Sipex's Latest 3v, Rs-232 Serial Transceiver Completes Data Cable Solution Portfolio

Sipex Corporation (NASDAQ: SIPX), designer and manufacturer of high-performance analog semiconductors for the portable electronics market, today announced the immediate availability of its SP3238E –a 15kV ESD protected, 5 driver, 3 receiver RS-232 transceiver.

Its enhanced +/-15 kV ESD protection on all RS-232 I/O lines (IEC1000-4-2 – air discharge), fast 250 kbps data transmission rate, and AUTO ON- LINETM feature makes the SP3238E the preferred choice for designers of next generation data cables used in cell phones, PDAs, and other handheld, portable electronics.

"The SP3238E with its high ESD and AUTO ON- LINETM features solve 3V serial data transmission problems for portable device designers," said David Lee, Director of Sipex' Interface Product Line. "It simplifies the communications interface between the handheld peripheral, like a camera or PDA operating at 3.3V, and its host computer."

About the SP3238E:
The SP3238E is a fast, rugged, 3V RS-232 compliant (EIA/TIA-232F) serial transceiver (5 drivers, 3 receivers) specifically designed for battery powered, handheld devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and digital cameras that must operate at 3.3V. It's AUTO ON- LINETM feature allows the device to automatically wake up from its shutdown state when the RS-232 cable is connected and the peripheral is turned on. The enhanced ESD protection on all I/O pins (IEC1000-4-2 – +/-15 kV air-gap discharge; +/-8kV contact discharge; +/- 15kV HBM) protects the SP3238E and internal electronics from catastrophic damage under normal cable connection or handling circumstances. And the low shutdown current (<10 uA) minimizes battery consumption when the communications port is idle.

Pricing and Availability:
The SP3238E is currently available in a 28 lead SSOP or 28 lead TSSOP for $1.92 each in 10,000-piece quantities. Datasheets and other information on the SP3238E can be found at www.sipex.com.

About Sipex:
Sipex Corporation designs, manufactures and markets high-performance, analog integrated circuits using standard mixed-signal and dielectrically isolated BiCMOS wafer process technologies. The company markets over 750 products in power management, interface and analog displays. Power management products include LDO linear regulators, DC/DC switching regulators and controllers, charge pumps, and microprocessor supervisors. Interface products cover RS-232, RS-485, USB and high speed, differential transceivers, along with multi-protocol transceivers. Analog display products consist primarily of electroluminescent display drivers for backlighting LCD displays.

The company is headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts and has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts and California.

Sipex Corporation, 22 Linnell Circle, Billerica, MA 01821. Tel: 978-671-1907; Fax: 978-670-9001.