It was only a matter of time before fake FTDI RS232-USB adapter chips began to appear.
http://zeptobars.ru/en/read/FTDI-FT232RL-real-vs-fake-supereal
This fascinating page shows how some anonymous Chinese company has created a fake FT232RL chip using a mask-programmable microcontroller, and printed it with the “FTDI” name and logo.
Like Prolific (the real Prolific company, that is) FTDI have updated their drivers to detect these fakes… but that also means that anyone who has bought a fake chip will have a non-working adapter.
The message is always the same: fakes are hard to spot, so buy only from reliable distributors.
FYI, the real FTDI company is a family-owned firm right here in Scotland’s ‘Silicon Glen’.
73 from Ian GM3SEK