We appreciate your feedback, comments and suggestions.
As you are probably aware, the semiconductor industry is increasingly blighted by the issue of counterfeit chips and all semiconductor vendors are taking measures to protect their IP and the investment they make in developing innovative new technology. FTDI will continue to follow an active approach to deterring the counterfeiting of our devices, in order to ensure that our customers receive genuine FTDI product. Though our intentions were honorable, we acknowledge that our recent driver update has caused concern amongst our genuine customer base. I assure you, we value our customers highly and do not in any way wish to cause distress to them.
The recently release driver release has now been removed from Windows Update so that on-the-fly updating cannot occur. The driver is in the process of being updated and will be released next week. This will still uphold our stance against devices that are not genuine, but do so in a non-invasive way that means that there is no risk of end user’s hardware being directly affected.
As previously stated, we recommend to all our customers to guarantee genuine FTDI products please purchase either from FTDI directly or from one of our authorised distributors. http://www.ftdichip.com/FTSalesNetwork.htm
If you are concerned that you might have a non-genuine device, our support team would be happy to help out.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Milton Survival Issue: Two New Python Versions, Visualize WiFi and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
My 13 year old saved up and bought a special USB cable with an FTDI chip for a device he recently bought from Amazon.com for a STEM project, it was required to program the device. I think the cable he bought as a bundle cost about $10 vs. another that cost over $50. I remember there being some comments on Amazon saying to watch out for fake FTDI chips so I tried to get the most trustworthy one I could but I didn’t buy the most expensive one on the list. He would not have been able to even do the project if the programming cable cost over $50. He’s had a lot of homework this week and I have no idea if his cable is bricked or not, I don’t think the computer we were using to program the device has been updated yet. Hopefully he avoided this fiasco altogether. But I do know that in any future projects I will absolutely be with Nick and advising that he and all the other youth I mentor with STEM projects steer clear of devices that require an FTDI cable whether they are counterfeit or not. Just figuring out the drivers is hard enough let alone running the risk of having a future update mechanism brick the programming cable. It may seem like a little bit of money to you but it makes a big difference to a kid.
What chip do you suggest? Prolific? They have even worse counterfeit issues. I have a handful of cables based on the various chips that are intended to program my VHF and UHF hand held ham radios. I eventually build my own based on an Adafruit USB FTDI card that works great with CHIRP on Ubuntu (the FTDI drivers are included in the distribution). Like SD cards, you just need to buy from a reputable dealer.
Which chip would you suggest in its place? Prolific? There are far more counterfeit issues with that chip than the FTDI.
I have a bunch of these cables that I use to program my Ham VHF and UHF handheld transceivers. I eventually built one using an Adafruit FTDI module. It runs great with CHIRP and Ubuntu (the FTDI drivers are part of the distribution. Like anything else (e.g. SD cards), you need to get them from reputable distributors.
I, on the other hand, recommend that everyone avoid purchasing FTDI chips ever again. Their drivers are no longer trustworthy.
My 13 year old saved up and bought a special USB cable with an FTDI chip for a device he recently bought from Amazon.com for a STEM project, it was required to program the device. I think the cable he bought as a bundle cost about $10 vs. another that cost over $50. I remember there being some comments on Amazon saying to watch out for fake FTDI chips so I tried to get the most trustworthy one I could but I didn’t buy the most expensive one on the list. He would not have been able to even do the project if the programming cable cost over $50. He’s had a lot of homework this week and I have no idea if his cable is bricked or not, I don’t think the computer we were using to program the device has been updated yet. Hopefully he avoided this fiasco altogether. But I do know that in any future projects I will absolutely be with Nick and advising that he and all the other youth I mentor with STEM projects steer clear of devices that require an FTDI cable whether they are counterfeit or not. Just figuring out the drivers is hard enough let alone running the risk of having a future update mechanism brick the programming cable. It may seem like a little bit of money to you but it makes a big difference to a kid.
What chip do you suggest? Prolific? They have even worse counterfeit issues. I have a handful of cables based on the various chips that are intended to program my VHF and UHF hand held ham radios. I eventually build my own based on an Adafruit USB FTDI card that works great with CHIRP on Ubuntu (the FTDI drivers are included in the distribution). Like SD cards, you just need to buy from a reputable dealer.
Which chip would you suggest in its place? Prolific? There are far more counterfeit issues with that chip than the FTDI.
I have a bunch of these cables that I use to program my Ham VHF and UHF handheld transceivers. I eventually built one using an Adafruit FTDI module. It runs great with CHIRP and Ubuntu (the FTDI drivers are part of the distribution. Like anything else (e.g. SD cards), you need to get them from reputable distributors.
Bill