DATA-LINE STANDARDS KEEP PACE WITH TECHNOLOGY.

The success of Electronic Industries Association data communications standards rests largely on the ability of the standards to anticipate the future needs of evolving data systems and still be compatible with the requirements of both existing designs and most of the designs from the past. Since the 1960s, EIA standards have been widely used in the transmission of data over cable connecting to workstations, between computers and their peripheral devices, and among other digital systems. This article discusses the common features in the EIA transmission-line standards. The features discussed are compatibility of logic, power-supply and line-voltage levels and characteristics, and data rates.