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Synchronous Serial Interface

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) is a point-to-point, synchronous serial communication protocol that enables the transmission of absolute position data from sensors, such as encoders, to a master controller in real-time, using a clock signal generated by the master to synchronize data bits from the slave device.^[1]^[2] Developed as a simple alternative to parallel interfaces for industrial applications, originally developed by Max Stegmann GmbH in 1984, SSI operates on the RS-422 standard with differential signaling over twisted-pair cables, typically requiring six wires: power, ground, and differential pairs for clock and data lines.^[3]^[4]^[2] In operation, the master initiates communication by sending clock pulses at frequencies ranging from 100 kHz to 2 MHz, prompting the slave encoder to output one data bit per pulse in a serial stream of 12 to 25 bits, often including a leading "1" for synchronization, position data, parity for error detection, and a trailing "0".^[2]^[1] This setup supports transmission rates up to 2 Mbit/s over short distances (e.g., 10-20 m) and distances exceeding 1,200 meters at lower rates (e.g., 100 kHz) while maintaining high noise immunity through balanced signaling.^[1]^[3]^[5] SSI's key advantages include its low cost, minimal wiring compared to parallel systems (which can require dozens of lines for high-resolution data), and elimination of the need for baud rate negotiation or precision oscillators in the slave, making it ideal for harsh environments.^[3]^[2] It supports unidirectional data flow from slave to master, with options for multi-turn encoders that track rotations beyond a single cycle, and can accommodate multiple slaves sharing a common clock line for efficiency.^[1]^[4] Widely adopted in industrial automation since its introduction to simplify encoder interfaces, SSI finds primary use in providing precise feedback for motion control in systems like CNC machines, robotic arms, servo motors, and elevator positioning, where exact position recovery after power loss is critical.^[3]^[4] Additional applications extend to specialized fields such as telescope drives, medical equipment, wind turbines, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs), leveraging its reliability for real-time, low-latency data transfer.^[4]^[1]

Overview

Definition and Purpose

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) is a point-to-point, synchronous serial communication protocol designed primarily for industrial applications, connecting a master device such as a controller to a slave device like an absolute position encoder.^[6]^[1] It enables the transmission of digital data in a serial format where the master generates a clock signal to synchronize the data bits from the slave, ensuring precise timing without the need for the slave to produce its own clock.^[2]^[7] The primary purpose of SSI is to facilitate reliable and noise-immune transfer of absolute position data from sensors to control systems in environments prone to electromagnetic interference, such as manufacturing and automation settings.^[1]^[8] This is achieved through differential signaling, often based on RS-422 standards, which uses twisted-pair cabling to minimize signal degradation over distances up to 1,200 meters.^[7]^[3] Key characteristics include support for data words up to 25 bits (typically 13 bits for single-turn and 25 bits for multi-turn encoders, encoded in binary or Gray code), unidirectional simplex operation where the master requests data via clock pulses, and typical operating speeds ranging from 100 kHz to 2 MHz, depending on cable length and resolution.^[8]^[1]^[2] Unlike asynchronous serial interfaces such as RS-232, which rely on start and stop bits for framing and are susceptible to timing drift, SSI employs a continuous clock signal from the master to achieve bit-level synchronization, eliminating the need for framing bits and enabling higher reliability in real-time position feedback applications.^[2]^[6] This synchronous approach ensures that each clock pulse corresponds to one data bit, providing deterministic communication ideal for industrial sensors without the overhead of asynchronous protocols.^[1]^[7]

