19 Jan 2012

[Embedded Adventures now has the MCP2210 available as a module]

As the USB serial interface protocol has become more and more standardized for serialcommunication between electronic devices, it would be helpful to find a solution that wouldintegrate USB on circuits that only use the SPI protocol. Microchip has just announced a new plug-and-play solution, which is the new HID-class MCP2210 USB to SPI protocol converter. This device makes it fast and simple to add USB to SPI-based designs for serial data transfer and analysis, and many other USB functions.

The MCP2210 USB to SPI protocol converter utilizes the USB HID class, which is supported bythe Windows XP, Vista, 7, Linux and Mac OS operating systems. Designs can be further simplifiedby nine flexible, general-purpose I/O pins that can be configured with a PC as standard digital I/O pins or alternate configurations. This adds enough flexibility to support a wide range ofapplications.

Designers without expertise in USB can use Microchip's MCP2210 Evaluation Kit (part #ADM00421) which makes it quick and easy to add USB connectivity into their projects. Free downloads are provided for software drivers, DLLs and a PC configuration tool. There is also a utility for MCP2210 power-up configuration.

The MCP2210 supports all four SPI modes (0, 1, 2, and 3) with bit rates from 1500 bps upto 12 Mbps. The device can operate from 3.3V to 5.5V at a temperature range of -40C to +85C. This chip is probably the most cost-effective and smallest footprint option for adding USB connectivity to SPI-based systems. The Microchip MCP2210 is available in a 20-pin SSOPpackage and a 20-pin 5×5 mm QFN package.