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MAX3232E: Air-Gap Discharge rating tested by the customer is 12kV<15kV listed on the datasheet

Part Number: MAX3232E
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: STRIKE

Hi,

my customer test the Air-Gap Discharge with electrostatic analyzer shown below.

But the device breaks when the voltage reaches 12kV not 15kV.

The green connector is the terminal for RS232 (RIN, DOUT, 5V, GND)

The questions is:

1. what's wrong with the test procedure shown here. How is it different from the test method which hasn't been stated on the datasheet?

2. Is this lower Air-Gap Discharge rating caused by the green terminal? How can we keep 15kV rating since the terminal is a must.

  • Howard,

    The air gap spec is tricky. In the real tests, the results could be impacted by many factors, like humidity, the speed of tip closing to the board. In your setup, I would suggest using a sticking out wire for the strike. Because of the shape of the tip, it's hard to control the discharge if there are several similar connectors nearby.

    Please let me know if it makes sense to you. Also please be sure the grounding of the board is solid and the bench setup follows the IEC standard.

    Regards,

    Hao