direction of Transmission
JH
G
F
I
E
D
C
B
A