Re: [Libusb-devel] USB VID/PID for open source projects

[Tim R. <ti...@pr...>]

Xiaofan Chen wrote:
> There is one more issue for the test firmware which is a common
> issue for small USB developers. Sometimes you can get a free
> PID sub-licensed from the vendors like FTDI, TI/Luminary and
> Microchip. And we indeed get one for our Microchip based
> test firmware (thanks a lot again, Microchip!). But they all have
> strings attached -- to be used with vendors' USB parts only.
>
> Now we intend to have more broader test firmware available,
> for example, for Cypress EZ-USB FX2/FX2LP (high speed
> USB) and Atmel AVR (and probably AVR32 with high speed)
> and ARM MCUs. Then we can not use the Microchip VID/PID.

Well, you can't use the SAME firmware for an FX2 solution and an AVR
solution.  Maybe you can politely ask for a test PID from each manufacturer.

> What are the potential solution here? I think it is too expensive
> to get a USB VID for small projects like libusb/libusb-win32.

$2,000 a year does seem a little steep.

> And I do not really like to use random USB VID/PID like
> what we do right now -- that is the motivation to get a
> valid PID in the first place.

I don't see any good alternative.  One advantage of using an obviously
bogus VID/PID (like DEAD/BEEF) is that it will (hopefully) make it
obvious to people that they have to provide their own.  Untold misery
ensued after some idiot company released a product using the FX2's
default VID/PID, then submitted their driver to WHQL and got it
installed in the Windows Driver Library.  After that, any time anyone
plugged in an unconfigured FX2, Windows helpfully installed the wrong
driver.

-- 
Tim Roberts, ti...@pr...
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.