STCOM Datasheet, PDF (9/58 Pages) STMicroelectronics – Powerline communication and application system-on-chip

STCOM
Description
1.2
1.2.1
1.2.2
1.2.3
Power line communication (PLC) sub-system
The STCOM device embeds a full narrow band power line communication (NB-PLC) sub-
system, comprising the RTE, DFE, AFE and line driver.
The AFE and line driver have been designed for a differential power line interface; however,
single-ended operation is possible for simpler hardware application development.
The DC to 500 kHz signal bandwidth is supported, targeting a number of possible NB-PLC
solutions.
Real-time engine (RTE)
To match a performance required by emerging NB-PLC standards, the STCOM embeds
a proprietary dedicated reprogrammable machine, the real-time engine. It is able to address
specific functionalities exploited by OFDM and the ones adopted in the current and future
NB- PLC standards in an efficient way.
Digital front-end (DFE)
Transmission and reception filter chains
The DFE includes programmable transmission/reception digital filter chains to fit the signal
bandwidth in different PLC modulation cases. The ADC and DAC clock frequencies are
controlled by the DFE to get the right sample rate fitting the filter chain configuration.
Automatic gain control (AGC)
The DFE implements the automatic gain control (AGC) block for the PGA, whose purpose is
to adapt the signal to the ADC dynamic.
Current control (CC)
The DFE includes also the current control (CC) block for the line driver to limit the maximum
output current.
Analog front-end (AFE)
Receiving chain
The STCOM AFE features a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) and a dedicated analog-to-
digital converter (ADC) to achieve high RX sensitivity and a wide input range.
Transmission chain
The transmitted signal, generated in the digital domain, is fed into a dedicated digital-to-
analog converter (DAC).
The DAC output is then fed into a predriver for buffering and applying an additional gain
before the line driver.
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