TTL-232R-RPi USB to TTL Serial Debug Cable

A debug and console cable for the Raspberry Pi. The USB end goes into a laptop, the three flying leads — TXD, RXD and GND — land on the Pi’s GPIO header, and you get a serial console or a programming link over USB. It is the standard way to see what a headless Pi is doing before networking comes up.

On board, an FT232RQ provides single-chip USB to asynchronous serial conversion, so the whole USB protocol is handled inside the cable. The UART supports 7 or 8 data bits, 1 or 2 stop bits and odd/even/mark/space/no parity, with rates from 300 baud to 3 Mbaud at TTL levels, and fully assisted or X-On/X-Off handshaking.

Key features

• USB to TTL serial for the Raspberry Pi
• FT232RQ single-chip conversion inside the cable
• 3 flying leads: TXD, RXD, GND
• 300 baud to 3 Mbaud at TTL levels
• 5V-safe TTL inputs; user-writeable EEPROM
• VCP and D2XX drivers; USB 2.0 Full Speed

Specifications

One safety point that matters: this is a TTL-level cable, not RS232. Never connect its leads to a true RS232 port, whose voltages would damage the device and the cable. Match the logic levels to your target — the cable’s inputs are 5V-safe, and the Raspberry Pi UART is a 3.3V interface, so connect the signal leads directly and do not feed 5V into the GPIO header.

Typical applications

• Serial console for a headless Raspberry Pi
• Debugging boot and kernel output
• Programming microcontrollers over a UART

Custom and OEM options

Connector type, cable length, chipset variant, jacket colour, printed logo and retail packaging with your own artwork can all be specified. Standard items from 100 pcs, custom builds from 500 pcs, free samples, production in 20–25 working days.

Samples, packing options, payment terms and warranty conditions are set out in How to Order and Delivery Information.