FTDI FT230X

[Uncle Buzz]

Hi Felix,
Is there a reason to prefer FT231XS to FT230XS for yours moteino ?
FT230XS is (unsignificantly) cheaper and slightly smaller (real SSOP16 vs SSOP20 with extra length).

[Felix]

There are various FTDI chips with various capabilities.
Briefly looking at 230xs I dont see DTR on it, just RTS, not sure how significant that is. Also pricing is only a few cents difference.

I have looked at several back when I switched to 231xs. I can't remember all the details why, but I try to make logical decisions with all parts that cost more than a few cents.
Whenever possible, I prefer chips that are:

- good price to value ratio compared to competitor parts
- easier to (re)work with than their smaller (leadless small pitch) counterparts
- available in many places in large quantities, for a predictable long time
- other common sense practicality factors

Also once you settle on a chip that just works, it's not that easy to switch to a new chip, especially with the machinery component setup and calibration for that part.
At just 4-6cents difference even in 500-1000x QTY, its not even worth it for me to explore that chip. Maybe if I was an industrial million parts per month factory.

[Uncle Buzz]

Ok, I don't propose you to switch to this chip on moteino, but I wonder if there is a reason FT231XS is a better choice or if FT230XS is equivalent and can be used for new developments (from scratch).
Apart from DTR / RTS, there is no reason to prefer FT230XS for my new USB boards ?
As I said, price is unsignificantly different, but size could matter sometimes (no sexual reference  )

Does someone know if the lack of DTR is a problem for programming or serial transmission with a moteino ? Should RTS be wired like DTR to reset moteino from USB communication ?