FTDI Driver Update Warning

[sytyguy]

For those of you using ALDL cables and some Moates hardware, be wary of the new FTDI drivers released this month. Seems the new drivers are capable of bricking hardware based on fake FTDI chips. And if you're thinking, "My cable is legit, no way it has a fake chip in it."....think again, as the overwhelming majority of chips in this space are fake.

Anyhow, might be a driver update to skip unless you're positive you have a real FTDI chip.

Resources:

http://zeptobars.ru/en/read/FTDI-FT232RL-real-vs-fake-supereal

http://arstechnica.com/information-...usb-serial-chips-beloved-of-hardware-hackers/

 

[Quickstop [UK]]

Re: FTDI Driver Update Warning

So will this affect those of us with a Moates Xtreme? Thanks for the heads-up!

 

[sytyguy]

Re: FTDI Driver Update Warning

So will this affect those of us with a Moates Xtreme? Thanks for the heads-up!

I honestly don't know.....yet. I have one at work that I'm going to pull apart today to see which chip it has. May not be a guarantee, but should be indicative of most (if not all) of the Moates hardware. I may give Craig a call too, just to make sure he didn't use some Chinese supplier for some of his hardware.

 

[dgoodhue]

Re: FTDI Driver Update Warning

I may give Craig a call too, just to make sure he didn't use some Chinese supplier for some of his hardware.

It not always that simple to avoid Chinese suppliers. You might buy parts frommus supplier who bought it from a Chinese supplier.

Most of the small scale electronic pcb assembly is done by contract manufacturers. They often purchase the parts. My last three employers have had to deal with counterfeit devices. However in the last 5 years many of the suppliers are much more diligent about buying authenticated parts.

 

[sytyguy]

Re: FTDI Driver Update Warning

It not always that simple to avoid Chinese suppliers. You might buy parts frommus supplier who bought it from a Chinese supplier.

Most of the small scale electronic pcb assembly is done by contract manufacturers. They often purchase the parts. My last three employers have had to deal with counterfeit devices. However in the last 5 years many of the suppliers are much more diligent about buying authenticated parts.

True..... But it is easy to certify that you are getting legitimate components, not fake (see the post above). The origin is less important than the authenticity. The use of "Chinese" in this case is to signify non-authentic.

Again. This is all speculative until the components are verified. I suspect Craig uses the real deal, but I'm gonna check regardless.

 

[sytyguy]

Re: FTDI Driver Update Warning

To revisit this....

I took apart my Moates hardware and determined it to have a genuine FTDI chip (based on visual inspection). Here's a pic:

Regardless, it seems as though the aforementioned update has been pulled by MS at FTDI's request, so this is a non-issue unless you seek out the update manually. IMO, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so unless you're having issues and KNOW you have a genuine chip, don't seek out the update.