MAX236CWG

MAX236CWG is a power efficient, micro-power, single-channel RS- 232 driver/receiver. This advanced CMOS IC is the latest in a series of low-voltage, low-power ICs presented by Texas Instruments for use in battery-powered systems and applications. It is designed to meet the standard serial port requirements of RS-232 and operates from a single +5V supply.The system itself can provide simple and cost effective serial communication link as it can be designed using minimal external components and it provides a minimum of -3dB cut-off frequency of 17KHz. The MAX236 then features a low threshold voltage of 3V and is capable of operation at data rates of up to 120kBaud. This device also contains an on-chip charge pump which allows the device to power itself with an input voltage as low as 3V even during an RS-232 idle state when the output voltage could go as low as -3V.The MAX236CWG also offers a vast array of features such as: active low driver enable (DA), low power shutdown mode, wide common-mode input range, over voltage protection, adjustable data format select and re-driver output. Additionally the driver has programmable outputs that allow the transmitter to be disabled when the output voltage is between +2.5V to +5V.In terms of application field, the MAX236CWG is capable of interfacing TTL/CMOS level logic such as PCs, modems and other serial IO devices with asynchronous data speeds up to 120kBaud. Additionally, the device can be used for synchronous and asynchronous communications as it offers an integrated driver control buffer that allows the driver to be enabled or disabled. Furthermore, the device can be used with a variety of standard connectors such as UARTs, V.28, V.24 and the modem standard, V.22bis.The MAX236CWG works on the concept of two independent dual supply transceivers. Basically, when enabled, the driver uses the on-chip charge pump to generate negative voltage supplies for the driver and receiver halves independently. When the device is disabled, each transceiver will enter a low power shutdown state, consuming lower than one microamps of standby current.The driver section of the chip consists of two pairs of outputs (DA1 and DA0 for receiver, and DB1 and DB0 for driver). When enabled, these output stages will drive the serial data lines to either +9V (DA1 and DB1) or -9V (DA0 and DB0). The receiver section has four inputs (RX0 and RX1 for receiver, and C1 and C0 for sets of data format detection) and four outputs (RD, RE, REF and R0) that can be used to adjust the data format, detect the receivers incoming signals, or detect logic level shift.In terms of performance, the MAX236CWG delivers high data rate of up to 120kBaud and low propagation delay of 16 Nano seconds. The device also offers a wide common mode input range of -6V to +6V, making it ideal for applications that requires a wide range of serial communication protocols. It is also capable of providing adjustable data format selection and re-driver output.To conclude, the MAX236CWG is a power efficient, single-channel RS-232 driver/receiver suitable for low-voltage, low-power applications. This device features active low driver enable, low power shutdown mode, wide common-mode input range, adjustable data format select and re-driver output making it suitable for TTL/CMOS level logic, asynchronous and synchronous communication protocols. Furthermore, the MAX236CWG offers high data rate of up to 120kBaud and low propagation delay of 16 Nano seconds.