Electronic – USB to multiple RS485

ftdilevel-shiftingrs485usbusb hub

I'm trying to create a device that will control a few independent RS485 lines using single USB port.

My first idea was to use GL850G usb hub controller (4 downstream ports), 4x FT232R, 4x MAX485. I had to provide 12MHz clock source for both hub controller and FT232R.

  1. Should all those devices use single clock source? Why? Why not?

I started my design with common universal clock generator (sg-51 at 12MHz), but FT232R requires 5V level on clock input while GL850G requires 3.3V

  1. So maybe there is a way to shift 5V clock source to 3.3V?

  2. If not – should I:

    • use crystal for GL850G and common clock generator for FT232R
    • use five independent crystal oscilators
    • use crystal for GL850G and internal oscilator for FT232R
  3. What are disadvantages of using internal oscilator?

If stability not cost is the key – how should I do it?

Best Answer

A simpler option than four FT232Rs and a hub controller would be a single FT4232H.

The FT232H family supports a superset of the FT232R's features; it is frequently used as a JTAG controller. In this application, though, what matters is that the FT4232H can be configured to provide four UARTs. This allows you to do away with the hub controller entirely, along with all of its consequent added complexity.

And to combine some things further, you might be better off using a pair of MAX3030E and MAX3096 RS485 quad transmitters and receivers than using four MAX485s.