MAX3232 Pinout

MAX3232 RS-232 Transceiver · 3V–5.5V RS-232 driver/receiver — the low-voltage, pin-compatible successor to the MAX232.

DIP-16 Interface 16 pins No backend · 100% client-side

C1+ 1

V+ 2

C1− 3

C2+ 4

C2− 5

V− 6

T2OUT 7

R2IN 8

MAX3232 DIP-16

16 VCC

15 GND

14 T1OUT

13 R1IN

12 R1OUT

11 T1IN

10 T2IN

9 R2OUT

PowerGNDInputOutputI/OControl

Pin	Name	Type	Function
1	C1+	Control	Charge-pump 1 capacitor +
2	V+	Output	Generated positive rail (charge pump)
3	C1−	Control	Charge-pump 1 capacitor −
4	C2+	Control	Charge-pump 2 capacitor +
5	C2−	Control	Charge-pump 2 capacitor −
6	V−	Output	Generated negative rail (charge pump)
7	T2OUT	Output	Driver 2 RS-232 output
8	R2IN	Input	Receiver 2 RS-232 input
9	R2OUT	Output	Receiver 2 TTL output
10	T2IN	Input	Driver 2 TTL input
11	T1IN	Input	Driver 1 TTL input
12	R1OUT	Output	Receiver 1 TTL output
13	R1IN	Input	Receiver 1 RS-232 input
14	T1OUT	Output	Driver 1 RS-232 output
15	GND	GND	Ground
16	VCC	Power	Supply + (3.0–5.5V)

How to · reading it

How to read the MAX3232 pinout

01
Find pin 1
One end of the chip has a half-circle notch or a dot; with the notch facing up, the top-left pin is pin 1.
02
Count counter-clockwise
Count counter-clockwise from pin 1: go down the left side first, then up the right side from the bottom.
03
Check the table below
Look up each pin's function by number in the table below; power/ground are color-coded, and alternate-function signals are in parentheses.

FAQ

Is the MAX3232 a drop-in for the MAX232?

Pinout-wise yes (same DIP-16). The MAX3232 also runs at 3.3V and uses 0.1µF charge-pump caps instead of 1µF — for 3.3V systems prefer the MAX3232.

How many serial channels does it have?

Two drivers and two receivers — enough for one full TX/RX port with handshake, or two simple TX/RX ports.

Data source

Pinout data comes from TI/Maxim MAX3232 datasheet (standard DIP-16 numbering). Refer to the actual device datasheet as authoritative for the pinout.