TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Bill of Materials
3. Schematic
4. Oshpark
5. Final Thoughts
6. Download Original files
INTRODUCTION
With the Arduino mini, there is a need for a USB to UART controller to upload your sketches and this could also be used for the ESP8266.
This project is inspired and based off the Sparkfun’s FT231X breakout board design. I’ve created this project because 1. I like designing and soldering electronics 2. Try to create a cheaper alternative to the popular FT232RL and also add 1 or 2 features to the current FT231X breakout board.
BILL OF MATERIALS
For the bill of materials, its pretty straight forward. I’ve attached links to digikey for each component as I find them easier to order from but you could also get the parts from arrow or mouser as well.
| Component Description | Part number | Quantity | Link |
| 47pF, 0603, 50V | C1608C0G1H470J080AA | 2 | Digikey |
| 0.1uF, 0603, 25V | CGA3E2X7R1E104K080AA | 4 | Digikey |
| 10uF, 0805, 6.3V | TCJN106M006R0250 | 1 | Digikey |
| Micro B Connector | 10118192-0001LF | 1 | Digikey |
| 6-pin Header | M20-7910642R | 1 | Digikey |
| N-Channel FET | BSS84-FDICT-ND | 1 | Digikey |
| 27 ohm, 1206 | RC1206JR-0727RL | 2 | Digikey |
| 10k, 0603 | RT0603DRD0710KL | 2 | Digikey |
| FT231X, SSOP-20 | FT231XS-U | 1 | Digikey |
SCHEMATIC
Below I’ve attached an image of the schematic but i’ve also attached the original kicad files and a PDF version of the schematic at the end of the post.
OSHPARK
If you feel like you want to get this board made, I’ve attached a link to my oshpark project. With oshpark, I find they make great quality boards at a great price for small sized boards.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I know this was a short post and project but I found it important to share another option for those’s who want to find a cheaper solution and want to learn along the way. You can find a lot cheaper solutions on amazon that are china made but i’ve read stories in some cases that they were not genuine FT232RL ICs. If you wish to build your own, its very easy and rewarding at the same time.
In the next revision I will add LEDS for TX and RX indication as for this version I eliminated to save some cost and space.
Hope you enjoyed this post, THANK YOU 🙂
Simple-EE 