History and Development

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) was developed in 1984 by Max Stegmann GmbH, now part of SICK AG, specifically to transmit position data from absolute encoders in industrial applications.^[9]^[10] This innovation addressed key limitations of earlier technologies, such as analog interfaces prone to noise interference over distances and parallel digital interfaces that required numerous wires for higher resolutions, making cabling complex and costly.^[9] SSI employed a point-to-point serial protocol based on the RS-422 standard for differential signaling, enabling reliable, noise-immune data transfer with just a few conductors.^[9] During the 1980s, SSI saw early adoption in industrial automation, particularly for rotary and linear encoders in machinery requiring precise position feedback, such as servo drives and positioning systems.^[10] Its first commercial implementations focused on absolute encoders, providing unambiguous position data without the need for reference runs, which enhanced efficiency in automated processes.^[10] By the late 1980s and into the 1990s, the interface evolved to support greater data lengths, including configurations up to 25 bits for single- and multi-turn resolutions, accommodating more demanding applications in manufacturing and control systems.^[10] A significant milestone was the integration of SSI into programmable logic controller (PLC) systems, which allowed direct reading of encoder data for closed-loop control in automation setups. This facilitated broader use in sectors like robotics and conveyor systems. In the 2000s, SSI's proprietary nature influenced the development of open alternatives, such as the BiSS interface introduced by iC-Haus in 2002, which built on SSI's synchronous principles while adding bidirectional communication and royalty-free access to promote standardization.

Protocol Design

Data Format and Framing

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) employs a compact data word structure designed for efficient transmission of position and status information from absolute encoders. Typically, the data word consists of 1 to 25 bits, comprising a single status or parity bit followed by up to 24 data bits representing the encoder's position value.^[11] This structure allows for resolutions ranging from 12 to 13 bits for single-turn data and up to 12 additional bits for multi-turn data in higher-resolution variants, ensuring compatibility with industrial control systems.^[10] Bits are transmitted serially in most significant bit (MSB)-first order, synchronized to the clock signal generated by the master device.^[11] Framing in SSI transmissions lacks explicit start or stop bits, relying instead on the clock signal for synchronization and inherent protocol timing to delineate data packets. Data is output on the rising edge of each clock pulse, with the slave device (e.g., encoder) loading the full word into a shift register upon the initial clock transition.^[10] The end of a transmission is indicated by the data line transitioning to a low state after the last bit (LSB) is sent, often triggered by an additional clock edge, followed by a pause period during which no clock pulses are generated; this pause, typically at least 20 µs, signals the completion of the frame and allows the data value to update if the position has changed.^[11] This timeout-based framing ensures reliable point-to-point communication without additional overhead, distinguishing SSI from asynchronous protocols.^[6] SSI primarily operates in absolute mode, where the full position value is transmitted as a complete digital word, providing unambiguous angular or linear position data without requiring a reference point.^[2] It supports binary or Gray code formats, with Gray code ensuring only one bit changes per increment to enhance noise immunity in dynamic environments.^[11] For example, in a 13-bit absolute encoder, the data format includes a leading parity or status bit (e.g., for error detection) followed by 13 position bits, transmitted MSB-first over 14 clock cycles; the status bit might indicate alarm conditions or data validity, with the position bits encoded in binary or gray code depending on the device configuration.^[10] This setup supports resolutions up to 8192 steps per revolution, commonly used in single-turn applications.^[2]

Synchronization Mechanism

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) relies on a master-slave architecture where the master device, such as a controller or PLC, generates the clock signal to orchestrate data transmission from the slave, typically an encoder or sensor. This clock is a square wave pulse train operating at frequencies typically ranging from 100 kHz to 2 MHz, depending on cable length and application requirements, ensuring precise timing without the need for separate baud rate configuration.^[2]^[6] The master initiates communication by sending a burst of clock pulses on the CLK line, with the number of pulses corresponding to the desired data length, such as 12 to 25 bits for position information.^[10] The synchronous nature of SSI eliminates timing drift between master and slave by using the shared clock as the reference for all bit transfers, unlike asynchronous protocols that rely on embedded start/stop bits. Data on the DATA line changes state on the rising edge of the clock pulse, becoming stable immediately after, and the master samples each bit on the falling edge, while the slave shifts out bits on the rising edges, ensuring reliable capture. This edge-aligned mechanism guarantees that each bit is synchronized precisely, preventing cumulative errors over long transmissions and maintaining data integrity in noisy industrial environments.^[6]^[2] After completing the data transmission, the slave drives the DATA line low to signal the end of the frame, confirming completion to the master and allowing preparation for subsequent reads without additional control signals. For multi-bit words, the clock pulses exactly match the number of bits in the data word (e.g., 13 bits for single-turn position plus status bits), with any extra pulses beyond the word length ignored by the slave to accommodate variable resolutions without protocol disruption.^[6]^[2]^[10]

