The NE8392C Coaxial Transceiver Interface (CTI) is a bipolar coaxial line driver/receiver for Ethernet (10base5) and Thin Ethernet (10base2) local area networks. The CTI is connected between the coaxial cable and the Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) and consists of a receiver, transmitter, receive-mode collision detector, heartbeat generator and jabber timer (see Block Diagram). The transmitter output connects directly to a doubly terminated 50W cable, while the receiver output, collision detector output and transmitter input are connected to the DTE through isolation transformers. Isolation between the CTI and the DTE is an IEEE 802.3 requirement that can be met on signal lines by using a set of pulse transformers normally available in a standard 16-pin DIP. Power isolation for the CTI is achieved using DC-to-DC conversion through a power transformer (see Figure 1, Connection Diagram). During transmission the jabber timer is initiated to disable the CTI transmitter in the event of a longer than legal length data packet. Receive-mode collision detection circuitry monitors the signals on the coaxial cable to determine the presence of colliding packets and signals the DTE in the event of a collision. At the end of every transmission the heartbeat generator creates a pseudo collision for a short time to ensure that the collision circuitry is functioning correctly. The heartbeat function can be disabled for repeater applications.