The MAX481, MAX483, MAX485, MAX487–MAX491, and
MAX1487 are low-power transceivers for RS-485 and RS-
422 communication. Each part contains one driver and one
receiver. The MAX483, MAX487, MAX488, and MAX489
feature reduced slew-rate drivers that minimize EMI and
reduce reflections caused by improperly terminated cables,
thus allowing error-free data transmission up to 250kbps.
The driver slew rates of the MAX481, MAX485, MAX490,
MAX491, and MAX1487 are not limited, allowing them to
transmit up to 2.5Mbps.
These transceivers draw between 120μA and 500μA of
supply current when unloaded or fully loaded with disabled
drivers. Additionally, the MAX481, MAX483, and MAX487
have a low-current shutdown mode in which they consume
only 0.1μA. All parts operate from a single 5V supply.
Drivers are short-circuit current limited and are protected
against excessive power dissipation by thermal shutdown
circuitry that places the driver outputs into a high-impedance
state. The receiver input has a fail-safe feature that
guarantees a logic-high output if the input is open circuit.
The MAX487 and MAX1487 feature quarter-unit-load
receiver input impedance, allowing up to 128 MAX487/
MAX1487 transceivers on the bus. Full-duplex communications
are obtained using the MAX488–MAX491, while
the MAX481, MAX483, MAX485, MAX487, and MAX1487
are designed for half-duplex applications.
________________________Applications
Low-Power RS-485 Transceivers
Low-Power RS-422 Transceivers
Level Translators
Transceivers for EMI-Sensitive Applications
Industrial-Control Local Area Networks