TL16C550C, TL16C550CI
ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ELEMENT
WITH AUTOFLOW CONTROL
SLLS177F – MARCH 1994 – REVISED MARCH 2001
Programmable Auto-RTS and Auto-CTS
5-V and 3.3-V Operation
In Auto-CTS Mode, CTS Controls
Transmitter
Independent Receiver Clock Input
Transmit, Receive, Line Status, and Data
Set Interrupts Independently Controlled
In Auto-RTS Mode, RCV FIFO Contents and
Threshold Control RTS
Fully Programmable Serial Interface
Characteristics:
– 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-Bit Characters
– Even-, Odd-, or No-Parity Bit Generation
and Detection
Serial and Modem Control Outputs Drive a
RJ11 Cable Directly When Equipment Is on
the Same Power Drop
Capable of Running With All Existing
TL16C450 Software
– 1-, 1 1/2-, or 2-Stop Bit Generation
– Baud Generation (dc to 1 Mbit/s)
After Reset, All Registers Are Identical to
the TL16C450 Register Set
False-Start Bit Detection
Complete Status Reporting Capabilities
Up to 16-MHz Clock Rate for up to 1-Mbaud
Operation
3-State Output TTL Drive Capabilities for
Bidirectional Data Bus and Control Bus
In the TL16C450 Mode, Hold and Shift
Registers Eliminate the Need for Precise
Synchronization Between the CPU and
Serial Data
Line Break Generation and Detection
Internal Diagnostic Capabilities:
– Loopback Controls for Communications
Link Fault Isolation
– Break, Parity, Overrun, and Framing
Error Simulation
Programmable Baud Rate Generator Allows
Division of Any Input Reference Clock by 1
16
to (2 –1) and Generates an Internal 16×
Clock
Fully Prioritized Interrupt System Controls
Standard Asynchronous Communication
Bits (Start, Stop, and Parity) Added to or
Deleted From the Serial Data Stream
Modem Control Functions (CTS, RTS, DSR,
DTR, RI, and DCD)
description
The TL16C550C and the TL16C550CI are functional upgrades of the TL16C550B asynchronous
communications element (ACE), which in turn is a functional upgrade of the TL16C450. Functionally equivalent
to the TL16C450 on power up (character or TL16C450 mode), the TL16C550C and the TL16C550CI, like the
TL16C550B, can be placed in an alternate FIFO mode. This relieves the CPU of excessive software overhead
by buffering received and transmitted characters. The receiver and transmitter FIFOs store up to 16 bytes
including three additional bits of error status per byte for the receiver FIFO. In the FIFO mode, there is a
selectable autoflow control feature that can significantly reduce software overload and increase system
efficiency by automatically controlling serial data flow using RTS output and CTS input signals.
The TL16C550C and TL16C550CI perform serial-to-parallel conversions on data received from a peripheral
device or modem and parallel-to-serial conversion on data received from its CPU. The CPU can read the ACE
status at any time. The ACE includes complete modem control capability and a processor interrupt system that
can be tailored to minimize software management of the communications link.
Both the TL16C550C and the TL16C550CI ACE include a programmable baud rate generator capable of
dividing a reference clock by divisors from 1 to 65535 and producing a 16× reference clock for the internal
transmitter logic. Provisions are included to use this 16× clock for the receiver logic. The ACE accommodates
a 1-Mbaud serial rate (16-MHz input clock) so that a bit time is 1 µs and a typical character time is 10 µs (start
bit, 8 data bits, stop bit).
Two of the TL16C450 terminal functions on the TL16C550C and the TL16C550CI have been changed to
TXRDY and RXRDY, which provide signaling to a DMA controller.
Please be aware that an important notice concerning availability, standard warranty, and use in critical applications of
Texas Instruments semiconductor products and disclaimers thereto appears at the end of this data sheet.
Copyright 2001, Texas Instruments Incorporated
PRODUCTION DATA information is current as of publication date.
Products conform to specifications per the terms of Texas Instruments
standard warranty. Production processing does not necessarily include
testing of all parameters.
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