STMicroelectronics, a world leader in protection ICs, has announced the world’s first device combining field signal-termination and protection functions, enabling designers of industrial control and building-automation equipment to increase system performance and EMI robustness while simultaneously cutting power consumption, size, and heat dissipation.

Digital automation in factories and buildings helps companies collect detailed information for manufacturing process improvements. The market for control and processing equipment is expected to exceed $71.6 billion globally in 2010. The equipment is becoming more sophisticated as designers add extra digital signal channels to increase system capabilities and precision.

Traditionally, this also increases size and power consumption of functional blocks, such as line transceivers and optical isolators, which require extra components to handle the additional channels. Optical isolation usually requires further protection, for equipment and users, against effects such as power surges or electrostatic discharge (ESD).

ST’s SCLT3-8BT8 integrated protection and signal-termination device allows designers to increase the number of channels in new equipment designs without adding large numbers of extra components.

The effective power consumption is less than 78mW per input, which saves energy and reduces heat generated by the isolator. This benefit is particularly valuable for sealed control units, which are required in applications such as food-processing and chemical industries.

Samples of the SCLT3-8BT8 are now in stock, and budgetary pricing is $3.20 for orders of more than 1,000 units.