MAX3232IPWR

• Two Drivers and Two receivers, Full-Duplex RS-232
• Data Rate of 250kbps per the Attribute Record
• Covers Both Supply Ranges: 3V to 3.6V and 4.5V to 5.5V
• Nominal Operating Current of 1mA at a 5V Supply
• 16-Pin TSSOP, 5mm X 4.4mm, 1.2mm Height
• Operating Range of -40C to 85C, MSL 1, 2000 per Reel

The Texas Instruments MAX3232IPWR is a full-duplex RS-232 transceiver with two drivers and two receivers in a 16-pin TSSOP measuring 5mm x 4.4mm. The attribute record lists a 250kbps data rate, a nominal 5V operating supply drawing 1mA, and dual supply-range entries of 3V to 3.6V and 4.5V to 5.5V, reflecting that the device covers both the 3.3V and 5V rails. TI rates the MAX3232IPWR from -40C to 85C and lists it Active and in Production, lead free, RoHS compliant, MSL 1, ECCN EAR99, shipped on tape and reel at 2000 pieces per reel.

This is the workhorse part for adding a legacy serial port to a modern board: the on-chip charge pump generates the plus and minus RS-232 line levels from a single 3.3V or 5V rail, so a microcontroller UART can talk to industrial equipment, instruments, modems, GPS receivers and console ports without a negative supply. Two channels cover transmit and receive plus one handshake pair, which is what most console and service ports need. Buyers are industrial-automation, medical, point-of-sale, networking and building-automation OEMs and their contract manufacturers, and the MAX3232IPWR is one of the most commonly cross-referenced 3232 parts on the open market because several vendors offer pin-compatible versions. When substituting, confirm the package variant, since the same die ships in TSSOP, SOIC and SSOP bodies with different footprints.