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Description: This is a USB to TTL Serial Cable which allows for a simple way to connect TTL interface devices to USB. The I/O pins of this cable are configured to operate at 3.3V specifically with a Raspberry Pi with each serial pin broken apart. Thanks to its separated pins, this cable is a perfect candidate for powering, connecting, and accessing the login and debug console on the Raspberry Pi.
The FTDI cable is designed around an FT232, which is housed in a USB-A connector. The other side of the cable is terminated with a separated 4-pin connector with the following pinout: RX (Yellow), TX (Orange), VCC (Red), and GND (Black). A link to the FTDI drivers can be found in the Documents section below.
Note: Please be aware that while the I/O pins in this cable operate at 3.3V, the VCC pin is 5V. The VCC pin is NOT 3.3V like the I/O pins.
Documents:
Customer Reviews
4.6 out of 5
Based on 13 ratings:
Works well, but I missed the part about 5V
This product works well, but I thought it was regulating the USB 5V down to 3.3V. I realize now that I didn’t read closely enough.
Works great as a Raspberry Pi console connector
I bought this to connect to my Raspberry Pi console. After a little experimentation, it worked fine (connect Tx to Rx; not Tx to Tx).
I found it reliable and easy to connect.
Good, Solid Cable
Performs right out of the box, good driver support from the manufacturer!
Best thing I ever owned!
And here’s why …
needed an out-of-the-box solution for communicating with the UART on an Atmel XMEGA eval board.
This thing was plug in and go.
no fuss, no muss.
Worked great
What else can I say?
great cable easy usage
This cable is a great price and great value. I used it to build a usb programming cradle for fire dept Motorola minitor 3 and 4 pagers. Works flawlessly after updating the drivers from the product page. The shipping was fast and packing was super.
Reliable USB-Serial cable assembly
Very happy with the purchase! The cable assembly is very reliable and we have had no issues!
Great product
I hate ftdi i feel dirty for buying a product from them. I wish they used a cp2012 or anything else but evil ftdi.
Essential for any toolbox
Buy three, you know you’ll need them.
No complains yet
It’s doing what was supposed to do, the connection from place A to B.
Newbie getting started commucating with Android smart phone to RN-52 module
Works like advertised
Hello! Is the 3.3v RX pin 5V tolerant? thanks,
I just received some of these and did find out that the VCC pin is connected direct to the USB connector, so it outputs 5V.
This should be mentioned in the description. I don’t know why it isn’t.
How long is it? For the other FTDI cables that info is in the schematic (where it doesn’t belong), but no schematic here. 1.80m?
Will this work for connecting the Serial LCD kit (LCD-10097) to my computer, i.e. does that kit accept 3.3V on the data line just fine?
Nice! This is almost as cheap as buying an old CA-42 Nokia data cable from eBay and replacing the connector, but a lot less hassle!
VCC is 3.3VDC at ?? ma ~= 500ma I would guess but no document so wanted to ask.
My experience with similar FTDI cables is that while the I/O is at 3.3V levels, the VCC pin would be 5V coming directly from the USB socket. But verification from someone in the know would be good….
This cable lacks the DTR signal which is needed if you intend to connect to a microprocessor whose bootloader is triggered by DTR, as are Arduino and others.
No DTR fore resetting Arduinos?
Nope. We do have FTDI cables and FTDI boards that do, you can also just manually hit the reset button. This cable is specifically for communicating over serial with things like a Raspberry Pi, PCDuino, etc.
The Raspberry Pi uses 3.3 V logic on its GPIO and com port lines. FTDI makes both 5V and 3.3V cables like this, so whzt you are supplying may be the correct 3.3V one. But your description states otherwise i.e. it mentions 5v IO.
I was thinking the same thing. I bet it is just an error in the text. In the photos, the USB connector shell is labeled “FTDI 3.3V”
Totes. Was just an error. Thanks!