The LTC2978 can support up to 12 slaves, but it's recommended to limit it to 8-10 slaves to ensure reliable communication and to avoid bus loading issues.
To ensure reliable communication, make sure to follow the PMBus specification, use a pull-up resistor on the SMBCLK line, and keep the bus capacitance below 400pF. Also, ensure that the slaves are properly terminated and that the bus is properly shielded.
For optimal performance, it's recommended to follow a star topology for the PMBus, keep the SMBCLK and SMBDAT lines as short as possible, and avoid routing them near noise sources. Also, use a solid ground plane and decouple the power supplies properly.
The LTC2978 has built-in fault detection and reporting capabilities. Use the STATUS_WORD command to read the fault status, and implement a fault handling routine to take corrective action. Also, make sure to follow the recommended fault handling procedures outlined in the datasheet.
While the LTC2978 is designed to work with PMBus compliant devices, it's possible to use it with non-PMBus compliant devices with some modifications. However, this may require custom firmware development and is not recommended for most applications.
