The SN65C3223E and SN75C3223E consist of two line drivers, two line receivers, and a dual charge-pump circuit with ±15-kV ESD protection pin to pin (serial-port connection pins, including GND). These devices meet the requirements of TIA/EIA-232-F and provide the electrical interface between an asynchronous communication controller and the serial-port connector. The charge pump and four small external capacitors allow operation from a single 3-V to 5.5-V supply. The devices operate at typical data signaling rates up to 1000 kbit/s.

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 devices do not sense a valid RS-232 signal, the driver outputs are disabled. If FORCEOFF is set low and EN is high, both drivers and receivers are shut off, and the supply current is reduced to 1 mA. Disconnecting the serial port or turning off the peripheral drivers causes auto-powerdown to occur. Auto-powerdown can be disabled when FORCEON and FORCEOFF are high. With auto-powerdown enabled, the devices are 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 the receiver input voltage is between -0.3 V and 0.3 V for more than 30 μs.