Hello
Voltage and current is not quite applicable
it sounds like a continuity test.
If so, or something similar, for sure it needs some voltage and some current to work with.
--> And I strongly recommend to consider both and additionally timing.
A cable surely is highly capacitive.
Thus - on the output - you need to
drive some (non zero)
voltage and
current to charge/discharge the capacitance within a given timing. And I even guess you need to limit this current in case of cable short circuit.
Also you can´t leave the "inputs" floating, otherwise you get meaningless result.
So at the
input you
* need to draw some
current you
* need to wait some
time then you
* need to validate whether the
voltage now is HIGH or LOW.
*****
You say "5V
DC is more than enough".. but I guess you need to drive at least
two levels like <0.5V / >4.5V and you need to sense <1V and >3V .. just as examples. DC 5V means continously 5V, never anything else.
Most nowadays systems don´t use 5V anymore. Many work with 3.3V supply or less.
So if you say "5V is more than enough", then
3.3V is not included.
I don´t know your requirement, but if you are happy with 1.8V signals, then you should say "1.8V is enough". Then 3.3V as well as 5V is included.
*******
You are free to design the hardware your way... you may do it trial and fail...
My thoughts:
* since cables may be seen as capacitors.. you don´t know the initial voltage. --> you need some ESD protection otherwise your outputs and/or inputs may be killed.
* you say "preferably analog". But mind that many OPAMPS are not able to drive (large) capacitive loads.
* logic ICs may cause or suffer from EMI/EMC
Klaus