Transmission Process

Timing and Clock Signals

The clock signal in a Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) is typically generated by the master device as a differential square wave using RS-422 or RS-485 standards, ensuring robust transmission over twisted-pair cables. This waveform features a 50% duty cycle to maintain balanced timing, with frequencies commonly ranging from 100 kHz to 2 MHz, where the clock period directly determines the bit duration—for instance, a 2 MHz frequency yields a 500 ns period per bit. The differential nature of the signal provides inherent noise rejection, as the positive and negative lines carry inverted versions of the waveform, allowing the receiver to compare them for common-mode noise cancellation.^[12]^[10]^[6] Data signals in SSI are synchronized to the clock, with the slave device changing the DATA line shortly after each rising edge (low-to-high transition) of the CLK signal, outputting the next bit in the serial stream starting from the most significant bit (MSB). To ensure reliable sampling by the master, the DATA must remain stable until shortly before the subsequent falling edge (high-to-low transition) of the CLK, adhering to typical setup and hold times of 20–50 ns, though minimum response times (t_v) are often specified at 100 ns to account for encoder internal delays. This edge-aligned timing—change after rising, stable through the high phase—allows the master to sample on the falling edge, minimizing errors from propagation variations, though some implementations sample on the rising edge. The initial falling edge of the clock pulse train loads the position data into the slave's shift register, after which subsequent rising edges shift out the bits serially.^[12]^[10]^[13] Propagation delays in SSI must be considered to prevent data skew, with encoder response delays (t_v) up to 100 ns and round-trip cable delays adding further latency, though total delays are kept under one clock period for reliable operation—often limited to around 100 ns effective for short runs under 100 m to avoid bit errors. These delays arise from signal travel time in the cable and internal circuit latencies, necessitating frequency adjustments for longer connections to maintain synchronization. In terms of signal integrity, the CLK and DATA eye diagrams exhibit wide openings during the stable phases, with the differential signaling providing margins against noise; for example, the DATA eye is centered around the clock's high period, ensuring a clear sampling window of several hundred nanoseconds at typical frequencies, which enhances immunity to electromagnetic interference in industrial environments.^[12]^[13]^[10]

Single and Multiple Data Transfers

In the Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI), a single data transfer begins when the master device initiates a query by sending a precise sequence of clock pulses to the slave device, such as an absolute encoder. The number of clock pulses corresponds to the bit length of the data word to be transmitted, typically ranging from 12 to 25 bits depending on the encoder resolution. Upon detecting the first falling edge of the clock signal, the slave loads the current position value into its output shift register. Transmission commences on the subsequent rising clock edge, where the slave outputs the most significant bit (MSB) on the data line, followed by each subsequent bit synchronized to the rising edges of the remaining clock pulses, concluding with the least significant bit (LSB). The master samples the data line on the falling edges of these clock pulses to capture the serial bit stream. After the final clock pulse, the data line transitions to a low state, signaling the end of the transmission. This process ensures reliable, synchronous data exchange without additional framing bits.^[10]^[13]^[14] The query phase consists of the master generating the clock pulses, while the response phase involves the slave shifting out the data bits in real-time. The total duration for a single transfer is determined by the number of bits multiplied by the clock period, plus a brief pause or monoflop time (typically 15-25 µs) after the last bit, during which the slave prepares for potential new data if needed. Clock frequencies commonly range from 100 kHz to 2 MHz, balancing speed with signal integrity over cable lengths up to 400 meters. For instance, in reading a 24-bit position value from a multiturn encoder, the master sends 24 clock pulses: the first 12 for multiturn resolution bits, the next 12 for singleturn bits, and optionally an additional pulse for an error bit if supported by the device. The slave responds by serializing these 24 bits starting from the MSB on the first rising edge, allowing the master to reconstruct the absolute position value.^[10]^[2]^[14] Multiple data transfers in SSI enable continuous or repeated exchanges without requiring a full interface reset between words, facilitating efficient polling of updated sensor data. After completing a single transfer, the data line remains low to indicate the end of the current word, but the master can immediately initiate the next transfer by sending another sequence of clock pulses, prompting the slave to load and transmit fresh data. In asynchronous mode, the slave updates its position value every 125 µs, allowing new readings with a minimum inter-train pause of 150 µs to ensure stability; synchronous mode permits updates starting 20 µs after the last clock edge, with availability after 125 µs. This back-to-back capability supports reading multiple words, such as sequential position updates or additional status bits, in applications requiring high polling rates. The pause between transfers—enforced by the slave's monoflop circuit—prevents data corruption and totals the time as (bits per word + pause) × clock period for each cycle. For example, to acquire successive 24-bit position values, the master sends repeated 24-pulse trains, with each response providing an updated reading if the pause allows the slave to refresh its register.^[10]^[14]

