Serial Pi Plus

The Serial Pi Plus is a communication board supporting the RS232 serial protocol.

The RS232 port is connected to the UART port on the Raspberry Pi using a MAX3232 interface. The MAX3232 IC converts the 3.3V UART port to RS232 voltages allowing communication with RS232 compatible devices over a DB9 serial cable or with the use of a null-modem cable the board allows terminal access with linux on the Raspberry Pi using a terminal application. The RS232 port can be accessed through the DB9 port or the solder points on the PCB.

An array of 2.54mm pitch holes with 3.3V and 5V connections are also provided on the PCB allowing you to build additional circuits on the board.

Please note that you can only use one Serial Pi board on a Raspberry Pi. if stacking with other boards we recommend putting the Serial pi at the top of the stack due to the height of the DB9 connector.

Connecting to the RS232 Port*You need to use the latest Raspbian Jessie release and disable the built in Bluetooth to use the Serial Pi Plus on the Raspberry Pi 3 or Raspberry Pi Zero W, see our KB page for the config changes needed.

The RS232 port on the Serial Pi can be accessed through the male DB9 socket or the solder points on the PCB. The DB9 socket is configured as a master socket like you will find on desktop computers allowing you to connect external serial devices with a standard RS232 cable.

To get it set up with a Raspberry Pi check out AB Electronic's handy guide here.

Features

• RS232 Master Port.
• Control the Raspberry Pi over RS232 or connect to external serial accessories.
• Stackable with other Raspberry Pi accessory boards.

Specifications

• Supply Voltage: 3.3V to 5.5V
  Logic Voltage at UART Port: 3.3V
  Maximum Data Rate: 250 kbits/s
  RS232 Input voltage range: -25V to +25V
  RS232 Output voltage range: -13.2V to +13.2V

Assembly

The Serial Pi Plus is supplied with the 40 pin GPIO connector and the DB9 connector unsoldered.

Before using the Serial Pi Plus you will need to solder both connectors onto the PCB. We suggest soldering the 40 pin GPIO connector first and then the DB9 connector.

To make assembly easier we have designed a PCB header assembly jig which you can download and print.

Watch the assembly video, best viewed in 1080p high quality mode:

Documents

• Serial Pi Plus - 3D CAD File (STEP Format)
• Schematic Drawings
• Datasheets