Seller plays dumb and says he only goes by what his Chinese source says
Seller plays dumb and says he has no way to test or verify
Seller says he thinks it is genuino but cannot guarantee
The adabter cable in the link from post above may well be genuine. However the RS232 TX out signal will likely be at a +10V / -10V level and will need to be current limited/clamped before applying to a microcontroller's RX pin.
Last edit: William Roth 2017-04-06
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William, thanks for the additional feedback. Do you have an ebay or amazon link to a genuine U.S. supplier? For that matter any U.S. supplier that accepts Paypal. I really would like a model that provides TTL and all the control pins.
Thanks again,
Chris
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This can be programed via FTPROG to invert serial or other data signals. This adapter however, does not support 5V signal levels. 3.3V and below.
There are plenty of CP2102 adapters on Ebay that bring out all of the signals. But like the device above they do not support 5V I/0 levels. But I have not had any problems using 3.3V levels with a PIC olperating at 5V .
It is easy enough to add a single transistor level shifter to the Adapters TX line to raise it to 5V if necessary. This applies to the FTDI device above as well.
Last edit: William Roth 2017-04-06
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If you are referring to the FTDI Cable Adapter trom Illinois, USA, I am not surprised at all. The pirce of ~ $16 US is consistent with the cost of the components and labor to make it.
However, I would be quite surprised the seller of THIS DEVICE would guarantee an genuine FTDI Chip.
If he did guarantee a genuine FTDI device, I would suspect him of lying or at best, willful ignorance, since these are known to use fake FTDI chips.
Last edit: William Roth 2017-04-07
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Yes William, I was referring to the fully encapsulated listing with the DB9/DB25 combo connectors on it. BTW, after rereading the description of the product I can find no data regarding the logic level output or if it brings all control pins out. Just because the connector has the pins doesn't garantee they're actually connected to anything.
On the subject of bootleg FTDI chips, I find this vid by one of my favorite Youtube contributors a chuckle and then some! https://youtu.be/eU66as4Bbds
Cheers,
Chris
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My respones to Dave...
.
1. FTDI was wrong by bricking products with the driver update.It was a stupid move. They should have instead made the new drivers not work with fakes.
FTDI chips are overpriced. The FTDI chip alone usually costs more than the microcontroller it is communicating with. If FTDI products were more reasonably priced there would likely be less counterfeiting.
However Dave is off the mark aka WRONG in many ways.
Users of products containing fake FTDI chips are not FTDI customers. They are actually
anti-customers costing FTDI revenue. Many are tricked into thinking they are getting an FTDI
based device when they are actually purchasing a fake.
Designers/engineers/purchasers/manufacturesr are responsible for supply chain integrity
There are no "accidents" in the supply chain, but there can be plenty of sloppiness. It is the
reponsibility of the manufacturer of the final product ((QC anyone?) to verify genuine parts in a
final product. Any manufacturer shipping a product with a fake FDTI chip has no legitimate
excuse. QC is more than passing a visual inspection and a simple bed of nails test.
Any "big name" company that purchases parts outside of known legitimate supply chains
should know better than to trust that parts will meet specification. Verication and validation
are ALWAYS necessary.
Dave throws nuclear bombs at FTDI while only throwing pebbles at the the real culprits who are the counterfeiters and those that knowingly support them.
My guess is that Dave was sloppy or wilfully ignorant with his supply chain and sold a product with a fake FTDI chip in it and that some got bricked and it cost him some money. It is hard to be objective sometimes.
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Evan posted the same video to me, That Australian guy needs to relax :) CDRIVE. That's why I got a CP2102, cos there's no news of fakes not working. I saw an easy level converter somewhere on this forum by Kent I think. All seems a load of bother in this day and age. All very technical. How is usb 3 so fast and simple,from a user point of view? Just plug and play usually. The cp2102 comes with a cd but it's probably not win 10 but I downloaded win 10 driver earlier. I'll try wiring it up and see...but not imeadiately..got new robot working with sharp sensor,1 thing at a time. Also got to get pickit3 working with GCB but Evan's video should help.Pickit2 is fine for now. if it's not broken etc.
