To provide engineers with a greater breadth of IO options and also address demands to conserve board real estate, FTDI has announced new versions of its highly popular FT2232H and FT4232H devices. These configurable USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (supporting 480 Mbit/s operation) ICs are now available in 56-pin VQFN packages, which complement the 64-pin LQFP package format. As a result they are now easier to place and route on to PCBs, as well as being better suited to space-constrained electronic designs.
The FT2232H and FT4232H incorporate 2 and 4 UARTs respectively. To maximize application flexibility, both channels on the FT2232H and 2 of the 4 channels on the FT4232H can be independently configured in a wide variety of different industry-standard serial interfaces. This is accomplished via a multi-protocol synchronous serial engine (MPSSE), which allows emulation of JTAG, SPI, I2C, bit-bang or other synchronous serial modes. Both the FT2232H-56Q and FT4232H-56Q are also offered in mini modules. These small dual-inline PCBs have attached micro-USB connectors to ease interfacing with external infrastructure.
Key applications for these ICs/modules are the upgrading legacy peripheral designs to accept USB and field updating of equipment. Other items where they will be utilized include USB instrumentation, smart card readers, industrial control systems, bar code readers, USB flash drive reader/writers and interfaces for portable electronics goods (MP3 players, digital cameras, etc.)
The highly integrated nature of FT2232H/FT4232H offering enables more streamlined implementations to be undertaken. Among the functionality packed into each IC is a 1.8 V LDO voltage regulator, integrated POR and clock multiplier PLL (covering frequencies from 12 MHz to 480 MHz). The baud rate generator allows data transfer at non-standard as well as standard speeds. Since the USB protocol is taken care of on chip, there is no need for USB specific firmware to be created (thereby reducing development times). These ICs are supported by a broad array of USB drivers, for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. The –40 °C to 85 °C operating temperature range means they are suited to industrial deployment.
