USB To RS485 Converter Introduction

USB To RS485 Converter TTL Serial Adapter Module. The USB to RS-485 converter module introduce pairs a MAX485 RS-485 transceiver chip with an FT232RL USB UART IC to convert a USB stream to RS-485.

It supports various devices with RS-485 communication interface like a Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). Below are its features, copy from an online seller’s page.

Onboard chips: FT232RL & MAX485

Supports wide baud-rate of 300-9216000 bps

Can also be use as USB to TTL & TTL to RS485 Converter

Supports Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, WIN7, Vista, Windows8, Windows10

No external power supply require (Power via USB Port)

Supports multi-point communication

Each converter allows up to 32 RS485 devices to be connect

As you can see, the module is a very compact and ready to use piece of electronics.

It performs the USB (Universal Serial Bus) to two wire RS485 (Two-Wire Half-Duplex) and vice versa conversion.

The module holds an FT232RL USB UART IC with MAX485 to switch between the USB and RS-485 communication standards.

USB To RS485 Converter About

Note that the FT232RL is also link to the transmit and receive enable inputs of the .

MAX485 to control the communication mode of the RS-485 transceiver.

With the proper drivers (available for Windows, Mac and Linux) install,

The FT232RL will enumerate as a virtual COM port (VCP) – See below.

Note: A COM Port will only be assign to the USB to RS-485 converter module if the correct driver for the module has been install successfully.

VCP Drivers Download Link https://ftdichip.com/drivers/vcp-drivers/

To put it simply, the FT232RL is configure in the standard way as USB to UART chip, and it drives the MAX487. RS-485 transceiver chip while the direction is control by the TXDEN pin.

The USB port is a standard USB-B female connector and the RS-485 connections are made by a 3-way screw terminal connector.

The Power status and Tx/Rx states are indicate by three onboard LEDs.

The 4 jumper caps (5V/RX/TX/GND) simply link the USB interface to the RS-485 interface.

If the jumper caps are removed, the FT232RL circuitry may be use as a standalone USB-TTL interface, and/or the MAX485 circuitry as a TTL-RS485 interface.

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