DSD TECH SH-U09C2 USB to TTL Adapter Built-in FTDI FT232RL IC for Debugging and Programming

This is a useful little tool to flash firmwares on other devices. I personally will be playing around with mac addresses on my old network cards. I will report back if I manage to break this; but for now its working as intended. This is a specialized device; its not for those who dont understand programming or debugging or SPI / TTL interfaces.

This review is for the DSD Tech SH-U09C2. I picked this device up because I didnt have a TTL level adapter for use with embedded device console interfaces or JTAG programming, and wanted to have one around in case I managed to brick one of my routers. The adapter itself is fairly straightforward supporting 5.0v, 3.3v and 1.8v TTL interfaces. The clear case is nice because the device is self-documenting - all of the relevant signals and jumpers are documented on the board. This is good because the included documentation is fairly terse. Then again, if you need one of these adapters you pretty much already know what they are and how to use one so the documentation on the PCB is pretty much all you need. The package also included a loopback jumper for testing adapter operation and a short ribbon cable (about 8in) allowing connection to whatever serial pins are available on the device youre connecting to. There are quite a few additional signals from the FTDI chip that exposed through vias on the PCB that are clearly labeled, but this particular adapter doesnt include attachment pins for them - if needed youd have to open the package and attach pins yourself. The device appears to use a genuine FTDI USB/serial chip - I tried the device using current FTDI VCP drivers on my macbook and the device came right up with no fuss. Ive heard of counterfeit FTDI chips losing chip identifiers when using these drivers, but this device worked just fine for me. The only nit I have is that I picked this one up before I noticed another version of the adapter (slightly more expensive) that included 2.5v and broke out some additional signals. That voltage isnt nearly as common as the voltages this adapter supports, so all in all Im very happy with this device.

Used it to program esp8285 that I have extracted from no-name smart outlet, now it serves better purpose as remote speaker controller.

Real FTDI FT232RL chip. Win 7 instantly recognized it and loaded the driver. Works flawlessly. Love the plastic case.

Works as expected. Decent documentation.

I like that it has straps for various voltage levels. It has a clear case with clearly indicated signal lines - very nice. That will come in useful. If you just plug this thing in, it will not do anything. I use other FTDI devices (including some in our designs) and they just work by plugging them in. This one requires their driver, which is fine. After installing the driver, it wants a reset - unusual but ok. I wasnt ready to reset because I was in the middle of an edit and build so wanted to wait until later. The installation then proceeded the system to crash hard, with a blue screen and all the scary trimmings. It basically reset itself in a very rude way. That really irked me. I wasnt ready to reset and to see a blue screen seconds after installation is very disconcerting. After the PC came back up, the device worked. A bit clunky but does work. Save your work and install this thing when youre ready to reset. The price is right.

This seems to be a legit FTDI chip. It passes the checks by the FTDI programming software.

Works as intended. The quality of the pcb and soldering were decent on this. Case is pretty solid. Did some firmware flashing and had no problems using this. The drivers are available on their website.

The adapter works well. I used it to program an ESP32-WROOM-32D module via UART. The ability to select voltage is nice.

Very nice finish and it worked immediately