FT4232H Quad USB UART IC Driver

Download the FT4232H Quad USB UART IC driver here. The FT4232H, being FTDI’s 5th generation of USB devices, is a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (480Mb/s) to UART IC. Notably, it offers the flexibility to be configured in various industry standard serial or parallel interfaces.

FT4232H Quad USB UART IC Driver

Table of Contents

Featuring 4 UARTs, the FT4232H stands out with two UARTs that can be individually set up with an MPSSE engine. This unique capability enables the FT4232H to function as two UART/Bit-Bang ports while also accommodating two MPSSE engines. These engines can be employed to emulate JTAG, SPI, I2C, Bit-bang, or other synchronous serial modes. To meet diverse requirements, the FT4232H is available in Pb-free (RoHS compliant) 64-pin LQFP/QFN and 56-pin VQFN packages.

Application Usage

The FT4232H offers a single chip USB solution with versatile functionality. It can serve as a USB to four-channel UART, supporting RS232, RS422, or RS485 interfaces, as well as Bit-Bang interfaces.

Moreover, it provides options for specific configurations:

Single chip USB to 2 JTAG channels along with 2 UARTs.
Single chip USB to 1 JTAG channel coupled with 3 UARTs.
Likewise Single chip USB to 1 SPI channel in addition to 3 UARTs.
Single chip USB to 2 SPI channels alongside 2 UARTs.
In addition a Single chip USB to 2 Bit-Bang channels combined with 2 UARTs.
Single chip USB to 1 SPI channel, 1 JTAG channel, and 2 UARTs.
Single chip USB to 2 I2C channels with 2 UARTs.
Numerous combinations of 4 channels are supported.

Hardware Features

When migrating legacy peripheral designs to USB, the FT4232H presents itself as a suitable choice. Not only does it facilitate field upgradable USB products, but it also provides galvanic isolated options integrated with a USB interface.

Let’s explore the key features of the FT4232H:

Firstly, it offers complete USB protocol handling on the chip, eliminating the need for USB-specific firmware programming. Additionally, it is compatible with USB 2.0 High Speed (480Mbits/Second) and Full Speed (12Mbits/Second).

Furthermore, the FT4232H incorporates two Multi-Protocol Synchronous Serial Engines (MPSSE) on channel A and channel B. This inclusion simplifies synchronous serial protocol designs, enabling seamless communication for USB to JTAG, I2C, SPI, or bit-bang interfaces. The device also features independent Baud rate generators, providing flexibility in setting the desired data transfer rates. It supports RS232/RS422/RS485 UART transfer data rate up to 12Mbaud (RS232 data rate limited by external level shifter).

Moreover, the FT4232H offers the option to enhance user experience by incorporating traffic TX/RX indicators with LEDs and an external 74HC595 shift register. Likewise see also the UART Drivers and the ft232r driver which is also on here.

Additional Features

Additional features include an adjustable receive buffer timeout, support for USB suspend and resume conditions via PWREN#, SUSPEND#, and RI# pins, and a highly integrated design that encompasses essential features such as a +1.8V LDO regulator for VCORE, an integrated POR function, and an on-chip clock multiplier PLL (12MHz – 480MHz).

The device provides UART interface options, including the FT232B style asynchronous serial UART with full hardware handshaking and modem interface signals. It supports both hardware and software handshaking, offering versatility to suit different requirements. Likewise also see the FT4222H USB to Quad SPI (I2C Bridge) as well as the FT201X Full Speed USB to I2C Bridge Driver.

RS485 Application

For RS485 serial applications, the FT4232H offers auto-transmit enable control using the TXDEN pin. Furthermore, configuration mode and USB description strings can be adjusted through an external EEPROM over the USB interface, allowing for customization and flexibility. In terms of power efficiency, the FT4232H ensures low operating and USB suspend current, making it an energy-efficient choice.

The I/O drive strength is configurable with options for 4, 8, 12, or 16mA, and the slew rate can be adjusted as well. In addition ther eis also the FT2232H Dual USB UART/FIFO IC Driver as well as the FT232H Single Channel USB UART/FIFO IC Driver.

USB Configuration

The FT4232H supports various USB configurations, including bus powered, self-powered, and high-power bus powered, while remaining compatible with UHCI/OHCI/EHCI host controllers. For efficient data transfer, the device employs USB bulk data transfer mode with 512-byte packets in Hi-Speed mode. To facilitate development on different platforms, dedicated Windows DLLs are available for USB to JTAG, USB to SPI, and USB to I2C applications. Finally, the FT4232H ensures seamless interfacing with +1.8V (chip core) and +3.3V I/O, while tolerating up to +5V.