The Vinculum family of devices allow the implementation of USB host controller functionality within products, thus saving development time and costs by using FTDI's tried and tested firmware programmed into internal, easily upgradeable Flash memory.

The Vinculum family of USB Host Controller ICs not only handle the USB Host Interface, and data transfer functions but owing to the inbuilt 8/32-bit MCU and embedded Flash memory, vinculum encapsulates the USB device classes as well. When interfacing to mass storage devices such as USB Flash drives, vinculum also transparently handles the FAT file structure communicating via UART, SPI or parallel FIFO interfaces via a simple to implement command set. The vinculum device features two USB Ports which can be individually configured by firmware as Host or Slave ports. 
vinvulum brings cost effective USB Host capability to products that previously did not have the hardware resources available. Viniculum devices will be especially popular for adding USB Flash drive connectivity to a wide range of consumer and industrial products. Viniculum family comes complete with FTDI's in-house developed firmware, there are no USB software stacks to license, indeed, no knowledge of USB is required to use these devices.

The initial product member of the family is the VNC1L device which features two USB Ports which can be individually configured by firmware as Host or Slave ports. 

Key VNC1L features include:

- 8/32 bit V-MCU Core 
- Dual DMA controllers for hardware acceleration 
- 64k Embedded Flash Program Memory 
- 4k internal Data SRAM 
- 2 x USB 2.0 Slow/Full speed Host/Slave Ports 
- UART, SPI and Parallel FIFO interfaces 
- PS2 legacy Keyboard and Mouse Interfaces 
- Up to 28 GPIO pins depending on configuration 
- 3.3V operation with 5V safe inputs 
- Low power operation (25mA running/2mA standby) 
- Inbuilt FTDI firmware easily updated in the field 
- LQFP-48 RoHS compliant package 
- Multi-processor configuration capable

FT232 chip can bridge the commonly used industry-standard serial interfaces to USB with entire USB protocol handled on the chip. The supported serial protocols include RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 at up to 3 Mega baud data transfer rate. 

The latest version is FT232R. It integrates EEPROM and clock generator into the chip, and provides 5 extra customer-configurable I/O pins, and offers FTDIChip-ID™ security protection features. It also supports wide logic signal levels from 5V down to 1.8V, and -40°C to 85°C industrial operating temperature range.

The FT232R adds two new functions compared with its predecessors, effectively making it a "3-in-1" chip for some application areas. The internally generated clock (6MHz, 12MHz, 24MHz, and 48MHz) can be brought out of the device and used to drive a microcontroller or external logic. 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.

The FT232R is available in Pb-free (RoHS compliant) compact 28-Lead SSOP and QFN-32 packages.

Key Hardware Features 

- Single chip USB to asynchronous serial data transfer interface. 
- Entire USB protocol handled on the chip - No USB-specific firmware
  programming required. 
- UART interface support for 7 or 8 data bits, 1 or 2 stop bits and odd / even /
   mark / space / no parity. 
- Fully assisted hardware or X-On / X-Off software handshaking. 
- Data transfer rates from 300 baud to 3 Megabaud (RS422 / RS485 and at
  TTL levels) and 300 baud to 1 Megabaud (RS232). 
- In-built support for event characters and line break condition. 
- New USB FTDIChip-ID™ feature. 
- New configurable CBUS I/O pins. 
- Auto transmit buffer control for RS485 applications. 
- Transmit and receive LED drive signals. 
- New 48MHz, 24MHz,12MHz, and 6MHz clock output signal Options for
  driving external MCU or FPGA. 
- FIFO receive and transmit buffers for high data throughput. 
- 256 Byte receive buffer and 128 Byte transmit buffer utilising buffer smoothing
  technology to allow for high data throughput. 
- Adjustable receive buffer timeout. 
- Synchronous and asynchronous bit bang mode interface options with RD# and
  WR# strobes. 
- New CBUS bit bang mode option. 
- Integrated 1024 Byte internal EEPROM for I/O configuration and storing USB - VID, PID, serial number and product description strings. 
- Device supplied preprogrammed with unique USB serial number. 
- Support for USB suspend / resume. 
- Support for bus powered, self powered, and high-power bus powered USB
   configurations. 
- Integrated 3.3V level converter for USB I/O . 
- Integrated level converter on UART and CBUS for interfacing to 5V - 1.8V
   Logic. 
- True 5V / 3.3V / 2.8V / 1.8V CMOS drive output and TTL input. 
- High I/O pin output drive option. 
- Integrated USB resistors. 
- Integrated power-on-reset circuit. 
- Fully integrated clock - no external crystal, oscillator, or resonator required. 
- Fully integrated AVCC supply filtering - No separate AVCC pin and no
   external R-C filter required. 
- UART signal inversion option. 
- USB bulk transfer mode. 
- 3.3V to 5.25V Single Supply Operation. 
- Low operating and USB suspend current. 
- Low USB bandwidth consumption. 
- UHCI / OHCI / EHCI host controller compatible. 
- USB 2.0 Full Speed compatible. 
- -40°C to 85°C extended operating temperature range. 
- Available in compact Pb-free 28 Pin SSOP and QFN-32 packages (both
  RoHS compliant). 

