Serial Basic Hookup Guide
Contributors:
Nate
Nate 
Resources and Going Further
Once you've got serial communication working, you're ready to start playing with serial projects. Consider connecting to a GPS module like the LS20031 (one of my favorites) and watching the serial strings roll by. Or, you can use the Serial Basic to program and debug devices like the Arduino Pro Mini. There are tons of devices that use serial to communicate, so go explore!
The Serial Basic programming an Arduino Pro Mini
Heads up! The image shows the Serial Basic connected to an Arduino Pro Mini 3.3V/8MHz. If you are using an Arduino Pro Mini 5V/16MHz, make sure to adjust the jumper pad for the voltage selection on the back of the Serial Basic.
Check out these other resources for the Serial Basic.
- Schematic
- Eagle Files
- Datasheet (CH340G)
- WCH: CH340 Drivers - Latest drivers can be found from the manufacturer
- Windows (EXE) -- Driver executable
- Windows (ZIP) -- Driver version 3.4 (2016-09-27)
- Linux (ZIP) -- Driver v1.5 (2018-03-18)
- Mac (ZIP) -- Driver v1.5 (2018-07-04)
- GitHub
Check out these other great SparkFun tutorials.
Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)
SPI is commonly used to connect microcontrollers to peripherals such as sensors, shift registers, and SD cards.
Serial Terminal Basics
This tutorial will show you how to communicate with your serial devices using a variety of terminal emulator applications.
Simultaneous RFID Tag Reader Hookup Guide
A basic guide to getting started with the RFID Tag Reader breakout and how to read and write multiple RFID tags over multiple feet!