The MAX3243 consists of three line drivers, five line receivers, and a dual charge-pump circuit with ±15-kV ESD (HBM) protection pin to pin (serial-port connection pins, including GND). The device meets the requirements of TIA/EIA-232-F and provides the electrical interface between an asynchronous communication controller and the serial-port connector. This combination of drivers and receivers matches that needed for the typical serial port used in an IBM PC/AT or compatible. The charge pump and four small external capacitors allow operation from a single 3-V to 5.5-V supply. In addition, the device includes an always-active noninverting output (ROUT2B), which allows applications using the ring indicator to transmit data while the device is powered down.

Flexible control options for power management are available when the serial port is inactive. The auto-powerdown feature functions when FORCEON is low and FORCEOFF is high. During this mode of operation, if the device does not sense a valid RS-232 signal, the driver outputs are disabled. If FORCEOFF is set low, both drivers and receivers (except ROUT2B) are shut off and the supply current is reduced to 1 µA. Disconnecting the serial port or turning off the peripheral drivers causes the auto-powerdown condition to occur.

Auto-powerdown can be disabled when FORCEON and FORCEOFF are high and should be done when driving a serial mouse. With auto-powerdown enabled, the device is activated automatically when a valid signal is applied to any receiver input. The INVALID output is used to notify the user if an RS-232 signal is present at any receiver input. INVALID is high (valid data) if any receiver input voltage is greater than 2.7 V or less than -2.7 V or has been between -0.3 V and 0.3 V for less than 30 µs. INVALID is low (invalid data) if all receiver input voltages are between -0.3 V and 0.3 V for more than 30 µs.