ESP32 Forum

Hello!

I'm looking to connect an ESP32 board with a MAX3232 Mini to communicate with another device, but I'm unsure about the correct connections.

Here are my idea on the connections:

MAX3232 to ESP32:
MAX3232 TTL OUT to ESP32 RX pin
MAX3232 TTL IN to ESP32 TX pin
GND to GND

MAX3232 to Device:
MAX3232 RS232 OUT to Device TXD
MAX3232 RS232 IN to Device RXD
GND to GND

For power:
The ESP32 is powered via the 5V pin and ground.
The MAX3232 module also needs power. But I'm unsure about where and how exactly.

Questions:
Can I draw power from the ESP32 board, or should both devices use the 5V supply?
Are my connection ideas correct?

I attached an image of the devices.

I appreciate any guidance you can provide!

Thank you!

MAX3232 RS232 OUT to Device TXD
MAX3232 RS232 IN to Device RXD

You probably want to swap those two around. Otherwise, it sounds like your plan should work.

Can I draw power from the ESP32 board, or should both devices use the 5V supply?

The MAX3232 is both 3.3V and 5V tolerant, but it'll run the IOs at the voltage of its power supply and the ESP32 can't handle 5V on its IOs. That all means you should connect the MAX3232 to a 3.3V power supply. You should be fine hooking it up to the 3.3V ('3V3') pin of the devboard; the chip doesn't use that much power.

Thanks for your reply and guidance!

I'll try that today. Much appreciated!