FTDI Friend with Micro USB Port + extras – V3

Long gone are the days of parallel ports and serial ports. Now the USB port reigns supreme! But USB is hard, and you just want to transfer your everyday serial data from a microcontroller to a computer. What now? Enter the FTDI Friend!

The FTDI Friend is a tweaked-out FTDI FT232RL chip adapter. Sure, like the well-known FTDI cable, it can provide power to your project, and there are 4 signal lines for sending data back and forth. But the friend can do much more! For example, you can change the signal and power lines to be either 3.3V or 5V. Arduino derivatives and XBees use the RTS line for programming, but what if you need that DTR line? It’s there for you.

By default, we’ve set it up so that it matches our FTDI cables. The 6th pin is RTS (as of Arduino IDE v18 this will work perfectly for uploading to ‘inos), the power wire is +5V and the signal levels are 3.3V (they are 5V compliant and should work in the vast majority of 3.3V and 5V signal systems).

And of course, we include a little extra—in this case, the extra-long headers that you can use to plug it into a breadboard. There are also blinkies, 2 red & green LEDs already on the board that pulse when the serial is sent or received. The USB port on the breakout is a Micro-B type, by the way.

You can also purchase a 6-pin extension cable from us, which will let you rearrange the wire order.

In a pinch, you can even use it to program AVRs (it’s a bit slow but works!)

We have a full tutorial page about the FTDI friend and you can peruse the FTDI cable datasheet, FTDI FT232RL chip datasheet, or the schematic/layout files on GitHub

Note: These use genuine FTDI chips, either we purchase them or they are manufactured to our specifications with the requirement of genuine FTDI chips

Features:

1.  Features an FTDI FT230X USB-to-serial converter chip for reliable and versatile USB communication.
2. Equipped with a Micro USB port for easy and common connectivity with a variety of devices.
3. Supports both 5V and 3.3V logic levels, providing flexibility for different microcontrollers or device requirements.
4. Onboard LEDs for visual indication of data transmission and reception (RX and TX).
5.  Capable of operating in Bit Bang mode, allowing users to control the individual pins for various applications.
6. Integrated EEPROM for storing custom USB descriptors and configuration settings.
7.  Includes a resettable fuse to protect against overcurrent situations, enhancing device safety.
8. Utilizes a standard USB Type-A connector, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of devices and cables.
9. Features a DTR (Data Terminal Ready) pin for facilitating automatic reset of microcontrollers during programming.

 Package Includes:

1 x FTDI Friend with Micro USB Port + extras – V3