3 ms·
How can that possibly be that cheap even for just the raw components? The AVR chip alone is > $1 even in large quantity. Counterfeit parts?
by ryan-c 11y ago
How can that possibly be that cheap even for just the raw components? The AVR chip alone is > $1 even in large quantity. Counterfeit parts?
- jdietrich 11y agoThe USB->serial chip will definitely be a knockoff, as we saw with FTDIgate. I'm not aware of counterfeit AVRs, but they could well be grey market.
- tzs 11y agoFrom what I've seen, the USB->serial chip on the inexpensive Chinese Arduino compatibles on AliExpress generally is not an FTDI knockoff. They usually seem to use a CH340 or CH341. This does not try to emulate or pretend to be an FTDI. It has a different interface and needs a separate driver. The only problem I've heard of with these is that the drivers are not shipped with some operating systems (such as OS X) and so you might have the hassle of installing a driver. FTDI drivers come with all major operating systems, so one less thing to deal with. I believe I've seen Uno clones on AliExpress that are about twice as expensive as the cheapest clones (so around $6) that use an ATmega16u2 to handle this, which is what a genuine Arduino Uno uses, and so is no more hassle than a real Uno. There are some USB->serial chips that cost more than a CH340 but quite a bit less than an FTDI, and that work with the generic serial communications driver that is built into all major operating systems. I haven't seen any Arduino clones that use these, which is a shame. I'd love not having to rely on any vendor-specific code.