Prolific i guess this name is familiar with most of my friends who always peek into the device manager, yes this is the most common USB Controller used in mobile phone, cameras and lot more things, it may be the oldest usb interface chip maker.
I was searching for a USB to TTL converter for my project needs, nobody prefer to use a IC with inbuilt usb transreceiver which creates extra coding overhead. The first choice is FT232 or FT232Rl from FTDI , it is the most recent and supports every OS and available everywhere, although cost is little high. I guess its most reliable than any other chips.
Second one is TUSB1105 /1106/3410 , moderate cost, drivers available for windows only, used in mobile phone and scientific instruments
Silicon lab CP2102, same as TI's chip they have support for windows and in built driver in linux kernel (written by opensource contributor, not supported by silicon lab)
CH341 from Nanjing Qinheng Electronics used in BAFO-810 USB Serial Converter
PL2303 from Prolific we have already discussd about it, this is the cheapest
FT232RL only chip costs INR 300/-
where PL2303 fully assembled device with connectors and lamination Costs INR 200/- only
Why is it selling so cheap ?
Ans: Some chinease companies has replicated it, and to stop them Prolific modified the driver(inbuilt in windows 7 and 8) to reject the replicated designs, throw a error code 10, now the user can't find which is original and which is fake on a online shopping site, so nobody purchasing these, and they have to sell :P
Prolific has a warning on their site and datasheets:
More USB-Serial Converter Chips:
MCP2200 from Microchip with extra GPIOs
USB-232 TM from firmwarefactory.com sold by farnell. Driver-free USB to asynchronous serial UART interface as it works as a Plug-n-play HID device, its a firmware for PIC18LF2450, detail datasheet available at
http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/680538.pdf
Other Chips
Renesas Application Note For UART-Serial
References:
http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/note-how-to-not-get-scammed-with-prolific-(pl2303)-usb-serial-adapters/
http://vk1od.net/software/ATB/PL2303.htm
I was searching for a USB to TTL converter for my project needs, nobody prefer to use a IC with inbuilt usb transreceiver which creates extra coding overhead. The first choice is FT232 or FT232Rl from FTDI , it is the most recent and supports every OS and available everywhere, although cost is little high. I guess its most reliable than any other chips.
Second one is TUSB1105 /1106/3410 , moderate cost, drivers available for windows only, used in mobile phone and scientific instruments
Silicon lab CP2102, same as TI's chip they have support for windows and in built driver in linux kernel (written by opensource contributor, not supported by silicon lab)
CH341 from Nanjing Qinheng Electronics used in BAFO-810 USB Serial Converter
PL2303 from Prolific we have already discussd about it, this is the cheapest
FT232RL only chip costs INR 300/-
where PL2303 fully assembled device with connectors and lamination Costs INR 200/- only
Why is it selling so cheap ?
Ans: Some chinease companies has replicated it, and to stop them Prolific modified the driver(inbuilt in windows 7 and 8) to reject the replicated designs, throw a error code 10, now the user can't find which is original and which is fake on a online shopping site, so nobody purchasing these, and they have to sell :P
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| Compare Prices of CP2102 and PL2303HX |
Prolific has a warning on their site and datasheets:
| Warning Notice: Please be warned that counterfeit (fake) PL-2303HX (Chip Rev A) USB to Serial Controller ICs using Prolific's trademark logo, brandname, and device drivers, were being sold in the China market. Counterfeit IC products show exactly the same outside chip markings but generally are of poor quality and causes Windows driver compatibility issues (Yellow Mark Error Code 10 in Device Manager). We issue this warning to all our customers and consumers to avoid confusion and false purchase. |
 |
| The So called fake |
MCP2200 from Microchip with extra GPIOs
USB-232 TM from firmwarefactory.com sold by farnell. Driver-free USB to asynchronous serial UART interface as it works as a Plug-n-play HID device, its a firmware for PIC18LF2450, detail datasheet available at
http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/680538.pdf
Other Chips
Renesas Application Note For UART-Serial
References:
http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/note-how-to-not-get-scammed-with-prolific-(pl2303)-usb-serial-adapters/
http://vk1od.net/software/ATB/PL2303.htm
