Summary of CH340G – alternative USB to serial IC
The article discusses the CH340G chip, a low-cost USB-to-serial converter ideal for connecting microcontrollers like Arduino to PCs that lack traditional serial ports. Priced around 40 cents, it offers an affordable alternative to more expensive chips. The challenge addressed is the scarcity of official schematics, as the manufacturer only provides datasheets for other CH340 variants. The author compiled a working pinout, created an Eagle CAD part, and developed example schematics for the CH340G, facilitating its use in embedded programming projects.
Parts used in the CH340G USB to Serial Converter Project:
- CH340G USB-to-serial converter chip
- USB connector
- Crystal oscillator (for clock signal)
- Capacitors (for filtering and stabilization)
- Resistors (for signal conditioning)
- Voltage regulator (if required for power supply)
- Microcontroller (e.g., Arduino) for serial communication
Hey, sorry everyone, I know it’s been a while. But I hope this post will make up for that! Anyone who has done embedded programming knows that an easy way for microcontrollers (like arduino) to connect to a PC is through a serial connection. Unfortunately, not many computers have a serial port these days, and while are a lot of chips that will act like a usb-serial converter, they tend to be somewhere in the $3-5 range.
However, I found one chip, the CH340G, that only costs 40 cents! You can buy it on places like Aliexpress. The only problem is getting a working schematic. The company only releases a datasheet for the CH340T and CH340R versions of the chip. By trawling through several sites, I managed to create a pinout, an eagle part, and example schematics for the CH340G. Here they are!
