The FT245R is the latest device to be added to FTDI’s range of USB FIFO interface Integrated Circuit Devices. The FT245R is a USB to parallel FIFO interface, with the new FTDIChip-ID? security dongle feature. In addition, asynchronous and synchronous bit bang interface modes are available. USB to parallel designs using the FT245R have been further simplified by fully integrating the external EEPROM, clock circuit and USB resistors onto the device.
The FT245R adds a new function compared with its predecessors, effectively making it a “2-in-1” chip for some application areas. A unique number (the FTDIChip-ID?) is burnt into the device during manufacture and is readable over USB, thus forming the basis of a security dongle which can be used to protect customer application software from being copied.