Interruption and Error Conditions

In the Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI), the master device controls the transmission and can interrupt the data transfer at any point by halting the clock sequence for a duration exceeding the transfer timeout period, typically around 20 μs or more. Upon detecting this interruption, the slave device, such as an encoder, ignores any partial data shifted into its register and automatically transitions to idle mode without processing the incomplete frame. This ensures that no corrupted or fragmentary information is utilized, maintaining system integrity during abrupt stops.^[3]^[11] SSI lacks built-in cyclic redundancy check (CRC) mechanisms for error detection, instead relying on optional parity bits—either odd or even—to identify single-bit errors in the transmitted data. The parity bit is appended to the data frame, allowing the master to verify the total number of 1s in the transmission; for even parity, the bit is set to make the count even, and any mismatch prompts the master to discard the frame. In cases of detected errors, the master initiates retransmission by issuing a new full clock sequence query, as there is no automatic acknowledgment or recovery protocol within the standard SSI framework. Some implementations enhance reliability by transmitting the data twice in succession, enabling the master to compare the frames for discrepancies.^[15]^[4]^[3] Common fault modes in SSI include clock signal failure, which prevents any data transfer since the slave remains inactive without clock pulses, resulting in no output from the DATA line. Excessive electrical noise can induce bit errors during transmission, potentially flipping bits and leading to incorrect position or status data at the master. These noise-induced errors are primarily mitigated through the use of differential signaling standards like RS-422 or RS-485, which transmit the signal and its inverse over twisted-pair cables, canceling common-mode interference and supporting reliable operation over distances up to several hundred meters.^[3]^[15]^[4] Following any incomplete transfer cycle—whether due to interruption, clock failure, or error— the slave device recovers by returning to its idle state after the transfer timeout elapses. In this idle state, both the CLOCK and DATA lines are held high, the slave's shift register is cleared or updated with fresh data, and it awaits the next clock sequence from the master to begin a complete transmission. This reset mechanism ensures the interface is prepared for subsequent queries without residual effects from the prior fault.^[3]^[11]

Physical Implementation

Cabling and Electrical Standards

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) adheres to the RS-422 (EIA-422) standard for its electrical characteristics, employing twisted-pair differential signaling on dedicated lines for the clock (CLK) and data (DATA) signals to ensure reliable transmission in industrial environments.^[10]^[16] This differential approach uses balanced pairs to minimize noise susceptibility, with the CLK+ and CLK- lines carrying the synchronization clock and the DATA+ and DATA- lines transmitting the serial data response from the slave device.^[10]^[3] Cabling for SSI requires twisted-pair conductors with a characteristic impedance of 100–120 Ω to match the RS-422 specifications and prevent signal reflections.^[16] Shielding is recommended, and often mandatory in noisy settings, to protect against electromagnetic interference, with the shield typically connected to ground at one end to avoid ground loops.^[10]^[17] Maximum cable lengths vary with data rate: for example, up to 100 m at 1 MHz clock frequency, extending to 300 m or more at lower speeds below 250 kHz, provided the product of baud rate and length does not exceed approximately 10^8 bps·m.^[16]^[8] Grounding practices emphasize single-point connections for the cable shield and signal grounds to minimize potential differences and ensure common-mode stability.^[10]^[16] Electrically, SSI operates with differential output voltages of 2–6 V across the twisted pairs under load, providing a minimum signal amplitude of 2 V for reliable detection while allowing up to 6 V for enhanced drive strength. Receivers tolerate common-mode voltages from -7 V to +7 V, enabling robust operation in environments with ground potential shifts.^[16] Driver short-circuit current is limited to 150 mA maximum to protect against faults, aligning with RS-422's balanced voltage digital interface requirements.^[16] The standard pinout configuration uses four wires: CLK+ (pin for positive clock), CLK- (negative clock), DATA+ (positive data), and DATA- (negative data), often implemented via DB9 or similar connectors in encoder applications, with additional provisions for power and ground.^[10]^[17] This setup supports point-to-point connections between master and slave devices, promoting the interface's noise immunity in differential signaling.^[16]

