NOTE: We are currently sold out of the RS422 version of this cable.
Have you ever wanted to directly wire your marine electronics into your computer? Now you can with our USB Breakout Cable featuring the rock-solid FTDI USB chipset.
This cable is available in two versions - one for interfacing with RS232 devices and one for working with true NMEA RS422 devices.
The product consists of a standard USB connector that plugs into your computer's USB port and a 6 foot cable with bare leads on the end. These bare leads can be connected directly to the input / output leads on your marine electronics device, including chartplotters, AIS receivers and transponders, radios and any other device that has bare lead connections for interfacing with the device.
The RS232 version of the USB Breakout Cable uses a common ground signaling system with leads for signal input and output. This cable is most appropriate for use with marine electronics devices that also have a common ground system for interfacing with other devices. This would include the RS232 interface wires on common ground chartplotters such as the Standard Horizon plotters, Garmin 3000, 400 and 500 series plotters and other true common ground RS232 devices.
Other marine electronics use a true NMEA RS422 system for interfacing with other devices. Typically these devices have a pair of isolated signal wires for input and another isolated pair for output. None of these signal wires are tied to ground and carry different voltages and are also known as differential signal interfaces. Devices that use a true NMEA RS422 signaling system include Raymarine chartplotters and Garmin 4000/5000 series chartplotters. For these types of devices, the NMEA RS422 version of the USB Breakout Cable is the correct cable to use to interface with your computer.
Note that some of the products we sell include interface wiring for both RS232 and NMEA RS422.
 Want to connect Coastal Explorer and the GX2200 AIS Matrix radio together? |
This is just one example. There are dozens of other scenarios where these cables can simplify interconnection challenges.
Virtual COM Port Drivers Support
Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, Server 2003 and Server 2008
Windows XP
Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit)
Windows 7, 8.x, 10 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Windows XP Embedded
Windows CE 4.2, 5.0 and 6.0
Mac OS 8/9, OS-X
Linux 2.4 and greater
Features
USB Breakout Cable RS232 Version | USB Breakout Cable RS422 Version |
USB-RS232 converter cable provides a USB to RS232 serial interface with customized end connectors. | USB-RS422 converter cable provides a USB to RS422 serial interface with customized end connectors. |
Entire USB protocol handled by the electronics in the cable USB. |
EIA/TIA-232 and V.28/V.24 communication interface with low power requirements. | EIA/TIA-422 communication interface with low power requirements. |
UART interface support for 7 or 8 data bits, 1 or 2 stop bits and odd / even / mark / space / no parity. |
FTDIs royalty-free VCP allow for communication as a standard emulated COM port and D2XX direct drivers provide DLL application programming interface. |
Visual indication of Tx and Rx traffic via LEDs in the transparent USB connector. |
Fully assisted hardware (RTS#/CTS#) or X-On / X-Off software handshaking. | X-On / X-Off software handshaking. |
Data transfer rates from 300 baud to 1 Mbaud. | Data transfer rates from 300 baud to 3 Mbaud. |
Support for FT232R FTDIChip-ID feature for improved security. |
Low USB bandwidth consumption. |
UHCI / OHCI / EHCI host controller compatible. |
USB 2.0 Full Speed compatible. |
-40C to +85C operating temperature range. |
Cable length is 1.80m (6 feet). |
ESD Protection for RS-232 I/O's 15kV Human Body Model (HBM) 15kV EN61000-4-2 Air Gap Discharge 8kV EN61000-4-2 Contact Discharge |
FCC, CE and RoHS compliant. | FCC, CE and RoHS compliant. |
Wiring colors and signal descriptions for RS232 version
| Color | Name | Type | Description | Connected to ... |
| Orange | TXD | Output | Transmit Data Output | Data Input wire |
| Yellow | RXD | Input | Receive Data Input | Data Output wire |
| Black | GND | Ground | Device Ground | Common Ground wire |
Wiring colors and signal descriptions for RS422 NMEA version
| Color | Name | Type | Description | Connected to ... |
| Orange | TXD+ | Output | Transmit Data Output + (B) | NMEA Input wire + |
| Red | TXD- | Output | Transmit Data Output - (A) | NMEA Input wire - |
| Yellow | RXD+ | Input | Receive Data Input + (B) | NMEA Output wire + |
| White | RXD- | Input | Receive Data Input - (A) | NMEA Output wire - |
| Black | GND | Ground | Device Ground | No connection |
NOTE: For some RS422 connections, the positive and negative wires may need to be reversed. If you do not see a data on the USB port, swap the wire pair connections.
For both cables, do not use other colored wires.
Drivers for both products can be downloaded here.
Technical information on the RS232 cable can be found here.
Technical information on the RS422 cable can be found here.
For assistance selecting the correct cable, feel free to contact our sales department.
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