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Installing FTDI drivers?

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  Installing FTDI drivers? DaveC <invalid@invalid.net> - 2015-03-26 08:47 -0700
    Re: Installing FTDI drivers? isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-26 09:56 -0700
      Re: Installing FTDI drivers? Bob E. <bespoke@invalid.tv> - 2015-03-26 10:33 -0700
        Re: Installing FTDI drivers? isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-26 21:01 -0700
          Re: Installing FTDI drivers? Bob E. <bespoke@invalid.tv> - 2015-03-27 09:01 -0700
      Re: Installing FTDI drivers? DaveC <invalid@invalid.net> - 2015-03-26 10:35 -0700
      Re: Installing FTDI drivers? Electric Comet <electric-comet@mail.invalid> - 2015-03-27 21:07 -0700
        Re: Installing FTDI drivers? isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-28 21:26 -0700
          Re: Installing FTDI drivers? Electric Comet <electric-comet@mail.invalid> - 2015-03-30 12:18 -0700

#72118 — Installing FTDI drivers?

I want to experiment a little with Arduino. Apparently I need to install FTDI 
serial drivers to communicate with the Arduino board. 

I¹m quite wary about bricking my Arduino, remembering the recent FTDI driver 
scandal. (Who knows by sight which chips are legitimate and which are 
counterfeit?) ::

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTDI#Driver_controversy

Is it safe to install the FTDI driver for OS X listed on FTDI¹s download 
page? ::

http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

If not, where to get drivers for OS X? 

Thanks,
Dave

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#72121

In article 
<0001HW.D13978150C3062DBB01029BF@news.eternal-september.org>,
 DaveC <invalid@invalid.net> wrote:

> I want to experiment a little with Arduino. Apparently I need to install FTDI 
> serial drivers to communicate with the Arduino board. 
> 
> I1m quite wary about bricking my Arduino, remembering the recent FTDI driver 
> scandal. (Who knows by sight which chips are legitimate and which are 
> counterfeit?) ::
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTDI#Driver_controversy
> 
> Is it safe to install the FTDI driver for OS X listed on FTDI1s download 
> page? ::
> 
> http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

I've had their driver installed on 10.5, 10.6, and 10.8 (skipped .7) 
with no problems whatsoever. I *think* I read that FTDI has fixed their 
driver so it doesn't break counterfeit chips any more. Plus, I would 
hope that the Arduino folks would be cautious about only putting 
legitimate chips on their boards.

FWIW, I've also had good luck with Silicon Labs USB-serial devices 
(CP2102). That driver is also installed, as I use both USB-serial 
devices simultaneously.

I'd advise to stay away from the venerable Prolific PL-2303, however. 
Whether from driver problems or bad hardware I don't know, but I've 
found the reliability to be spotty. Sometimes they just stop working and 
it takes an unplug-replug cycle to get them going again.

I've done a couple of projects with Arduinos, but I used ones with no 
on-board USB (the little pro-mini), plus a stand-alone USB-serial 
converter.

Isaac

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#72126

> FWIW, I've also had good luck with Silicon Labs USB-serial devices 
> (CP2102).

Who makes USB-RS232 adapters with SL silicon? 

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#72151

In article 
<0001HW.D139910A0C363C3BB01029BF@news.eternal-september.org>,
 Bob E. <bespoke@invalid.tv> wrote:

> > FWIW, I've also had good luck with Silicon Labs USB-serial devices 
> > (CP2102).
> 
> Who makes USB-RS232 adapters with SL silicon? 

No idea -- the two I have are open PC board no-name specials, bought off 
eBay for $3 or so.

Isaac

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#72168

> No idea -- the two I have are open PC board no-name specials, bought off 
> eBay for $3 or so.
> 
> Isaac

Yeah, that's what I've found too. Lots of bare-bones pcbs but no finished 
product adapters. It looks like the CP2102 is being sold for embedded 
applications. 

Thanks. 

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#72127

> I've had their driver installed on 10.5, 10.6, and 10.8 (skipped .7) 
> with no problems whatsoever. I *think* I read that FTDI has fixed their 
> driver so it doesn't break counterfeit chips any more. Plus, I would 
> hope that the Arduino folks would be cautious about only putting 
> legitimate chips on their boards.
> ...
> Isaac


For Mavericks Apple apparently developed their own drivers for the FTDI chip 
which don¹t exactly work. So the solution is to disable those built-in 
drivers and install the drivers available from FTDI¹s web site. 

The procedure is documented here:

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=198539.0

Note that the drivers on the FTDI download page show latest compatibility as 
Lion (10.7) but reports are that they are working with Mavericks and 
Yosemite. 

FYI,
Dave

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#72202

On Thu, 26 Mar 2015 09:56:12 -0700
isw <isw@witzend.com> wrote:

> would hope that the Arduino folks would be cautious about only
> putting legitimate chips on their boards.

i heard that there are multiple levels to the counterfeit chips
i.e. counterfeit arduino

> I'd advise to stay away from the venerable Prolific PL-2303, however. 
> Whether from driver problems or bad hardware I don't know, but I've 
> found the reliability to be spotty. Sometimes they just stop working
> and it takes an unplug-replug cycle to get them going again.

never had any problems with pl2303
do you mean while connected to a mac

always wondered how aapple deals with quirks in hardware
I would guess they would blame the other vendor and rightly
say "we follow the spec and you don't"

i know on linux that often drivers get modified to handle the case
where hardware is broken because the hw just doesn't match any
spec

common occurrence and proably partly due to language barriers
specs are hard enough for native language speakers


















 

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#72303

In article <mf59e7$ell$8@dont-email.me>,
 Electric Comet <electric-comet@mail.invalid> wrote:

> On Thu, 26 Mar 2015 09:56:12 -0700
> isw <isw@witzend.com> wrote:
> 
> > would hope that the Arduino folks would be cautious about only
> > putting legitimate chips on their boards.
> 
> i heard that there are multiple levels to the counterfeit chips
> i.e. counterfeit arduino
> 
> > I'd advise to stay away from the venerable Prolific PL-2303, however. 
> > Whether from driver problems or bad hardware I don't know, but I've 
> > found the reliability to be spotty. Sometimes they just stop working
> > and it takes an unplug-replug cycle to get them going again.
> 
> never had any problems with pl2303
> do you mean while connected to a mac

That's how I use them. Neither my FTDI device nor either of the CP-2102 
units ever hiccups. I have some Pl2303s which are erratic and one that 
seems fine. That would seem to rule out a driver (or driver-OS 
interaction) problem. If you think it's still a Mac problem, so be it.

Isaac

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#72397

On Sat, 28 Mar 2015 21:26:04 -0700
isw <isw@witzend.com> wrote:

> That's how I use them. Neither my FTDI device nor either of the
> CP-2102 units ever hiccups. I have some Pl2303s which are erratic and
> one that seems fine. That would seem to rule out a driver (or

Yeah I was just curious as have used pl2303 for long time
I have heard of bad counterfeit ones too

> driver-OS interaction) problem. If you think it's still a Mac
> problem, so be it.

I think that's known as projecting

I have no idea how they are on mac, it's why i asked








 

 

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