FT232RL device package

FT232RL schematic symbol

Along with numerous other fields, modern computer systems have also revolutionized the communications technology. A general purpose computer system is capable of interfacing with a number of different devices and hence speaks a number of protocols. Often there is a need for conversion from one type of communication protocol to another type of protocol. USB and serial UART are very popular and widely used data transfer and communication protocols in computer systems. A USB UART interface is an integrated circuit chip which converts USB protocol data to UART protocol data.

Table of Contents

What is FT232RL？

The FT232RL is a modern integrated USB UART interface device manufactured by FTDI Ltd. This USB to serial UART interface comes with an optional clock generator output and the latest FTDIChip-ID security dongle feature. The integrated chip also features synchronous and asynchronous bit bang modes. The device also features built-in EEPROM, clock circuit, and USB resistors which greatly simplifies the USB to serial UART circuit design process. The internally generated clock signal of 6/12/24/48MHz can be used for driving the external microcontrollers and digital circuits. Each FT232RL chip has a unique identifier burnt into the device memory which can be read over the USB. This unique identifier can be used to implement a dongle based security feature which protects the customer data from getting copied without consent.

Pin Configuration

The pins of FT232RL are divided into several functional groups. The description of each group is provided as following:

Pin number	Pin group description
15,16	USB interface pins
4,7,18,21,17,20,25	Power and ground pins
8,19,24,26,27,28	Clock signal and external device reset pins
1,2,3,5,6,9,10,11,12,13,14,22,23	UART interface and CBUS interface pins

Features

Single chip USB UART interface solution
No need for USB-specific firmware programming
UART supports 7/8 data bits, 1/2 stop bits and even/odd/no parity bit
X-On / X-Off software handshaking
Data transfer rates from 300 Baud to 300 Mega Baud
RS-422, RS-485, RS-422 and TTL serial data transfer support
Royalty free FTDI VCP and D2XX drivers
Built-in support for event characters and line break condition
FTDIChip-ID security dongle feature
Configurable CBUS I/O pins
Support for transmit and receive LED drive signals
Internal clock signal can be used for driving external MCU or FPGA
High data throughput due to FIFO buffers
Synchronous and asynchronous bit bang modes
Integrated 1024 bit EEPROM for storing VID, PID and serial number
Pre-programmed unique USB identifier
Support for USB suspend and resume
Integrated 3.3V USB I/O level converter
Integrated USB resistors
Fully integrated internal clock with no need for external oscillator
No need for external RC filter due to integrated AVCC supply filter
Supports USB bulk transfer mode
Low USB bandwidth consumption
Available in RoHS compliant 28 pin SSOP and QFN-32 packages

Applications

The FT232RL USB to serial UART interface has following common applications:

USB to RS-232 / RS-422 / RS-485 converters
Interfacing the legacy peripherals with USB
USB data transfer in cellular and cordless phones
Interfacing the MCU and FPGA based systems with USB
USB smart card readers
USB flash card readers and writers
Interfacing serial industrial instrumentation systems with USB
PC to USB interface in set top boxes
USB wireless modems
USB based security dongles

Specifications

The main technical specifications of the FT232R chip are listed as following:

Data transfer rate: 300 to 3 MegaBaud
Receive buffer size: 256 bit
Transmit buffer size: 128 bit
FTDI drivers: VCP, D2XX
Clock signal: 6/12/24/48 MHz
Bit bang modes: synchronous, asynchronous, CBUS
Internal EEPROM: 1024 bit
CMOS drive output: 5/3.3/2.8/1.8V
Integrated supply filter: AVCC
Packages: 28 pin SSOP, QFN-32

Alternatives

FT232RQ, FT232RQ-Reel, FT232RQ-Tube;

How FT232RL work?

One of the most common applications of FT232RL chip is the USB to RS-232 converter. The RS-232 is a very popular serial communication protocol which is widely used in industrial instrumentation devices, commercial embedded systems and computer systems. There are many industrial and commercial devices which do not have a built-in USB slot and which need to communicate with other devices via USB interface. The FT232RL is the best solution for such situations.

The application circuit diagram of an FT232RL based USB to RS-232 converter is presented as following:

FT232RL based USB to RS232 application circuit

FT232RL Related Products Prices

Parts	Mfr.	Description	Stock	Prices
FT232RL	FTDI	USB Bridge, USB to UART USB 2.0 28-SSOP	2500	$2.570 Lowest
FT232RL-REEL	FTDI	IC USB FS SERIAL UART 28-SSOP	2500	$2.689 Lowest
FT232AM	FTDI	U-UART - USB ULTRABAUD DATA TRANSFER IC	3000	$1.196 Lowest
FT232BL	FTDI	IC USB FS SERIAL UART 32-LQFP	3359	$3.884 Lowest