More FTDI Problems

So back in October of 2014, an updated FTDI driver prevented non-genuine/fake chips from working. It appears Windows Update is pushing out a driver that is causing new problems.

So if you are buying a cable to program your radios, you can save yourself some trouble and get one with a genuine FTDI chip.

Via Slashdot.org

Serial Ports

Ah, the good old days of serial and parallel ports... I have several tubs of old computer hardware - IDE cables, video and sound cards, old processors (even my favorite of all time - the Celeron 300A*), etc. I went through them over the week-end and have set aside about a third of it to be recycled. I digress...


Alex (PA1SBM) finds no serial ports or PCI on his new PC, but after a false start finds a card that works.


* Does it make me a huge geek for having a favorite CPU? I just remember how much bang for the buck you got with the Celeron 300A as it easily overclocked to 450 MHz.

Bricking FTDI Driver Pulled

So the driver that bricks the fake chips is being pulled from Windows Update:

"As you are probably aware, the semiconductor industry is increasingly blighted by the issue of counterfeit chips and all semiconductor vendors are taking measures to protect their IP and the investment they make in developing innovative new technology. FTDI will continue to follow an active approach to deterring the counterfeiting of our devices, in order to ensure that our customers receive genuine FTDI product. Though our intentions were honourable, we acknowledge that our recent driver update has caused concern amongst our genuine customer base. I assure you, we value our customers highly and do not in any way wish to cause distress to them.

The recently release driver release has now been removed from Windows Update so that on-the-fly updating cannot occur. The driver is in the process of being updated and will be released next week. This will still uphold our stance against devices that are not genuine, but do so in a non-invasive way that means that there is no risk of end user’s hardware being directly affected."

Via Slashdot.org

FTDI Driver Update Bricks Fake Chips

This should be fun... expect the Yahoo Groups to blow up with the "I can't program my radio" posts. The new driver is available using Windows Update, so lots of people will never even realize they are getting a new version.

HackADay:

"This isn’t a case where fake FTDI chips won’t work if plugged into a machine running the newest FTDI driver; the latest driver bricks the fake chips, rendering them inoperable with any computer."

Via Slashdot.org