I am designing a system using RS485. There will be >100 nodes on a bus, each with input and output connectors, separated by ~1m.
In order to determine the signal quality at various speeds, I would like to make low-cost nodes that behave electrically in the same way as the actual node.
I'm thinking of replacing the node transceiver with high-value resistors (based on input impedance of intended device) and the simulating the connectors with 15pF capacitors (value based on page 4 of this TI application note).
In terms of verifying signal integrity, will this work to a degree of accuracy that I can be confident of the performance of the actual system?
Is this necessary, or can I be confident that I will not have issues if I pick the correct drivers based on desired speed and unit loading?
Is there a better way to simulate an RS485 bus (in software or hardware)?
