How to drive the Vinculum VDIP1 in UART mode

[jellis00]

The VDIP1 comes with firmware burned in from the factory. The firmware can be modified / customized somewhat.

This page has the different firmwares available
http://www.vinculum.com/downloads.html#vfirmware

Dave, I am in the process of adding a USB interface to my WiFi application so that I can interface it with a temperature probe/datalogger product via USB connection (see the product at http://www.vfcdataloggers.com/usbtcdatalogger.aspx ). The application will send a command to the data logger via its USB interface instructing it to grab the last temperature measurement it made from its datalog and send it along with its date/time stamp over the USB interface to the PIC board. The PIC will then send the data to the ConnectOne Wifi MiniSocket for transmission via the internet to my Website for posting.

To do this I am considering use of a V1DIP1 or a V2DIP1 module to provide the USB interface to my PIC based application. I recognize that the pre-compiled firmware that is available for it will make my coding job easier to implement this. However, the FTDI people told me that if I want to use pre-compiled firmware with the V2DIP1 that they strongly recommend using a V2DIP1-48 rather than the V2DIP1-32.....no explanation why or if this indicates problems when using pre-compiled firmware with the V2DIP1-32. Any ideas why they would say that? I would prefer to use the simpler V1DIP1-32 or the V2DIP1-32.

I am also having difficulty in determining which Firmware package I would have to use in my application. Since the PIC will use its EUSART to implement a UART interface with the V2DIP1, it would probaby have to be either the UART to USB HID Class Device version or the UART to CDC Modem Sample version as shown at their firmware page (see http://www.ftdichip.com/Firmware/Precompiled.htm ), but I don't know which one. I have asked the manufacturer of the VFC5000-TC to advise me which class their product uses on its USB interface and to confirm it operates as a host, but they haven't answered me yet. The VFC5000-TC USB interface is capable of interfacing with a PC and downloading its datalog to special software they use on a PC, so I suspect they use a USB HID Class. However, I notice the firmware for this class from FTDI says it "allows data to be transferred from the UART to the USB Host", which is the wrong direction for my application. For the UART to CDC Modem class they say it "will bridge a CDC class device present on the VNC2 USB host port 1 to a UART interface, with data transferrable in both directions." This sound more like what I need but I don't think it would work with a HID class USB host.

Can you clarify any of this for me and tell me your opinion which V2DIP1 I should order and which firmware?

[mackrackit]

It has been a couple of years since I played with this so I have not kept up with the new stuff.
I think I was using the Vinculum Firmware Customiser (V1.1b) found here
http://www.ftdichip.com/Firmware/VNC1Ltools.htm


When the data logger is plugged into a PC is the software needed to read it or can it be accessed as a drive? If it can not be accessed as a drive I do not think the VDIP will help.

[pthakkar]

Hi

I am using VDIP1 module in UART mode. I have been able to interface the module and everything works fine as long as I use a pen drive of capacity 2 GB or less. I read in the datasheet that the pen drive must have 512 bytes per sector and in 4GB pen drive this option is not available.
The issue is that I cannot find pen drive with capacity less than 2 Gb in the market. So is there any way I can use 4GB pendrive with VDIP1?

[Archangel]

They're not cheap but are available here:
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Trave...3518109&sr=1-4

[asadkhanfamt]

Hi pthakkar,

I am using VDIP1 module in UART mode. I have been trying to interface the module with my 8051 controller. But so far I have not been able to send the data from microcontroller to the pen drive visa VDIP1 module. Can I get some input from you?