New USB interface ICs give engineers greater I/O options

RS Components now stocks a duo of compact dual and quad-channel hi-speed USB interface ICs with accompanying hardware from FTDI Chip. These devices are new versions of FTDI’s well-known FT2232H and FT4232H ICs, which are designed to provide engineers with a large range of I/O options and tackle common problems caused by limited board space. The devices provide a high-quality solution for many applications including upgrading peripheral legacy systems to integrate USB or modernising equipment in the field. They are also ideally suited for use in USB instrumentation, smart card readers, industrial control systems, barcode readers, USB flash-drive readers and writers, and interfaces for portable electronics goods such as MP3 players and digital cameras. The devices are configurable hi-speed USB 2.0 ICs that support 480Mbit/s operation and now come in 56-pin VQFN packages that complement the 64-pin LQFP package format. This makes them easier to place and route on circuit boards, in addition to saving board real estate in designs with significant space constraints. The devices are also available in mini modules, which are small dual-inline PCBs with integrated micro-USB connectors to provide easy interfacing with external infrastructure. The devices are designed to be as flexible as possible: incorporating two and four UARTs, respectively, both channels on the FT2232H and two of the four on the FT4232H can be configured independently via a wide variety of industry-standard serial interfaces. The use of a MPSSE allows emulation of JTAG, SPI, I2C, bit-bang and other synchronous serial modes. The highly integrated range offers a wide range of features including a 1.8V LDO voltage regulator and an integrated POR and clock multiplier PLL that operates over the 12 to 480MHz frequency range. The baud rate generator also provides data transfer at both standard and non-standard speeds. Meeting the needs of a wider selection of design implementations, the operating temperature range of –40C to +85C also provides the necessary ruggedness for industrial deployment. As the chips integrate the USB protocol, they do not require production of USB specific firmware, resulting in reduced development time. The devices are supported by a wide selection of USB drivers designed for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.