Bidirectional level shifter for mixed-voltage boards
The Maxim Integrated MAX14591ETA+T is a single-circuit, two-channel bidirectional voltage level translator designed to bridge logic domains from 0.9 V up to 5.5 V on the VCCA side and 1.65 V to 5.5 V on the VCCB side.
Thermal-shutdown and tri-state protection
Built-in thermal-shutdown protection disables the outputs if the die temperature exceeds a safe threshold, preventing damage during a fault condition like a shorted bus line or excessive ambient heat. The tri-state input feature lets the designer disable the translator outputs, putting the bus into a high-impedance state — useful for multi-master arbitration or power-save modes where the level shifter must not load the lines.
Housed in an 8-WFDFN (exposed-pad 8-TDFN, 2x2 mm body), the MAX14591ETA+T requires a thermal-land pattern on the PCB for proper heat dissipation. The small footprint suits space-constrained designs like portable instruments, sensor modules, or compact IoT nodes.