Home Interface I2C ICs I2C switches & multiplexers
Home
Interface
I2C ICs
I2C switches & multiplexers

PCA9546A

ACTIVE

4-channel 2.3- to 5.5-V I2C/SMBus switch with reset & voltage translation

Order now
Data sheet

A newer version of this product is available

open-in-new Compare alternates
Drop-in replacement with upgraded functionality to the compared device
TCA9546A ACTIVE 4-channel 1.65- to 5.5-V I2C/SMBus switch with reset & voltage translation Performance enhancements for power-on reset and lower voltage operation.

PCA9546A

ACTIVE
Data sheet Order now

Product details

Addresses 8 Supply voltage (max) (V) 5.5 Supply voltage (min) (V) 2.3 Features Reset pin Rating Catalog Frequency (max) (MHz) 0.4 Operating temperature range (°C) -40 to 85 Number of channels 4
Addresses 8 Supply voltage (max) (V) 5.5 Supply voltage (min) (V) 2.3 Features Reset pin Rating Catalog Frequency (max) (MHz) 0.4 Operating temperature range (°C) -40 to 85 Number of channels 4
SOIC (D) 16 59.4 mm² 9.9 x 6 SOIC (DW) 16 106.09 mm² 10.3 x 10.3 TSSOP (PW) 16 32 mm² 5 x 6.4 TVSOP (DGV) 16 23.04 mm² 3.6 x 6.4 VQFN (RGV) 16 16 mm² 4 x 4 VQFN (RGY) 16 14 mm² 4 x 3.5
  • 1-of-4 Bidirectional Translating Switches
  • I2C Bus and SMBus Compatible
  • Active-Low Reset Input
  • Three Address Pins, Allowing up to Eight PCA9546A Devices on the I2C Bus
  • Channel Selection Via I2C Bus, in Any Combination
  • Power-up With All Switch Channels Deselected
  • Low RON Switches
  • Allows Voltage-Level Translation Between 1.8-V, 2.5-V, 3.3-V, and 5-V Buses
  • No Glitch on Power-up
  • Supports Hot Insertion
  • Low Standby Current
  • Operating Power-Supply Voltage Range of 2.3 V to 5.5 V
  • 5.5 V Tolerant Inputs
  • 0 to 400-kHz Clock Frequency
  • Latch-Up Performance Exceeds 100 mA Per JESD 78
  • ESD Protection Exceeds JESD 22
    • 2000-V Human-Body Model (A114-A)
    • 1000-V Charged-Device Model (C101)
  • 1-of-4 Bidirectional Translating Switches
  • I2C Bus and SMBus Compatible
  • Active-Low Reset Input
  • Three Address Pins, Allowing up to Eight PCA9546A Devices on the I2C Bus
  • Channel Selection Via I2C Bus, in Any Combination
  • Power-up With All Switch Channels Deselected
  • Low RON Switches
  • Allows Voltage-Level Translation Between 1.8-V, 2.5-V, 3.3-V, and 5-V Buses
  • No Glitch on Power-up
  • Supports Hot Insertion
  • Low Standby Current
  • Operating Power-Supply Voltage Range of 2.3 V to 5.5 V
  • 5.5 V Tolerant Inputs
  • 0 to 400-kHz Clock Frequency
  • Latch-Up Performance Exceeds 100 mA Per JESD 78
  • ESD Protection Exceeds JESD 22
    • 2000-V Human-Body Model (A114-A)
    • 1000-V Charged-Device Model (C101)

The PCA9546A is a quad bidirectional translating switch controlled via the I2C bus. The SCL/SDA upstream pair fans out to four downstream pairs, or channels. Any individual SCn/SDn channel or combination of channels can be selected, determined by the contents of the programmable control register.

An active-low reset ( RESET) input allows the PCA9546A to recover from a situation in which one of the downstream I2C buses is stuck in a low state. Pulling RESET low resets the I2C state machine and causes all the channels to be deselected, as does the internal power-on reset function.

The pass gates of the switches are constructed such that the VCC pin can be used to limit the maximum high voltage, which will be passed by the PCA9546A. This allows the use of different bus voltages on each pair, so that 1.8-V, 2.5-V, or 3.3-V parts can communicate with 5-V parts without any additional protection. External pull-up resistors pull the bus up to the desired voltage level for each channel. All I/O pins are 5.5-V tolerant.

The PCA9546A is a quad bidirectional translating switch controlled via the I2C bus. The SCL/SDA upstream pair fans out to four downstream pairs, or channels. Any individual SCn/SDn channel or combination of channels can be selected, determined by the contents of the programmable control register.

