SparkFun FTDI Basic Breakout - 5V

The SparkFun FTDI Basic Breakout - 5V is a compact, feature-rich device that serves as a breakout board for the FTDI FT232RL USB to serial IC. Its design includes an SMD 6-pin header on the bottom, making it smaller and more compact while maintaining its functionality. This board is compatible with both official and cloned 5V Arduino boards, and can also be employed for general serial applications.

The SparkFun FTDI Basic Breakout - 5V stands out with its unique design that brings out the DTR pin instead of the RTS pin of the FTDI cable. This feature enables an Arduino target to auto-reset when a new Sketch is downloaded, eliminating the need to manually hit the reset button. The board is capable of auto resetting any Arduino board that has the reset pin brought out to a 6-pin connector.

For easy alignment with your Arduino target, the board features pins labeled BLK and GRN that correspond to the colored wires on the FTDI cable. The black wire on the FTDI cable is GND, while green is CTS.

The SparkFun FTDI Basic Breakout - 5V is equipped with TX and RX LEDs, providing visual confirmation of serial traffic to verify if the board is functioning correctly. This is an improvement over the FTDI cable which lacks this feature.

Designed with cost-effectiveness and ease of use in mind, this board is ideal for use with SparkFun's Arduino Pro boards and LilyPads. It includes a jumper on the back of the board that allows it to be configured to either 3.3V or 5V, both for power output and IO level. The board is shipped default to 5V, but can be switched to 3.3V if needed.

For those who prefer microUSB over miniUSB, SparkFun offers an alternative product: the FT231X Breakout. This caters to your micro FTDI needs.

The SparkFun FTDI Basic Breakout - 5V comes with comprehensive documentation including a schematic, Eagle Files, a USB to serial UART Boards Hookup Guide, a guide on how to install FTDI Drivers, and the FTDI Drivers themselves. Design Files can also be accessed on GitHub.