Serial bus system gets the UART treatment

FTDI Ltd's FT232BM single-chip USB UART solution is designed for transferring serial data over USB. The company said that the latest spin of its FT-8U232AM requires no software expertise.

The second-generation chip incorporates reset and clock circuits and offers 5V and 3.3V UART output-voltage selection. The device essentially maintains pin compatibility with the original, making it easy to upgrade or cost-reduce existing designs, according to the company.

The chip is claimed to offer a painless way for manufacturers to convert RS-232-based peripherals to USB, without a product redesign using a dedicated USB microcontroller and firmware development.

In quantities of 1,000 pieces, the FT232BM is priced at $3.50 each.

EE Times