The EVAL232R is a USB to RS232 evaluation module for FTDI’s FT232RL USB - Serial UART interface IC device, the latest device to be added to FTDI’s range of USB UART interface Integrated Circuit Devices.
The FT232RL is a USB to serial UART interface with optional clock generator output, and the new FTDIChip-ID? security dongle feature. In addition, asynchronous and synchronous bit bang interface modes are available. USB to serial interface designs using the FT232RL have been further simplified by fully integrating the external EEPROM, clock circuit and USB resistors onto the device.
The FT232RL adds two new functions compared with its predecessors, effectively making it a “3-in-1” chip for some application areas. The internally generated clock (6MHz, 12MHz, 24MHz, and 48MHz) can be brought out of the device and used to drive a microcontroller or external logic. A unique number (the FTDIChip-ID?) is burnt into the device during manufacture and is readable over USB, thus forming the basis of a security dongle which can be used to protect customer application software from being copied.