Application Areas 

- USB to RS232 / RS422 / RS485 Converters 
- Upgrading Legacy Peripherals to USB 
- Cellular and Cordless Phone USB data transfer cables and
   interfaces 
- Interfacing MCU / PLD / FPGA based designs to USB 
- USB Audio and Low Bandwidth Video data transfer 
- PDA to USB data transfer 
- USB Smart Card Readers 
- USB Instrumentation 
- USB Industrial Control 
- USB MP3 Player Interface 
- USB FLASH Card Reader / Writers 
- Set Top Box PC - USB interface 
- USB Digital Camera Interface 
- USB Hardware Modems 
- USB Wireless Modems 
- USB Bar Code Readers 
- USB Software / Hardware Encryption Dongles 

FT2232 chip can bridge the commonly used industry-standard interfaces to USB with entire USB protocol handled on the chip. It supports async serial protocols of RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 at up to 3 Mega baud data transfer rate, and FIFO interface at up to 1M Byte per second. 

It is specifically featured by its support for sync serial protocols like JTAG, SPI, and I²C through FTDI-proprietary Multiple Protocol Sync Serial Engine (MPSSE) technology. FT2232 is also featured by supporting dual UART channels configurable independently. The latest version, FT2232D, can supports -40°C to 85°C industrial operating temperature range.

Key Hardware Features 

- Single chip USB <=> dual channel serial/parallel ports with a variety of
  configurations 
- Entire USB protocol handled on the chip: no USB-specific firmware
  programming required 
- FT232B-style UART interface option with full handshaking & modem interface
   signals 
- UART interface supports 7/8 data bits, 1/2 stop bits and Odd / Even / Mark /
   Space/No Parity 
- Data transfer rate of 300 Baud => 1M Baud (RS232) 
- Data transfer rate of 300 Baud => 3M Baud (TTL and RS422/RS485) 
- Auto transmit enable control for RS485 serial applications using TXDEN pin 
- In-built support for event characters and line break condition 
- Transmit and receive LED drive signals on each channel 
- FT245B-style FIFO interface option with bi-directional data bus and simple
   4-wire handshaking interface 
- Data transfer rate up to 1M Byte/second (Parallel FIFO) 
- Enhanced Bit-Bang Mode interface option with RD# and WR# strobes 
- New Synchronous Bit-Bang Mode interface option 
- New Multi-Protocol Synchronous Serial Engine (MPSSE) interface option 
- New CPU-style FIFO interface mode option (FT2232D only) 
- New MCU Host Bus Emulation Mode option 
- New Fast Opto-Isolated Serial Interface Mode option 
- High I/O pin output drive option 
- Interface mode and USB description strings configurable in external EEPROM 
- EEPROM configurable on-board via USB 
- Support for USB suspend and resume conditions via PWREN# and SI/WU
   pins 
- Support for bus powered, self powered and high-power bus powered USB
  configurations 
- Integrated Power-On-Reset circuit with optional reset input and reset output
   pins 
- 5V and 3.3V logic IO interfacing with independent level conversion on each
  channel 
- Integrated 3.3V LDO regulator for USB IO 
- Integrated 6MHz - 48Mhz clock multiplier PLL 
- USB Bulk data transfer modes
- 4.35V to 5.25V single supply operating voltage range
- Low operating and USB suspend current
- UHCI/OHCI/EHCI host controller compatible
- USB 2.0 Full Speed (12M bits/second) compatible
- Extended -40°C to 85°C industrial operating temperature range (FT2232D
   only)
- Compact 48-LD lead free LQFP package (RoHS compliant)
- FTDI’s royalty-free VCP and D2XX drivers eliminate the requirement for
  USB driver development in most cases
- Dedicated Windows DLLs available for USB to JTAG, USB to SPI and USB
  to I2C applications

Application Areas 

- USB to Dual Port RS232 Converters 
- USB to Dual Port RS422/RS485 Converters 
- Upgrading Legacy Peripheral Designs to USB 
- USB Instrumentation 
- USB JTAG Programming 
- USB to SPI Bus Interfaces 
- USB Industrial Control 
- Field Upgradeable USB Products 
- Galvanically Isolated Products with USB Interface 
- USB to synchronous serial interface 
- Cellular and cordless phone USB data transfer cables and
   interfaces. 
- Interfacing MCU/PLD/FPGA based designs to USB 
- USB Audio and Low Bandwidth Video data transfer 
- PDA to USB data transfer 
- USB Smart Card Readers 
- USB Instrumentation 
- USB Industrial Control 
- USB MP3 Player Interface 
- USB FLASH Card Readers/Writers 
- Set Top Box PC - USB interface 
- USB Digital Camera Interface 
- USB Bar Code Readers 

Several modules demonstrating the capabilities of the new Vinculum IC are available, including DIP modules, add-on modules and dedicated application modules. 

A quantity discount structure also makes these modules suitable for incorporation into low/medium volume finished product designs.

A range of modules based on the FT232R IC are now available from FTDI and its distribution channels. These new modules include USB - RS232 converters, DIP modules and a mini-module only slightly larger than a USB connector.

These products allow customers to quickly evaluate the FT232R device and drivers prior to commencing their own design.