TODAY’S PCs or laptops are typically no longer equipped with many serial interfaces. An easy migration of the application to USB can help.
PROLIFIC, available from Glyn , offers the PL-2303(X) USB to serial controller for this purpose. Combined with an external crystal it can be integrated into the users operating system as a COM port.
The PL-2303X provides a convenient solution for connecting an RS232 like full-duplex asynchronous serial device to any Universal Serial Bus (USB) capable host.
The PL-2303X highly compatible drivers could simulate the traditional COM port on most operating systems allowing the existing applications based on COM port to easily migrate and be made USB ready.
The PL-2303X is exclusively designed for mobile and embedded solutions in mind, providing a small footprint that could easily fit in to any connectors and handheld devices.
With very small power consumption in either operating or suspend mode, the PL-2303X is perfect for bus powered operation with plenty of power left for the attached devices.
Flexible signal level requirement on the RS-232 like serial port side also allows the PL-2303X to connect directly to 5V, 3.3V, or 2.5V devices.
An optional EEPROM also allows changing the serial number and the vendor ID. Drivers for Windows and Linux (automatic recognition) are available.
To facilitate the user migration, GLYN has developed the EVBPL2303X Evaluation Board which is available as an immediate tool to allow easy integration into a users own application.