Hardware Components and Connections

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) system relies on a master-slave architecture, where the master device—typically a microcontroller or programmable logic controller (PLC)—serves as the initiator, equipped with a clock generator to produce synchronous pulses and differential drivers for signal transmission.^[2]^[10] The slave device, commonly an SSI-compatible absolute encoder or position sensor, responds by shifting out data bits in synchronization with the master's clock.^[12]^[10] This setup ensures point-to-point communication, with the master handling bidirectional control while the slave provides unidirectional data output.^[2] Connections in SSI systems utilize differential signaling based on RS-422 standards to enhance noise immunity over long distances, typically up to 1,200 meters at low clock frequencies, depending on data rate and cable quality.^[12]^[10] Typically, four signal wires form two twisted pairs: one for the clock (C+ and C-) and one for the data (D+ and D-), with the master outputting clock signals through an RS-422 transceiver such as the SN75176 integrated circuit.^[18]^[2] Common connectors include DB9 or M12 types, which facilitate secure, industrial-grade mating between the master and slave devices.^[2] Shielded cables are recommended to minimize electromagnetic interference.^[10] Power supply for the slave device is provided separately via dedicated wires, typically ranging from 5 to 24 V DC, and often integrated into the same cable bundle as the signal lines for simplified wiring.^[1]^[10] Voltage levels must match the slave's specifications, such as 4.75 to 5.25 V for many encoder models, to ensure reliable operation.^[10] For integration, SSI modules are available for platforms like Arduino microcontrollers or PLC systems, enabling straightforward interfacing through GPIO pins or dedicated input modules.^[2] In electrically noisy environments, optocouplers are employed to provide galvanic isolation between the master and slave, preventing ground loops and enhancing system robustness.^[12]

Applications and Extensions

Industrial and Sensor Applications

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) finds primary application in absolute rotary and linear encoders, providing precise position feedback essential for various industrial systems. In computer numerical control (CNC) machines, SSI encoders deliver high-resolution data to ensure accurate tool positioning and movement, supporting complex machining operations with minimal error. Similarly, in robotics, these encoders enable real-time joint positioning and velocity monitoring, facilitating precise manipulation in tasks such as assembly and material handling. For elevators, SSI interfaces supply reliable floor-leveling information, contributing to safe and efficient vertical transport by detecting exact shaft positions without the need for homing sequences.^[4]^[2] Beyond core positioning tasks, SSI is integrated into motor control systems and packaging automation for enhanced performance. In motor control, SSI encoders interface with servo drives to enable closed-loop control, where position data allows for dynamic adjustments in speed and torque, optimizing energy use and response times in variable-load scenarios. Packaging automation benefits from SSI's ability to synchronize conveyor movements and filling mechanisms, ensuring consistent throughput in high-speed production lines. These applications leverage SSI's synchronous nature to maintain data integrity during continuous operations.^[4]^[2] A notable case involves Pepperl+Fuchs absolute rotary encoders employing SSI in automotive assembly processes, where they provide position feedback for robotic arms and transfer systems, supporting high-precision tasks like welding and bolting in vehicle manufacturing.^[4]^[19] SSI's adoption is particularly prominent in Europe, integrated within the Siemens ecosystem through modules like the ET 200S series that connect SSI encoders to programmable logic controllers for factory automation. It is favored in harsh industrial environments over alternatives like SPI due to its support for longer transmission distances—up to 1,200 meters—and differential signaling, which enhances noise immunity in electrically noisy settings such as manufacturing floors.^[4]^[20]^[21]

