LPCXpresso Base Board rev B - User’s Guide
Page 11
Copyright 2011 © Embedded Artists AB
3.4
Console Interface via USB-to-UART Bridge
The
LPCXpresso Base Board
contains a USB-to-Serial bridge chip (FT232R from FTDI) that connects
one of the UART channels on the
LPCXpresso
target cpu to a virtual COM port on the PC (via USB). It
is this serial channel that is the console interface to the system.
Special USB drivers must be installed on the PC in order for the virtual COM port to be created. See
subsection below for a description of how to install the FTDI USB driver.
3.4.1
FTDI USB Driver
A USB driver must be installed on your PC computer in order to get the USB-to-UART chip (FT232R)
to function. Make sure to download the latest version of the driver, which can be found at the following
URL:
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
(search for a FT232R driver for your operating system).
When the
LPCXpresso Base Board
is connected to the PC (via an USB cable) the PC will ask for a
driver. Unpack/unzip the downloaded driver file and browse to the position of the driver files. After
successful driver installation, a COM port will be created. Before any communication with the Board
can take place the UART settings must be correctly set. The following description is valid for
Windows™ XP, but other operating systems have similar dialog windows. See the USB driver
documentation for details, if needed.
To change the UART settings, first open the System Properties dialog, as illustrated in the figure
below.
Figure 4 – System Settings Dialog
Then select the
Device Manager
and open the
Ports
list, as illustrated in Figure 5 below.
Device
Manager
