The SN75LPE185 is a low-power bipolar device containing three drivers and five receivers, with 15-kV ESD protection on the bus pins, with respect to each other. Bus pins are defined as those pins that tie directly to the serial-port connector, including GND. The pinout matches the flow-through design of the industry-standard SN75185, SN75C185, and SN75LP185, with the addition of four pins for control signals. The flow-through pinout of the device allows easy interconnection of the universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) and serial-port connector of the IBM PC compatibles. The SN75LPE185 provides a rugged, low-cost solution for this function, with the combination of bipolar processing and 15-kV ESD protection. The SN75LPE185 has an internal slew-rate control to provide a maximum rate of change in the output signal of 30 V/s. The driver output swing is clamped at 6 V to enable the higher data rates associated with this device and to reduce EMI emissions. Although the driver outputs are clamped, the outputs can handle voltages up to 15 V without damage.