Development & programming modules support USB implementation

22nd June 2016

FTDI (Future Technology Devices International Limited)

Nat Bowers

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Comprehensively supporting engineers implementing USB into their embedded systems, FTDI Chip has just introduced two board level products, as well as a new IC. The UMFTPD3A programmer module is designed for use with the company’s development hardware and ICs containing either internal One-Time Programmable (OTP) memory or eFUSE logic (which are both used to store USB vendor ID, product ID product description data, etc.), the FT260 and FT4222H.

It offers assistance to engineers as they carry out programming of the OTP/eFUSE directly through FTDI Chip’s proprietary FT_Prog programming package and provides an external programming voltage (V_PP) that covers 1.5 to 6.5V. The on-board micro USB-B type connector facilitates connection of this module to the host system via a standard USB A to micro B cable.

The UMFT260EV1A is a compact, easy to utilise development module that relates to the company’s recently announced FT260Q, HID-class USB bridging IC (which has I²C and UART bus conversion capabilities). This module will present engineers with a valuable resource for adding connectivity to HMIs and other computing peripherals. It fits a standard 20.32mm (0.8") wide 24-pin DIP socket, with pins on a 2.54mm (0.1") pitch. Like the UMFTPD3A, this product has a micro USB-B connector thereby allowing a standard USB A to micro B cable connection to the host systems.

In addition to the UMFT260EV1A module, to further expand the scope of the FT260 series, FTDI Chip has also introduced a 28-pin TSSOP packaged version of the IC that will make it more convenient for pick-and-place procedures. The FT260S is USB 2.0 Full Speed compliant (supporting 12Mb/s data rates). It has four different I²C bus speed modes, plus USB battery charger detection. As both the FT260S and FT260Q rely on standard class drivers the installation of vendor-specific drivers can be avoided.