Analog Devices has broken another industry barrier with the release of the ADM3202, ADM3222, and ADM1385; a new family of high-speed, low-power, RS-232/V.28 line drivers/receivers that come in a 16-pin TSSOP - which makes them the industry's smallest two-driver/two-receiver RS-232's. When used with four external 0.1 ýF charge pump capacitors, the ADM3202, ADM3222, and ADM1385 will provide, (through an internal voltage doubler/inverter), the ability to operate from a single 3.3 V supply. All three parts will operate at data rates up to 460 kbps, and, in the case of the ADM3222 and ADM1385, feature a low power shutdown that make them well-suited for portable instruments, PDAs, HPCs, and digital cameras.

More on the Shutdown Circuitry
The functional block diagram of the ADM3222/ADM1385 shows the basics of the enable and shutdown circuitry. The enable (EN) input may be used to three-state the receiver outputs. The shutdown (SD) input is used to power down the charge pump and transmitter outputs, reducing the quiescent current to less than 1 ýA. The receivers remain enabled during shutdown unless disabled using EN.

If you have ever needed to design in RS-232 line drivers/receivers you will appreciate these parts immediately; if you have ever had a handheld lose battery power while working you might be surprised by the amount of energy the RS-232 ports were taking, even though they were doing nothing. Analog has solved a number of problems simultaneously with these parts and they will be top sellers. In addition to the technical improvements the package sizes are "this year's models."

The ADM3202/ADM3222/ADM1385 family is priced at $1.35 per 1k-piece lots.