RS-232 interface for mixed-voltage designs
The 250kbps data rate covers standard serial communication up to 115200 baud with margin, and the 300 mV receiver hysteresis cleans up noisy lines from long cable runs.
Supply range and signal integrity
The wide 3V to 5.5V supply range means the MAX3232EIDR can sit on a 3.3V rail and still drive a true RS-232 output swing (±5V minimum) because the charge-pump generates the needed voltages internally. No external ±12V supply is required. The 300 mV of receiver hysteresis prevents chatter on the RX line when the cable picks up noise — useful in industrial environments where the serial cable runs through a motor drive bay.
The 16-SOIC footprint is a common PCB land pattern, so layout reuse across projects is straightforward.
Lifecycle status
For dual-sourcing flexibility, the MAX3232 family includes several package and temperature variants; the EIDR suffix denotes the industrial-temperature, SOIC-16, tape-and-reel option.