On Tue, Oct 12, 2004 at 08:10:07PM +0200, Wouter van Ooijen wrote:
> > >I'm just frustrated that it's going to take
> > >upwards of $25 USD per board to get a simple
> > >USB interface. There are many more USB to serial
> > >cables then there are USB to parallel port cables.
> > 
> > is it really going to cost that much to use an FTDI FT245 chip and
> > associated components?
> 
> Of course not. I sell USB/serial and USB parallel converters (complete
> cables, not just the chips) for less in q 1. And I make a profit, so you
> can buy them for less if you buy in sufficient quantity.

Wouter,

I poked around a bit and I think my original point is still valid. The kit
and cable offerings you have on your site are between $17-23 USD without
shipping. It'll still be in the $25 USD ballpark for a complete solution.

I'm just irratated that I'm forced to pay more to upconvert to a technology
that's less stable and less well known. And while I do appreciate FTDI
for their contributions, there is no plug an play solution to getting to
bits from USB like there was with the parallel or serial port. It requires
more drivers, chipset differences, and the like. It's a crapshoot. And it
cost more.

What I'm aksing for is the $5 USD equivalent of the MAX232. Complete control,
no additional drivers, and inexpensive enough that I won't choke every time
I purchase one.

It's not there yet.

BAJ
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