Due to Prolific USB/Serial chip 'clones' found in generic USB programming cables, an older driver is required in lieu of the one supplied by Windows. Note: Cables with FTDI chipsets are compatible with all Windows drivers. Drivers & Downloads Search for your device by product number to get drivers and downloads, manuals, documentation and other online support. You can also search for discontinued products. Enter Product ID. 16 Port Rackmount FTDI USB to Serial COM Adapter Hub - RS232 Multiplexer.
| Private | |
| Industry | Semiconductor industry |
|---|---|
| Founded | 13 March 1992 |
| Founder | Fred Dart |
| Headquarters | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Website | ftdichip.com |
Future Technology Devices International, commonly known by its acronym FTDI, is a Scottish privately held semiconductor device company, specializing in Universal Serial Bus (USB) technology.[1]
It develops, manufactures, and supports devices and their related software drivers for converting RS-232 or TTLserial transmissions to USB signals, in order to allow support for legacy devices with modern computers.[2]
FTDI provides application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design services. They also provide consultancy services for product design, specifically in the realm of electronic devices.
- 1History
History[edit]
FTDI was founded on 13 March 1992 by its current CEO Fred Dart. The company is an indirect descendant of Computer Design Concepts Ltd, a former semiconductor technology startup, founded by Dart.
FTDI's initial products were chipsets for personal computer motherboards, the primary customer of which was IBM, which used them in its AMBRA and PS/1 personal computers. It later expanded its product line to include interface translators, such as the MM232R and the USB-COM232-PLUS1, along with other devices for converting between USB and other communication protocols.
Currently, the headquarters for FTDI is located in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, while it also has offices in Singapore, Taipei, Taiwan, and Portland, Oregon. The company's manufacturing division is handled by subcontractors in the Asia Pacific region.
Driver controversy[edit]
On 29 September 2014, FTDI released an updated version of their USB-to-Serial driver for Windows on their website. [3] Users who manually downloaded the new drivers reported problems.[4] After Windows drivers became available on 14 October (Patch Tuesday) via Windows Update, it was reported by users of hardware enthusiast forums and websites that the drivers could soft brickcounterfeit and software-compatible clones of the chips by changing their USB 'Product ID' to '0000'. The change prevents the chip from being recognized by drivers of any OS, effectively making them inoperable unless the product ID is changed back.[5] The behaviour was supported by a notice in the drivers' end user license agreement, which warned that use of the drivers with non-genuine FTDI products would 'irretrievably damage' them.[5] Critics felt that FTDI's actions were unethical, considering that users may be unaware that their chips were counterfeit, or that Windows had automatically installed a driver meant to disable them.[6][5][4][7] On 22 October 2014, an emergency patch was made to the FTDI drivers in the Linux kernel to recognize devices with the '0000' ID.[8]
On 24 October 2014, in response to the criticism, FTDI withdrew the driver and admitted that the measure was intended to protect its intellectual property and encourage users to purchase genuine FTDI products. The company also stated that it was working to create an updated driver which would notify users of non-genuine FTDI products in a 'non-invasive' manner.[9][6]
In February 2016, it was reported that FTDI had published another driver on Windows Update with DRM components intended to block non-genuine products. This time, the driver will communicate with affected devices, but all transmitted and received data is replaced with the arbitrary, looped ASCII string 'NON GENUINE DEVICE FOUND!', which could cause irregular interactions with devices.[10][11]
Distribution[edit]
FTDI sells its products through major distributors around the world.[12] FTDI also sells products through its ftdichip.com website.[13]
Ftdi Usb Serial Controller Driver Download Pc
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'FTDI Corporate Information'.
- ^'FTDI Products'.
- ^'Virtual COM Port Drivers'. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014.
- ^ ab'Watch That Windows Update: FTDI Drivers Are Killing Fake Chips'. Hackaday. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^ abc'Windows Update drivers bricking USB serial chips beloved of hardware hackers'. Ars Technica. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^ ab'FTDI admits to bricking innocent users' chips in silent update'. ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^Siy, Sherman. 'IP Rights Aren't a License to Kill Devices (And No, Fine Print Doesn't Make It OK)'. Public Knowledge. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^Hung, Perry. '[PATCH] usb: serial: Add 'bricked' FTDI device PID'. linux-usb mailing list. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^'FTDI Post'. FTDI. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^'FTDI Drivers Break Fake Chips, Again'. Hack A Day. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^'FTDI abuses Windows Update, pushing driver that breaks counterfeit chips'. TechRepublic. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^'FTDI Sales Network'.
- ^Click and Build Technologies. 'Future Technology Devices Intl - Catalogue'.
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to FTDI integrated circuits. |
- FTDI, official website
If the driver is already installed on your system, updating (overwrite-installing) may fix various issues, add new functions, or just upgrade to the available version. Take into consideration that is not recommended to install the driver on Operating Systems other than stated ones.
In order to manually update your driver, follow the steps below (the next steps):
1. Extract the .cab file to a folder of your choice
2. Go to Device Manager (right click on My Computer, choose Manage and then find Device Manager in the left panel), or right click on Start Menu for Windows 10 and select Device Manager
3. Right click on the hardware device you wish to update and choose Update Driver Software
4. Choose to select the location of the new driver manually and browse to the folder where you extracted the driver
Ftdi Usb To Serial Cable Driver
5. If you already have the driver installed and want to update to a newer version got to 'Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer'
6. Click 'Have Disk'
7. Browse to the folder where you extracted the driver and click Ok
About USB Serial Port Driver:
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If you install this package, your device will be properly recognized by compatible systems, and might even benefit from new features or various bug fixes.
Please note that, even though other operating systems might also be compatible, we do not recommend you apply any software on platforms other than the specified ones. Doing so might cause the installation to crash, which could even render the device unusable.
When it comes to installing the package, the steps should not be much of a hassle because each manufacturer tries to make them as easy as possible; usually, you must make check for compatibility, get the package, run the available setup, and follow the instructions displayed on-screen.
However, due to the large number of devices out there and the various ways for applying these packages, it would be best if you refer to the installation manual first, to be sure of a successful update.
That being said, click the download button, and apply the present software on your product. Also constantly check with our website to stay up to speed with latest releases.
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