Mittwoch, 14. November 2012

Communication via FTDI chip

As the first processor of my Hive was ready to run, i became curious about using an FTDI chip for communication with the Propeller (which could also be achieved via a plain COM port or a Prop Plug). Sparkfun offers a nice breakout board with an FT232R which basically is a USB-to-serial converter. 
Figure 1: Sparkfun's breakout board with cables leading to
the Hive's USB host interface.

The pin headers are not parts of the original breakout board, but need to be soldered on as needed.












Figure 2: Detail of the Hive board showing the USB host
connector  with cables leading to the FTDI breakout board.




Only four connections to the Hive are required: GND (grey), DTR (brown), TX (orange) and RX (blue).

With the Hive connected to the breakout board, it was possible to upload and start a program on the Hive by means of the SpinTool.
Figure 3: Backside of the breakout board. All signals nicely
designated.