RS-485/RS-422 transceiver for 3.3V industrial buses
The Maxim Integrated MAX3078EESA+T is a half-duplex transceiver supporting both RS-422 and RS-485 protocols, with a single driver and single receiver on a 3V to 3.6V supply rail. It delivers a 16 Mbps data rate, making it suitable for high-speed serial links in factory automation, building management, and telecom equipment where the bus runs on a 3.3V backplane. The 100 mV receiver hysteresis provides noise margin on long cable runs, and the -40°C to 85°C operating range covers industrial enclosures and outdoor cabinets without forced cooling.
16 Mbps at 3.3V — bus timing and noise margin
At 16 Mbps, the MAX3078EESA+T keeps up with Profibus and similar fieldbus segments running at the higher baud rates. The 3V to 3.6V supply range matches 3.3V logic families directly — no level translation needed on the controller side. The 100 mV receiver hysteresis is a practical advantage on electrically noisy factory floors: it prevents the receiver from toggling on coupled noise below that threshold, which reduces retransmission overhead on the bus.
Lifecycle and sourcing
The MAX3078EESA+T is listed as Active and ROHS3 compliant.