FT230x - What am I missing? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Mike Warren
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 12:28:00 am
content: I want to use this chip in "self powered" mode. According to page 23 of the FT230x datasheet I need to feed the +5V from the USB bus into the VBUS_SENSE pin on the chip via a resistor divider. My problem is that there is no VBUS_SENSE pin listed on the pinout. In fact, the only 3 places the term "VBUS_SENSE" is mentioned in the whole data sheet is on that page.Any ideas?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 12:40:56 am
content: VBUS sense is one of the functions that can be assigned to the CBUS pins via the FTDI utility. Assign it to one of the CBUS# pins and connect that pin to the divider.

author: Mike Warren
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 12:45:09 am
content: Thanks for the reply. I see it now, when I look for VBUS sense rather than VBUS_sense. It's good to see constancy in a datasheet.

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 01:11:29 am
content: Have FTDI fixed the random lock-up problem with the FT230X now then?Or are you just hoping it doesn't happen?

author: Mike Warren
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 01:17:50 am
content: I'm sure it won't be too long until revision D is release, but in the mean time, preventing suspend mode is fine for my application.

author: Mike Warren
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 03:32:04 am
content: Well, that's interesting. I received 10 chips this morning for prototyping and they are revision D.

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 11:52:51 am
content: Quote from: Mike Warren on December 03, 2012, 03:32:04 amWeird. The documentation on FTDI's website says that C is the current rev. Maybe they held the rev. C before they were shipped and swapped to D's instead..?

author: Mike Warren
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 11:58:32 am
content: My understanding was that the rev C chips were recalled and the fault would be fixed for rev D.

author: oPossum
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 02:42:27 pm
content: A, B and C all had the bug. The D version is what is in stock now - all the old versions where sold/recalled months ago.

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 02:53:06 pm
content: Good to know. I am working on a design at work that I considered the FT230X for, but then I remembered the problems they had. I guess it should be alright now then!

author: ptricks
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2012, 09:48:17 pm
content: Quote from: oPossum on December 03, 2012, 02:42:27 pmThat explains all of the FT230x boards that have been appearing on ebay over the last month for really cheap prices.

author: baoshi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2012, 07:39:34 am
content: Quote from: ptricks on December 03, 2012, 09:48:17 pmWill be a score to grab some and replace the chip. ptricks can share some ebay link? I'm not able to locate any

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2012, 10:26:32 am
content: Probably shouldn't buy the ebay ones, they are definitely the A,B and C versions but anyway can't find them on ebay

author: ptricks
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2012, 12:43:06 pm
content: Quote from: baoshi on December 04, 2012, 07:39:34 amI don't see the seller that had them last week, maybe sold out. I have been using this sellers product, $12 each, not dirt cheap but not terrible. The board he is selling is VERY small , probably the smallest converter I have ever seen . Not sure how to read the product code to determine what revision it is, but I haven't had any problems with the ones shown so far.http://www.ebay.com/itm/MicroFTX-FTDI-USB-to-Serial-Breakout-/300716559184?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46041a8b50

author: Mike Warren
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 04, 2012, 08:41:14 pm
content: The chip in that photo is a rev B, made in week 6 of 2012.

author: jimparis
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 15, 2013, 11:15:55 pm
content: Hi,Mike's right, all of the existing MicroFTX boards were Rev. B. Those sold out, but I should have a new batch of Rev. D boards arriving by the end of this month. I'll put them back up on eBay when they arrive. I'm also selling them at my own site (jim.sh/ftx), with discounts for multiple boards.

author: bandtank
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2013, 06:25:15 pm
content: I have a follow up question that's very similar to this, which is why I decided to post in an old thread.Is it necessary to connect the VBUS sense pin? I don't understand how this even works. It doesn't come factory programmed on one of the CBUS pins, so how are you supposed to change the CBUS configuration if the sense pin is a requirement? Also, if you want to use one of the pins that's configured to be an output, you'd have to deal with a drive fight until the pin is reprogrammed. Can anyone explain this to me? The datasheet pretty much says nothing about any of this.

author: ZarMaxim
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 20, 2013, 06:28:30 am
content: Hi Guys,I have two designs going into production, and I have some experience with the FT232RL which was better used and more info surrounding it but the FT230 is a bit trying . . .So the question I have is : Will the FTDI utility work if the FT230X is already in circuit in the SELF POWERED configuration ? I have connected CBUS1 to the voltage divider as the VBUS_Sense pin, but I would need to run the utility to reconfigure this as the CBUS1 Pins default connection is the RxLEDAny ideas thoughts will be appreciated

author: Codemonkey
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2013, 07:34:43 am
content: I did a board last year with a few FT230X devices on, all in self powered configuration. At the time I didn't figure out the VBUS_SENSE thing, so connected the device as shown in the attached diagram. Everything seems to work fine for me, but I didn't do much plugging/unplugging which is where I guess the problems would show up so use at your own risk! Iwasable to configure the CBUS pins to get the tx/tx led outputs working.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2013, 09:10:57 am
content: Wow. I was really excited, when they launched the new series on Embedded world last year. Then I went home, and realised that the I2C and SPI is only working in slave operation, what a bummer. Then these lockups. I actually never read about them. Instead of master devices, we got this video engine, with mouse television resolution and 8-bit linear PCM, yay.