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Ha, I really don't expect calm, cool and collected vids by Dave. Anyone who follows Dave expects hyper ventilation and apoplectic fits! I suspect he takes his coffee intravenously. ;-)
Stan, I took your CP2102 advice. I downloaded the datasheet and then odered 4 of them.
Cheers,
Chris
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I'm curious about something. Wouldn't a PK2 or PK3 employ an FTDI or CP2102 too? If it's an FTDI wouldn't all those Chinese PK clones be vulnerable to an FTDI driver them bricking too?
Thanks,
Chris
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Please disregard my last post. I just found the PK3 schematic and it evidently doesn't employ either chip. From what I see on the print D+ and D- are handled by a PIC24FJ256GB106.
Chris
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CDRIVE..I bought a K150 programmer..I think. That used a pic to do everything but the software was outdated and you needed another programmer to reprogram the pic.I got a refund which was rare.
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Yes I read the same firmware update info ( requires another programmer) in the K150 user manual pdf. I didn't request a refund though. For what I paid it wasn't worth the effort. When I was young I was poor with little spare time on my hands. I built damn near everthing on my test bench back then. Now I'm old, retired, no longer poor and with loads of time on my hands. Best of all my bride of 43 years doesn't begrudge me my low cost ebay addiction. So I just ordered a PK2, PK3 and Zif socket programming board combo. I don't think the K150 will go to waste though as I will be able to upgrade the Firmware
with the PK2 or 3.
Chris
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This is funny! I just stumbled upon a youtube vid where the author didn't use another programmer to update the K150 firmware. Instead he left the on board PIC in its socket, dropped another 16F628A into the programming (ZIF) socket, loaded the firmware into it and then replaced the chip with the one he just programmed. This is so logical that I'm embarassed that I didn't see it coming .....DUUH! https://youtu.be/8oMuKuPhliM
Chris
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William, you made me feel so guilty that I wisked off a query to this seller. I asked him if he'll certify that this is a genuine FTDI chip and not a pirated clone.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4ft-USB-to-RS232-DB9-DB25-Serial-Port-Adapter-Cable-w-FTDI-Chip-Windows-10-8-7-/122286451173?hash=item1c78d729e5:g:f7oAAOSw-0xYYsu~
Cheers,
Chris
Chris,
Please let us know the sellers response.
My guess of possible replies
The adabter cable in the link from post above may well be genuine. However the RS232 TX out signal will likely be at a +10V / -10V level and will need to be current limited/clamped before applying to a microcontroller's RX pin.
Last edit: William Roth 2017-04-06
William, thanks for the additional feedback. Do you have an ebay or amazon link to a genuine U.S. supplier? For that matter any U.S. supplier that accepts Paypal. I really would like a model that provides TTL and all the control pins.
Thanks again,
Chris
The only Genuine FTDI USB/TTL Device that I know of that brings out all of the serial lines is this one.
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13263
This can be programed via FTPROG to invert serial or other data signals. This adapter however, does not support 5V signal levels. 3.3V and below.
There are plenty of CP2102 adapters on Ebay that bring out all of the signals. But like the device above they do not support 5V I/0 levels. But I have not had any problems using 3.3V levels with a PIC olperating at 5V .
It is easy enough to add a single transistor level shifter to the Adapters TX line to raise it to 5V if necessary. This applies to the FTDI device above as well.
Last edit: William Roth 2017-04-06
Surprizingly the seller responded within hours. More amazing was the reply..
" Yes, it is designed with genuine FTDI chip".
Chris
If you are referring to the FTDI Cable Adapter trom Illinois, USA, I am not surprised at all. The pirce of ~ $16 US is consistent with the cost of the components and labor to make it.
However, I would be quite surprised the seller of THIS DEVICE would guarantee an genuine FTDI Chip.
If he did guarantee a genuine FTDI device, I would suspect him of lying or at best, willful ignorance, since these are known to use fake FTDI chips.
Last edit: William Roth 2017-04-07
Yes William, I was referring to the fully encapsulated listing with the DB9/DB25 combo connectors on it. BTW, after rereading the description of the product I can find no data regarding the logic level output or if it brings all control pins out. Just because the connector has the pins doesn't garantee they're actually connected to anything.
