On Sun, Nov 20, 2016 at 10:37 PM, Garth Robinson soundtek@vodafone.co.nz wrote:
Hi Jim,
..... so, how can one guarantee ( without dismantling the cable ) that there is a genuine chip within the cable? I'm even suspect of the Baofeng cables.
Garth. zl1tue ..... an still shakin'
About 4 years ago I downloaded every version of Prolific driver for Windows I could find. I installed them one by one from the most recent to the oldest to find out exactly which driver was the absolute latest that would work with a counterfeit Prolific chip. The answer was v3.3.2.105. But although this driver works great with CHIRP, it is incompatible with most programming software written for Chinese radios.
So my testing continued. It wasn't until I got to the Prolific v3.2.0.0 driver that it would work with all of my programming software. And it works with the latest Prolific chips as well.
As you can see from the attached screen capture, I have 4 Prolific drivers installed in my Windows 7 64-bit computer. I can switch between these driver versions at will to determine if a Prolific type chip is genuine.
So if you have a programming cable with a Prolfic type chip, there is no need to test if it is genuine or not. Genuine Prolific chips are rare. Out of some 20+ Prolific type chip based cables that I have here, I only have 2 that know are genuine.
One came from a now out of business dealer. The description stated that it contained a genuine Prolfic chip. It cost $10 more than the non-genuine version that they also sold. The second came with (but was purchased separately) a Wouxun KG-UV6D V2 radio that I purchased from a USA dealer.
So if you run Windows XP or above, the non-destructive test to determine if the Prolific type chip in your programming cable is genuine is pretty simple. Plug it into the USB port and wait for the latest Prolific driver to install. Then try it out. then if it works (not likely) it has a genuine Prolific chip. If it doesn't work (very likely) it has a counterfeit chip.
But if you already have the programming cable, it is too late to worry about which type of Prolific chip is in it (genuine or counterfeit). Just download, install and select the older Prolific driver (it works for both).
v2.0.2.1 Windows XP v3.2.0.0 Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10
If the idea is to avoid the hassle of dealing with counterfeit Prolific type chips, then note the following.
A genuine Baofeng (the radio manufacturer based in China) programming cable is virtually guaranteed to have a counterfeit Prolific chip.
If the listing states that the programming cable only works with older versions of Windows or states that it does not work with the latest versions of Windows, it is a good bet that is will have a counterfeit Prolific chip. The same goes for listings where there is no mention of the chip the programming cable contains.
So the best thing to do to avoid the driver hassle is to look for a cable with an FTDI type chip. Even FTDI chips can be counterfeit, but even the counterfeit chips currently work with the latest available device drivers.
Although I mostly use Prolific type chips here, I do have some with genuine FTDI chips. My source for the last few has been Baofeng Tech (the radio dealer based in the USA).
Jim KC9HI
