DTech USB to TTL Serial Adapter 3.3V Debug Cable TX RX Signal 4 Pin Female Socket PL2303 Prolific Chip Windows 10 8 7 XP Vista (3ft, Black)

The documentation was a bit confusing as the serial connection voltage was shown as 5v, but the cable was 3.3 volts as advertised and worked like a charm to program an ESP32 device. The specific part, in my case, was detected as a PL2303GC and was reported as real (unlike some other cables I bought before this one).

This review is for the "DTech USB to TTL Serial Adapter 3.3V Debug Cable TX RX Signal 4 Pin Female Socket PL2303 Prolific Chip Windows 10 8 7 XP Vista (3ft, Black)"First, the warning: Although this is sold as a 3.3V debug cable, the red wire is in fact soldered to the 5V line as you can see in picture 2. Minus 1 star since that could easily damage or destroy your device. It does have a solder pad inside that you could use to convert the VCC from 5V (standard) to 3.3V if that is your use case as long as you can solder. I strongly advise you check yours before you hook it up, as others have pointed this exact situation out in their reviews. If it is wrong, and you cannot solder it to the correct pad, return it.There is a genuine Prolific PL2303GC chip inside, not some generic knock-off. I already had the drivers installed since I have another known genuine debug cable already, and this one showed up immediately without needing to install drivers. I am running Windows 11.The one I received had a 38 inch long cord as measured from the end of the connectors to where the case starts for the USB. It is well made, and you can easily remove the casing to check the chip and put it back together again.The documentation is included and thorough.Specs:USB 2.0Prolific PL2303GC chipCan provide 3.3V or 5V (see warning above)UART interface supports 7 or 8 data bits, 1 or 2 stop bits, and odd/even/mark/space/no paritySupports VID and PIDPinout:White: Transmit (TX)Green: Receive (RX)Black: Ground (GND)Red: 3.3V or 5V (VCC) - check yours before connecting to a deviceTo test if it works:Connect the White and Green wires with anything that will conduct (small paperclip works great, or strip the ends on a bread bag twist tie and use that)Make sure the wire you used cannot touch anything that would ground it (like your computer case). If concerned, use scotch tape to insulate it or secure it somewhere safeConnect the device to your computer, and go to Device ManagerLook under Ports (COM & LPT)Install the Prolific drivers if needed (download from prolific.com.tw, use GUEST login)Once the device has the drivers loaded, check to see which port number it was assigned (if you see multiple, unplug and plug back in to see what number disappears/reappearsOpen Putty or another terminal client programChange the Serial Line setting to your COM port number (e.g. COM7)Leave the speed setting at the default valueClick OpenA new terminal window will openStart typing. If you see your letters appearing on the screen, loopback is working. If you want more proof, disconnect the Green and White wires from each other and try typing again.I will give it a workout over the next week going firmware flashing and debugging. If I find any flaws or issues, I will update this review.

I've used this with no issues with Windows 10. After upgrading to Windows 11, I find they have no driver available for it. Instant junk. We were using this on a project with 5 other people and now we can't use it. Don't throw away your money!

Works great for reading error codes in your PS3

If you are planning on using this cable to power a small device (such as a small microprocessor or sensor) take note that, although this is the version provides 3.3V signals on the TX and RX pins, the Vcc output is 5V, not 3.3V. So if you want to power a 3.3V device, you will either need to regulate the 5V down, or provide a separate 3.3V supply. (Of course, if you have a very low consumption of 3.3V, a simple resistor network may be sufficient to do this.)If you do need the 3.3V to power a small device, you might want to look at something like the DSD TECH SH-U09F (available on Amazon.) It has a jumper to switch between 5V and 3.3v signals, which also changes the Vcc output between 5V and 3.3V. It worked for my particular application where I needed both 3.3V signaling and 3.3v power for my device. I have no connection to DSD TECH, and didn't have any problem with this DTech cable other than needing to provide an additional 3.3V power supply for my application.

If you're using this as an interface cable for a Raspberry Pi serial console, be warned that TXD and RXD wires are switched. That is, on every diagram I've seen showing you how to connect your Pi to the cable, it instructs you to connect the white wire to the TXD pin and the green wire to the RXD pin, and this should be reversed. This was an endless source of headache for me, as I thought either there was something wrong with the cable or my Pi's configuration, but then I read the manual and it turns out that the wires are reversed. Please see attached picture for correct installation.The other slight criticism is that I wish the plastic connectors were labeled. Other than those two things, the cable works just fine for its intended purpose.

Good cable with good instructions on how to use properly

I saw another review saying this and I thought nothing of it. Wasted hours of not being able to establish a serial console connection with my Pi Zero. Switched red and white, boom it all started working.