USB basics

I've been deep in side the FTDI drivers, and they would need to be improved greatly before they were cr@p.

You're on the right track - because of problems with the FTDI driver (s), Windows winds up installing many different copies of the driver, and on occasion uses the wrong one. (On occasion uses the right one?)

The Windows Driver SDK has a lot of information about the enumeration and installation of USB devices. If anyone knows how Windows deals with USB, it should be Microsoft.

Your problems revolve around using the buggy Windows OS. Dump it, and install Linux. Totally free, full source, etc.

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 [mail]: Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net) 
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            Try the download section.

I have been using an FTDI USB-to-serial converter (it is called "FTDI UC232R-10-NE_Chipi", and relies on the same Windows driver as the one you are talking about) for about a year now, many hours a day, on two machines, one with Windows XP and the other one with Vista, and I haven't had any problem regarding that interface. I would say that the root of your problem is somewhere else.

Best, Bill

Yet another haven't-used-Windows-since-Windows1.0-but-let-me-just-complain-forever-coz-it's-easier-than-actually-finding-out-the-truth.

Best, Bill

Is Windows just buggy or is it already broken by design ? If it is just buggy, then theoretically it is possible to remove the bugs, and it would be fine. If it is broken by design, then no matter how many resources is thrown at it, it will stay unreliable and buggy.

Regards Anton Erasmus

Complete red herring Linux is also buggy..... Having the full source does not always help.

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Well, the fact that the bugs have remained for something like 10 to

15 years is a strong indicator. We can't really answer your question, since MS doesn't publish the source.

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 [mail]: Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net) 
 [page]: 
            Try the download section.

... snip ...

No, but it gives you a fighting chance. And, even if you don't use the source, notice that Linux bugfixes can occur within days of bug reports. With windows, about the earliest possible is 1 year, and more often the bug is just ignored.

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 [mail]: Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net) 
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            Try the download section.

Not really. Some users don't have a clue even with the source.

Or months later.

MS can bring out bug fixes within a few days...... but then they do have a proper bug fix control system

You are just making things up or wilfully lying. It is this sort of religious bigotry that gets FOSS people such a bad name,

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Of course. That is why the Windows bug on an extra backspace over a tab lasted 10 years or more. Has it ever been fixed?

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 [mail]: Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net) 
 [page]: 
            Try the download section.

I have developed products with the FTDI chips that run 24/7/365 on ships. I have never had a report that these drivers ar crappy. Instead, I believe that the serial-USB solution form FTDI is one of the best on the market.

I think your problem is Windows itself.

Meindert

not a very useful post is it? WinXP Market share is 89.8% and Vista is 6.3%..... why would you limit your product to 3.8% of the market?

) I

Nope, it's their driver. Their bugs start rearing their ugly heads when you have FTDI-based devices from more than one manufacturer.

"they do have a proper bug fix control system"

No, no they do not. When was the last time YOU worked there, and saw their bug-control system at work? They don't even have a proper version control system; the idea that they have a functional bug tracking system is laughable.

Another problem is that they off-shore almost the entire software QA process to the lowest bidder. Then they farm out the auditing of the QA process, also to the lowest bidder.

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Having had to deal with the D2XX API and some of its version control=20 issues, there are issues where you need to know the version of the driver BEFORE you run any application, as there are ways to get simple buffer overruns in your application!

Their SPI calls to D2XX are overkill.

Driver assumes only ONE device of ONE type is connected.

Don't even get me on the D2XX/VCP changeover issues.

--=20 Paul Carpenter | snipped-for-privacy@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk PC Services Timing Diagram Font GNU H8 - compiler & Renesas H8/H8S/H8 Tiny For those web sites you hate

Anymore details? I'd be interested to know.

meindert

I dropped FTDI for similar reasons and stuck a MAX3420E onto the target deice. Then I used WinUSB driver on the PC side and though things are not perfect (I never did find out how to flush EP2 for example) they are much quicker and cleaner and more visible.

And, let me be honest, anyone who is using Pascal is a wee bit behind the times and/or academic.

Bill

Nope, it's their driver. Their bugs start rearing their ugly heads when you have FTDI-based devices from more than one manufacturer.