FAQS about Fanout/Signal Splitting

Q1:  Can I use a Tee for splitting a TTL signal, an ECL signal, an analog signal?  

Q2: Can I use a power divider for splitting a TTL signal, an ECL signal, an analog signal?

Q3:  What is a Fanout device?

Q4:  What kinds of Fanout devices do you make?

Q1:  Can I use a Tee for splitting a TTL signal, an ECL signal, an analog signal?

A1:  For low frequency TTL devices, such as the LS series, the TEE may be OK if short cables, no longer than 3ft, are used. It is definitely NO for any ECL devices.  A Tee is not recommended for analog signals at frequencies above 10 MHz.

See PRL-414B, PRL-431AN, and PRL-434A

Q2: Can I use a power divider for splitting a TTL signal, an ECL signal, an analog signal?

A2:  A passive power divider generally splits a signal into two equal parts, or 6 dB.  When a digital signal is split in half, it is no longer logic level compatible, and, therefore, a 6 dB power divider should not be used.  It is OK, however, for most analog signals, because one can always use amplifiers to recover the loss.

We also offer a variety of active distribution amplifiers for RF signals.

See the PRL-812, PRL-812D, PRL-814, PRL-302, and PRL-304 families of products.

Q3:  What is a Fanout device?

A3:  A Fanout device is an active device that makes multiple copies of the input signals.  A 1:4 Fanout Buffer, for example, produces four equal output signals from a given input signal.

See PRL-414B, PRL-424LV,  PRL-434LP, and PRL-434A

Q4:  What kinds of Fanout devices do you make?

A4:  PRL has a wide variety of fanout buffers in configurations of 1:2, 2 x 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, 2 x 1:8, 1:10, 2 x 1:10, 3 x 1:10, and 1:22, in many logic families including TTL/CMOS, LVDS, RS-4222, NECL and LVPECL. These devices are all transmission line drivers.