Adafruit USB Multi-Protocol Serial Cable (5994)
Overview
A USB-to-multi-protocol serial cable that provides direct USB connectivity to devices using RS-232, TTL UART, and RS-485 serial interfaces. It lets a host PC present a virtual COM port while the cable handles the physical-layer signaling for multiple serial standards. The cable is intended as a portable adapter for connecting modern USB hosts to legacy and embedded serial hardware.
Why Choose This Part
Combines multiple serial physical layers in one portable adapter, reducing the number of separate dongles and level-conversion modules engineers must carry. It is useful for mixed environments where equipment uses different serial standards and avoids manual wiring or separate transceiver boards. Using a single USB virtual COM interface simplifies host-side software and scripting.
Applications
Getting Started
Plug the cable into a host USB port and install any required drivers for the virtual COM port (check the product page for the recommended driver). On the host, open a serial terminal (PuTTY, screen, minicom) and select the virtual COM port, then set the correct baud rate, parity, and flow control. Before connecting to TTL or RS-485 pins, verify voltage levels and wiring on the target device to avoid damaging TTL UART interfaces.