On the subject of bootleg FTDI chips, I find this vid by one of my favorite Youtube contributors a chuckle and then some!
https://youtu.be/eU66as4Bbds
Cheers,
Chris
My respones to Dave...
.
1. FTDI was wrong by bricking products with the driver update.It was a stupid move. They should have instead made the new drivers not work with fakes.
However Dave is off the mark aka WRONG in many ways.
Users of products containing fake FTDI chips are not FTDI customers. They are actually
anti-customers costing FTDI revenue. Many are tricked into thinking they are getting an FTDI
based device when they are actually purchasing a fake.
Designers/engineers/purchasers/manufacturesr are responsible for supply chain integrity
There are no "accidents" in the supply chain, but there can be plenty of sloppiness. It is the
reponsibility of the manufacturer of the final product ((QC anyone?) to verify genuine parts in a
final product. Any manufacturer shipping a product with a fake FDTI chip has no legitimate
excuse. QC is more than passing a visual inspection and a simple bed of nails test.
Any "big name" company that purchases parts outside of known legitimate supply chains
should know better than to trust that parts will meet specification. Verication and validation
are ALWAYS necessary.
Dave throws nuclear bombs at FTDI while only throwing pebbles at the the real culprits who are the counterfeiters and those that knowingly support them.
My guess is that Dave was sloppy or wilfully ignorant with his supply chain and sold a product with a fake FTDI chip in it and that some got bricked and it cost him some money. It is hard to be objective sometimes.
Evan posted the same video to me, That Australian guy needs to relax :) CDRIVE. That's why I got a CP2102, cos there's no news of fakes not working. I saw an easy level converter somewhere on this forum by Kent I think. All seems a load of bother in this day and age. All very technical. How is usb 3 so fast and simple,from a user point of view? Just plug and play usually. The cp2102 comes with a cd but it's probably not win 10 but I downloaded win 10 driver earlier. I'll try wiring it up and see...but not imeadiately..got new robot working with sharp sensor,1 thing at a time. Also got to get pickit3 working with GCB but Evan's video should help.Pickit2 is fine for now. if it's not broken etc.
Ha, I really don't expect calm, cool and collected vids by Dave. Anyone who follows Dave expects hyper ventilation and apoplectic fits! I suspect he takes his coffee intravenously. ;-)
Stan, I took your CP2102 advice. I downloaded the datasheet and then odered 4 of them.
Cheers,
Chris
I'm curious about something. Wouldn't a PK2 or PK3 employ an FTDI or CP2102 too? If it's an FTDI wouldn't all those Chinese PK clones be vulnerable to an FTDI driver them bricking too?
Thanks,
Chris
Please disregard my last post. I just found the PK3 schematic and it evidently doesn't employ either chip. From what I see on the print D+ and D- are handled by a PIC24FJ256GB106.
Chris
CP2102 works for me,CDRIVE. A case would be better, a la usb stick. The 2 not uchip pk2/3's work to. Generic ID.
CDRIVE..I bought a K150 programmer..I think. That used a pic to do everything but the software was outdated and you needed another programmer to reprogram the pic.I got a refund which was rare.
Yes I read the same firmware update info ( requires another programmer) in the K150 user manual pdf. I didn't request a refund though. For what I paid it wasn't worth the effort. When I was young I was poor with little spare time on my hands. I built damn near everthing on my test bench back then. Now I'm old, retired, no longer poor and with loads of time on my hands. Best of all my bride of 43 years doesn't begrudge me my low cost ebay addiction. So I just ordered a PK2, PK3 and Zif socket programming board combo. I don't think the K150 will go to waste though as I will be able to upgrade the Firmware
with the PK2 or 3.
Chris
This is funny! I just stumbled upon a youtube vid where the author didn't use another programmer to update the K150 firmware. Instead he left the on board PIC in its socket, dropped another 16F628A into the programming (ZIF) socket, loaded the firmware into it and then replaced the chip with the one he just programmed. This is so logical that I'm embarassed that I didn't see it coming .....DUUH!
https://youtu.be/8oMuKuPhliM
Chris