FTDI chip only outputs 00's? Has anybody also seen this?

[cdwijs]

Hi All,

I have used the FTDI FT232RL-REEL from farnell, order code 1146032. http://nl.farnell.com/ftdi/ft232rl-reel/ic-usb-to-uart-smd-28ssop/dp/1146032?ost=1146032&selectedCategoryId=&categoryName=Alle+categorie%C3%ABn&categoryNameResp=Alle%2Bcategorie%25C3%25ABn

I have used these chips in the past, never had any issue with it. Now I have a new batch of them, and they seem to work, except the chip decides to not output the characters I send via USB, but rather output 0x00's.

Has anybody else seen this with FTDI chips? Could it be I have a counterfeit chip?

Kind regards,
Cedric

[Buriedcode]

A loop-back test would confirm whether or not its a fake chip, defective chip, or if you're doing something wrong   Connect Tx to Rx, load up a terminal program, make sure you're selecting the right comm port, connect, and start bashing keys.

Post your schematic and PCB as well because I guess we have no idea how you've got this wired up

[cdwijs]

Thanks for the fast reply. I have held the atmega32 in reset, connected tx and rx together, send some numbers, and got a long line of [00]'s back. Also my scope showed the pattern for a 0x00 being send.

My schematic is attached.

Kind regards,
Cedric

[enz]

I would bet that this is the culprit:

Quote from page 8 (Table 3.3 Miscellaneous  Signal Group) of the FT232RL datasheet:
Pin 26, TEST: Puts the device into IC test mode. Must be tied to GND for normal operation, otherwise the device will appear to fail

Martin

[cdwijs]

Thanks, I have missed that. I have re-tested with pin 26 tied to ground, but no change.
An older FT232 with pin 26 floating does work as expected.

Kind regards,
Cedric

[Monkeh]

Try it on Linux. If it works, I'd be willing to bet you've got fakes. Which from Farnell, is troubling.

[cdwijs]

Thanks, it works under linux (linux mint  under virtualbox with USB forwarding)

This confirms I have a counterfeit chip, and it also confirms I will never build anything with FTDI ever again.

Kind regards,
Cedric

[Bruce Abbott]

Don't blame FTDI for counterfeit chips, blame the Chinese criminals who manufactured and distributed them. You should send your faulty chips back to Farnell - I bet they won't be pleased to find out that they are fakes!

[cdwijs]

Don't blame FTDI for counterfeit chips, blame the Chinese criminals who manufactured and distributed them. You should send your faulty chips back to Farnell - I bet they won't be pleased to find out that they are fakes!

I think FTDI is not clean in this case. I don't like FTDI to pretend the chip is working, while in fact the driver is sabotaging the communication.

I would have been OK with it if the chip didn't output any serial communication, and windows would have given me a nice big fat warning that this is a counterfeit chip, and that they refuse to talk to it. That would have saved me a few hours to hunt this down.

Kind regards,
Cedric

[Delta]

Oh dear. If E14 have been lumbered with fakes, who CAN you trust? :-(

[Karel]

If you really believe it's not an error in your design, but instead you believe it's a counterfeit chip,
what exactly was the response of Farnell after you reported it to them?

[suicidaleggroll]

You could also ask FTDI if this is the expected behavior for a counterfeit device, considering it's working in Linux.  If it is counterfeit, both FTDI and Farnell should be made aware of this problem so it can be rectified ASAP.

[wraper]

Don't think they are counterfeits. With latest iterations of the drivers I'm aware, it should output "NON GENUINE DEVICE FOUND", never heard about zeroes. Did you try to install different driver versions? Post a photo of the IC.

[cdwijs]

If you really believe it's not an error in your design, but instead you believe it's a counterfeit chip,
what exactly was the response of Farnell after you reported it to them?

I have told them today, so there's no reply yet. I'll keep you posted.

Kind regards,
Cedric

[wraper]

Thanks, it works under linux (linux mint  under virtualbox with USB forwarding)

This confirms I have a counterfeit chip, and it also confirms I will never build anything with FTDI ever again.

Kind regards,
Cedric

No it doesn't. There are proper ways how to check it.

[wraper]

Check events

Types 1-4 mean integrity checks on EEPROM addresses 0x40-0x4f failed (which seem to store manufacturer info, perhaps non-writable? haven't tried, the normal EEPROM user/config area is 0-0x3f), while type 5 does the good old 16-bit EEPROM writes check (what they used to brick devices in the previous version, except this time they revert their changes). It actually writes a 0 to the PID field (without fixing the checksum to match), reads it back, and restores it if written (original chips won't write it as its address is even).

[nctnico]

Yes, please look at the event log of your Windows machine. Also: did you try to restart the Windows machine and try again? It could be good old Windows causing the problems.

[TheCharels]

I have used the FTDI FT232RL-REEL from farnell, order code 1146032. http://nl.farnell.com/ftdi/ft232rl-reel/ic-usb-to-uart-smd-28ssop/dp/1146032?ost=1146032&selectedCategoryId=&categoryName=Alle+categorie%C3%ABn&categoryNameResp=Alle%2Bcategorie%25C3%25ABn

Could it be I have a counterfeit chip?

I am curious, that part number suggests a minimum order quantity of 2000 parts.
How many of these FT232RL-REEL parts did you buy?

[ade]

I am curious, that part number suggests a minimum order quantity of 2000 parts.

That's just from the manufacturer.  Most retailers (element14, digikey, mouser, etc) allow you to buy single quantities in cut tape or part-reel.  Of course they charge more for the privilege.

[wblock]

Just bookmarking this thread to have handy for the next time the "FTDI is totally justified" people tell us that people only need to buy FTDI chips from reputable vendors to be sure they get the real thing.

It is even remotely possible that this is a failure of FTDI's counterfeit detection in the driver, and it really is a genuine chip.  That would be tragihilarious.

[westfw]

Well, since this is a not-seen-before behavior on the part of FTDI divers/chips/lookalikes, I think it's a bit early to be assigning blame on either counterfeit chips OR the FTDI countermeasures...
(and this is a good demonstration of why FTDI needs to provide a "counterfeit detection/analysis utility" instead of just making their driver misbehave.)

[Monkeh]

Well, since this is a not-seen-before behavior on the part of FTDI divers/chips/lookalikes

http://zeptobars.com/en/read/FTDI-FT232RL-real-vs-fake-supereal%20this%20deep-down

Known behaviour from more than two years ago. How old is his driver?

[wraper]

Well, since this is a not-seen-before behavior on the part of FTDI divers/chips/lookalikes

http://zeptobars.com/en/read/FTDI-FT232RL-real-vs-fake-supereal%20this%20deep-down

Known behaviour from more than two years ago. How old is his driver?

What is known? Where you heard about sending zeroes, especially 2 years ago? In that link FTDI rep says they aren't going to send zeroes.

[Monkeh]

Well, since this is a not-seen-before behavior on the part of FTDI divers/chips/lookalikes

http://zeptobars.com/en/read/FTDI-FT232RL-real-vs-fake-supereal%20this%20deep-down

Known behaviour from more than two years ago. How old is his driver?

What is known? Where you heard about sending zeroes, especially 2 years ago? In that link FTDI rep says they aren't going to send zeroes.

Fake chip was working kinda fine until FTDI released drivers update, which were able to detect fake chips via USB and send only 0's in this case.

[wraper]

Ah, sorry. I'm ill right now and my brain is dull so translated English in some wrong way. Though this should be some really old driver as since then chips were just bricked and later non genuine string sent instead.