These octal transceivers and line drivers are designed for asynchronous communication between data buses. The devices transmit data from the A bus to the B bus or from the B bus to the A bus, depending on the logic level at the direction-control (DIR) input. The output-enable (OE\) input can be used to disable the device so the buses are effectively isolated.

Both the A-port and B-port outputs, which are designed to sink up to 12 mA, include equivalent 25- series resistors to reduce overshoot and undershoot.

When V_CC is between 0 and 2.1 V, the device is in the high-impedance state during power up or power down. However, to ensure the high-impedance state above 2.1 V, OE\ should be tied to V_CC through a pullup resistor; the minimum value of the resistor is determined by the current-sinking capability of the driver.