SparkFun FTDI Basic Breakout - 3.3V
DEV-09873 ROHS
13
images are CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Description: This
is the newest revision of our FTDI Basic. We now use a SMD 6-pin
header on the bottom, which makes it smaller and more compact. Functionality has
remained the same.
This is a basic breakout board for the FTDI FT232RL USB to serial IC. The pinout of
this board matches the FTDI cable to work with official Arduino and cloned 3.3V
Arduino boards. It can also be used for general serial applications. The major
difference with this board is that it brings out the DTR pin as opposed to the RTS pin
of the FTDI cable. The DTR pin allows an Arduino target to auto-reset when a new
Sketch is downloaded. This is a really nice feature to have and allows a sketch to be
downloaded without having to hit the reset button. This board will auto reset any
Arduino board that has the reset pin brought out to a 6-pin connector.
The pins labeled BLK and GRN correspond to the colored wires on the FTDI cable.
The black wire on the FTDI cable is GND, green is DTR. Use these BLK and GRN
pins to align the FTDI basic board with your Arduino target.
There are pros and cons to the FTDI Cable vs the FTDI Basic. This board has TX and
RX LEDs that allow you to actually see serial traffic on the LEDs to verify if the board
is working, but this board requires a Mini-B cable. The FTDI Cable is well protected
against the elements, but is large and cannot be embedded into a project as easily.
The FTDI Basic uses DTR to cause a hardware reset where the FTDI cable uses the
RTS signal.
This board was designed to decrease the cost of Arduino development and increase
ease of use (the auto-reset feature rocks!). Our Arduino Pro and LilyPad boards use
this type of connector.
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