The schematics will generally follow this application circuit with some additions to be discussed below. Finally, I’m going to add additional overvoltage protection on any data lines and the +5 V bus line to provide maximum overvoltage protection to the CP2102 and to the host device.įirst, let’s look briefly at the application circuit for the CP2102 (page 15 of the datasheet). The design will need to fit into a standard bank of USB ports. The design goals for this project are simple: the design will output its UART data, power, and ground to a pin header. We don’t need these for this module as the module will operate independently of any microcontroller. There is also an optional bank of pins that act as indicators or control pins when used on the same board as a processor, such as a microcontroller. Integrated clock, eliminating the need for an external crystal.Programmable ROM for implementing product data.

Integrated +5V to +3V3 regulator to power lower voltage devices.The CP2102 comes in a QFN-28 package and includes some useful features: This chip is one of many that is used in USB-to-serial converters that you’ll find on Amazon or Alibaba. I like this component for systems that need to connect to USB because there are ready-made drivers for the chip that allow it to be accessed over a COM port through a terminal application (I use TeraTerm). The CP2102 from Silicon Labs is a compact interface converter module that bridges USB and UART interfaces. So with this in mind, let’s get to work on a small module for a CP2102 USB to UART converter. It’s simpler to just place a 2-pin header for the UART lines. Placing an extra USB port with a data converter chip on every single prototype adds extra work and takes up space.Not all embedded products will support USB, but I’m struggling to remember an embedded product I’ve built that didn’t have a UART interface.You might be wondering, why not just place one of these circuits on prototypes directly, and then access the UART interface on your prototypes with a USB cable? This is a fair question.

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