Derived Protocols and Variants

Derived protocols and variants of the Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) have emerged to overcome its inherent limitations, such as the absence of error-checking mechanisms like cyclic redundancy checks (CRC) and unidirectional data flow, enabling enhanced reliability, speed, and functionality in industrial applications. These evolutions maintain hardware compatibility with SSI's RS-422-based physical layer while introducing advanced features for modern sensor-actuator systems.^[22] The most prominent derived protocol is BiSS (Bidirectional or open Serial Synchronous Interface), introduced as an open standard in 2002 by iC-Haus GmbH to facilitate fast, secure bidirectional communication between controllers, sensors, and actuators. BiSS preserves SSI's synchronous serial structure and backward compatibility, allowing seamless integration with existing SSI hardware, but extends capabilities to support up to 64-bit data frames, continuous bidirectional modes (BiSS-C for real-time operation), and CRC for robust error detection. This evolution addresses SSI's vulnerability to transmission errors by incorporating safety-oriented features, such as line delay compensation for reliable high-speed transfers. The protocol has been widely adopted through the royalty-free BiSS User Group, established by iC-Haus, promoting interoperability across manufacturers in motion control and automation.^[22]^[23] For high-dynamic applications requiring elevated data rates, high-speed variants of SSI and BiSS leverage low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) to achieve clock frequencies up to 10 MHz over extended cable lengths, enabling precise feedback in demanding environments like robotics and CNC machinery. These enhancements support cyclic data transmission without compromising noise immunity, building directly on SSI's point-to-point topology.^[24]^[25] Safety-critical variants, such as BiSS Safety, incorporate redundancy and diagnostic protocols to meet standards like SIL3 (Safety Integrity Level 3) under IEC 61508. BiSS Safety employs dual-channel redundancy with independent sensors (e.g., optical and magnetic) for fault-tolerant position data and extends the BiSS-C framework with separate control and safety position words, including a sign-of-life counter and 16-bit CRC for high error detection rates. Certified by TÜV Rheinland in 2015, these variants ensure safe operation in hazardous industrial settings through black-channel transmission over standard cabling.^[26] EnDat, a proprietary protocol developed by Heidenhain, serves as an SSI-influenced alternative, emphasizing bidirectional serial communication for absolute encoders. While not directly derived from SSI, EnDat 2.2 mirrors its synchronous nature but adds parameter transmission, diagnostics, and support for up to 16 auxiliary sensors, with clock rates up to 16 MHz and safety features like dual position values for error monitoring. Widely used in precision drive systems, it offers enhanced diagnostics over SSI without requiring proprietary hardware modifications.^[27]

Advantages and Limitations

Key Benefits

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) excels in noise immunity due to its use of differential signaling based on the RS-422 standard, which enables reliable data transmission over distances exceeding 100 meters in environments with high electromagnetic interference (EMI).^[11] In contrast, single-ended signaling, such as TTL outputs common in some encoder interfaces, is typically limited to about 10 meters before signal degradation occurs.^[28] This differential approach rejects common-mode noise effectively, allowing SSI to support cable lengths up to 1200 meters at lower clock rates, making it suitable for industrial settings with noisy cabling.^[29] SSI's simplicity stems from its minimal wiring requirements, needing only four wires—two for power (V+ and GND) and two twisted pairs for differential clock and data signals—compared to parallel interfaces that may require up to 25 or more conductors for multi-bit data transmission.^[1]^[9] The synchronous clocking provided by the master device ensures deterministic timing, where each data bit is transmitted precisely on clock edges, minimizing latency variations and supporting real-time control applications.^[4] In terms of reliability, SSI facilitates absolute positioning in encoders, delivering unique position values immediately upon power-up without the need for homing or reference point establishment, unlike incremental systems that require initialization after power cycles.^[30]^[31] It supports high resolutions up to 24 bits, enabling precise measurements for tasks demanding fine angular or linear accuracy.^[32] SSI's cost-effectiveness arises from its low component count, requiring only basic interface circuitry for encoders and controllers, which reduces manufacturing and integration expenses compared to more complex protocols.^[3] Additionally, as a long-established standard since the 1980s, it offers seamless compatibility with legacy industrial systems, facilitating upgrades without extensive rewiring or protocol changes.^[33]

