AVX Corporation, a manufacturer of advanced passive components and interconnect solutions, has developed a miniature 0402 varistor for FlexRay Communication BUS Systems used in automotive applications. The AEC-Q200 qualified Flexray Automotive Varistor Series automotive varistors combine ESD protection with EMI/RF filtering and insertion loss characteristics to protect against transients on high-speed data lines up to 10Mbps.

The Flexray Auomotive Series varistors offer protection during jump-start and can withstand multiple transient strikes while providing sub-1nS response to ESD strikes. A suitable drop-in replacement for diode protection, the compact Flexray Automotive Varistors Series delivers transient clamping.

“This Flexray varistor series offers engineers a more robust solution for the faster digital serial bus systems currently being designed into today’s vehicles. By accommodating data rates that are up to 10 times faster than current controlled area network (CAN) BUS systems, AVX,” said Mike Muir, North American product manager at AVX.

The Flexray Automotive Varistor Series has the lowest specified leakage current available on the market. The low profile 0402 varistor features a fast response time to ESD and can withstand 1000 successive strikes of ESD at 8kV per IEC 61000–4-2. The Flexray Automotive Varistor Series has a lead time of nine weeks. AVX’s Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is available upon request.