Quick question about the FT232R

[Cosmic Software]

I know that this chip has been discussed here previously (yes - I did a search!), but I failed to find anything relevant to my query.

Many of you will know that this is the chip in the USB to Serial download lead, and I wish to include the chip in one of my projects.

Having read the datasheet, I understand that you are able to write to the EEPROM from the computer, and change the product description along with other values.

Now I do not have the USB picaxe cable, so somebody may be able to answer this for me, but does the PC recognise it with a picaxe description when it is plugged in, and if I were to use a different description, the the USB driver still work with the picaxe programming editor?

 

[ylp88]

The driver is a generic driver used for FTDI chips and therefore should work even if you change the EEPROM string setting on the chip using FDTI's MProg utility. When plugged in and Windows detects the device, the string programmed onto it will be displayed as part of the automatic installation of the hardware.

ylp88

 

[Technical]

Each 'commercial product' USB chip has a unique VID (Vendor ID) and PID (Product ID). A particular software driver will only work with the unique VID/PID combination. Each product also has a 'descriptive string'. The string is just cosmetic, it is the VID/PID that is important.

Only Revolution may use the particular AXE027 VID/PID combination - it is a unique code licensed exclusively to us for use on the AXE027 cable.

That said, when you buy a new FTDI chip it has a 'generic' default VID + PID that anyone can use.

So in your case you just leave the generic settings and use the drivers from the FTDI website. What would be illegal would be to use the VID/PID settings copied across from an AXE027 USB cable.

All this info is available in the knowledge base on the FTDI website...