Potential Drawbacks and Comparisons

Despite its robustness in certain industrial settings, the Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) has several inherent limitations. Originally developed as a proprietary protocol by Max Stegmann GmbH (acquired by SICK AG in 2002) in 1984, SSI lacks a formal standardization body, leading to variations in implementations across manufacturers.^[10] Error detection is basic, typically relying on optional parity bits or repeated transmissions rather than advanced correction mechanisms like cyclic redundancy checks (CRC).^[15] Additionally, SSI is constrained to point-to-point connections between a single master and slave, preventing multi-device networking without additional hardware.^[34] Data rates are capped at approximately 2 MHz, which may not suffice for high-speed applications over longer cable lengths.^[15] In comparisons with other serial interfaces, SSI offers superior noise immunity due to its differential signaling but trades off flexibility. Unlike the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), which uses single-ended signaling for shorter ranges (typically a few meters) and supports multiplexing multiple slaves via chip-select lines, SSI is strictly point-to-point and less adaptable for diverse peripherals, though it excels in electrically noisy environments.^[35] Compared to I²C, an asynchronous protocol supporting bus topologies for multiple devices at speeds up to 400 kHz, SSI's synchronous nature enables higher data rates (up to 2 MHz) but requires dedicated wiring without shared addressing, making it less suitable for compact, multi-slave systems.^[34] Against EnDat, a proprietary bidirectional protocol from Heidenhain that includes diagnostics and error detection beyond parity, SSI remains unidirectional and simpler but lacks features like parameter storage or safety compliance (e.g., SIL3).^[36] In modern contexts, SSI's design does not support plug-and-play functionality, as devices require fixed point-to-point wiring without dynamic addressing or auto-detection.^[34] It is also susceptible to clock jitter over extended distances without external buffering, potentially degrading signal integrity in high-precision setups.^[36] SSI should be avoided in scenarios demanding multi-device networks, where fieldbus protocols like Profibus are preferable for their support of multiple nodes, addressing, and distributed control over shared media.^[34]

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[28]
T Series Industrial Inclinometer SSI | Sensata Technologies
The synchronous serial interface (SSI) with its RS422 differential line drivers allows transmission cable length up to 1200m. The simple and standard SSI ...
[29]
Understanding Absolute Positioning in SSI Encoders - Briterencoder
Mar 12, 2025 · SSI encoder is used in industrial automation to control robotic arms, conveyors, and assembly lines. They are also used in CNC machines where ...
[30]
Absolute encoders in a nutshell - ifm
This encoder would have a resolution of 4096. Data on the position of the encoder can also be transferred via the synchronous serial interface (SSI).
[31]
[PDF] POINT I/O Synchronous Serial Interface Absolute Encoder Module
The 1734-SSI module collects serial data from industrial absolute-position encoding sensors that use a standard SSI protocol. Description. Description. 1.
[32]
Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) - Encoder Products Company
SSI is a commonly used point-to-point serial communications protocol. It is widely used in industrial applications due to its simplicity and proven history.
[33]
Absolute encoder interfaces: SSI, BiSS, HIPERFACE, and EnDat
one pair for differential data signals ...
[34]
Compare Encoder Interfaces (SSI, BiSS, CANopen) – Find the Best Fit
Serial interfaces also significantly reduce wiring compared to parallel wiring. On the downside, they can only connect one slave and one master. They are not ...
[35]
Comparing SPI RS-485 and SSI Protocols for Absolute Encoders
Feb 24, 2021 · This CUI Insights blog post, “Integrating Absolute Encoders – An Overview of SPI, RS-485, and SSI Protocols” discusses the SPI, RS-485, and SSI communication ...