USB breakout board

Rsadeika

I am not ready to use a USB Propeller proto board for my project, yet. So what I want to do, is setup, on a breadboard, a USB connection to a Propeller chip. I want to use this for programing the chip as well as a comm port for 31,30. What would be the cheapest, and most reliable way of doing this? I went to the Sparkfun site, and they have quite a few USB breakout boards, but, I do not know which one I would have to use too accomplish the task.

My project will eventually need a USB Propeller board, because that is the only way, that I could figure out, how too get 230400 BAUD rate between the Propeller, and my mini-itx board, in a reliable manner. I am looking for off the shelf solutions, staying away from proprietary stuff for the time being.

Thanks

Ray

Adam Wiesler

I think that this is the chip that parallax uses in all of it's USB to Serial needs.
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=718
That is about all that I know about USB to serial.

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My website www.quigleyelectronics.com/

Agent420

Why not just throw a DB9 socket on board and use a generic usb -> RS232 converter cable?· Many of the recent products provide that transfer rate.


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Post Edited (Agent420) : 9/21/2009 4:56:52 PM GMT

StefanL38

You can use a general USB to serial adapter but make sure it has a FTDI-chip. USB-to-serial-Converter-cables with a prolific-chip work unreliable with the propellertool

best regards

Stefan

Mike Green

Use the FTDI chip. It works and the drivers work on a variety of platforms.

You'll need the DTR line from the FTDI chip to reset the Propeller for programming. Use the circuitry shown for the PropPlug or the Propeller Demo Board (in the schematic). The SparkFun breakout boards don't have all the reset circuitry.

Why not use a PropPlug? It's a little more expensive than some of the SparkFun breakout boards, but does have the extra reset circuitry.

The SparkFun FTDI Basic Breakout looks like the closest to the PropPlug (www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8772). Again, you'll need the extra transistor, resistors, and capacitor for the reset circuitry.

RobotWorkshop

Another place you can buy breakout boards is from Winford:

http://www.winford.com/products/cat_pbc.php

http://www.winford.com/products/cat_brk.php

I've purchased some of their boards and the quality is excellent.

Robert

Rsadeika

Thanks for all the ideas, I think I will do what Mike Green suggested, use the prop plug that I have. Since I have a demo board, the prop plug can be dedicated for the temporary solution.

Ray