An active-low reset ( RESET) input allows the PCA9546A to recover from a situation in which one of the downstream I2C buses is stuck in a low state. Pulling RESET low resets the I2C state machine and causes all the channels to be deselected, as does the internal power-on reset function.

The pass gates of the switches are constructed such that the VCC pin can be used to limit the maximum high voltage, which will be passed by the PCA9546A. This allows the use of different bus voltages on each pair, so that 1.8-V, 2.5-V, or 3.3-V parts can communicate with 5-V parts without any additional protection. External pull-up resistors pull the bus up to the desired voltage level for each channel. All I/O pins are 5.5-V tolerant.
open-in-new Find other I2C switches & multiplexers
Download View video with transcript Video

Technical documentation

star =Top documentation for this product selected by TI
No results found. Please clear your search and try again.
View all 11
Type Title Date
* Data sheet PCA9546A Low Voltage 4-Channel I2C and SMBus Switch with Reset Function datasheet (Rev. I) PDF | HTML 21 Jun 2022
Application note I2C Solutions for Hot Swap Applications (Rev. A) 31 Jan 2023
Application note I2C Dynamic Addressing 25 Apr 2019
Selection guide Logic Guide (Rev. AB) 12 Jun 2017
Application note Choosing the Correct I2C Device for New Designs PDF | HTML 07 Sep 2016
Application note Understanding and Interpreting Standard-Logic Data Sheets (Rev. C) 02 Dec 2015
Application note Understanding the I2C Bus PDF | HTML 30 Jun 2015
Application note Maximum Clock Frequency of I2C Bus Using Repeaters 15 May 2015
Application note I2C Bus Pull-Up Resistor Calculation PDF | HTML 13 Feb 2015
Application note Programming Fun Lights With TI's TCA6507 30 Nov 2007
Application note Semiconductor Packing Material Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Protection 08 Jul 2004

Design & development

For additional terms or required resources, click any title below to view the detail page where available.

Simulation model

HSPICE Model for PCA9546A

SCPJ001.ZIP (112 KB) - HSpice Model
Download
Simulation model

PCA9546A IBIS Model

SCPM006.ZIP (129 KB) - IBIS Model
Download
Design tool

I2C-DESIGNER — I2C designer tool

Use the I2C Designer tool to quickly resolve conflicts in addressing, voltage level and frequency in I2C based designs. Enter master and slave inputs to automatically generate an I2C tree or easily build a custom solution. This tool will help designers save time and comply with the I2C standard (...)
Evaluate in the cloud
Simulation tool

PSPICE-FOR-TI — PSpice® for TI design and simulation tool

PSpice® for TI is a design and simulation environment that helps evaluate functionality of analog circuits. This full-featured, design and simulation suite uses an analog analysis engine from Cadence®. Available at no cost, PSpice for TI includes one of the largest model libraries in the (...)
Request
Simulation tool

TINA-TI — SPICE-based analog simulation program

TINA-TI provides all the conventional DC, transient and frequency domain analysis of SPICE and much more. TINA has extensive post-processing capability that allows you to format results the way you want them. Virtual instruments allow you to select input waveforms and probe circuit nodes voltages (...)
User guide: PDF
View options
Reference designs

TIDA-010240 — Scalable multi-pack smart battery charger reference design

Lithium batteries with more than 100 watt-hours (Wh) are generally not permitted in carry-on luggage, and any exceptions to this rule lie at the discretion of airlines and require prior approval. This reference design is a smart high-efficiency charger design for dual smart battery packs of up to (...)
Design guide: PDF
Package Pins Download
SOIC (D) 16 View options
SOIC (DW) 16 View options
TSSOP (PW) 16 View options
TVSOP (DGV) 16 View options
VQFN (RGV) 16 View options
VQFN (RGY) 16 View options
TI's Standard Terms and Conditions for Evaluation Items apply.

Ordering & quality

Information included:
  • RoHS
  • REACH
  • Device marking
  • Lead finish/Ball material
  • MSL rating/Peak reflow
  • MTBF/FIT estimates
  • Material content
  • Qualification summary
  • Ongoing reliability monitoring

Recommended products may have parameters, evaluation modules or reference designs related to this TI product.

Support & training

TI E2E™ forums with technical support from TI engineers

View all forum topics

Content is provided "as is" by TI and community contributors and does not constitute TI specifications. See terms of use.

If you have questions about quality, packaging or ordering TI products, see TI support. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Videos