

FTDI Letter debunking anti-counterfeiting conspiracy theory [pdf] - zw123456
http://www.mouser.com/PCN/FTDI_122757PM11062014.pdf

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WallWextra
It is true that exactly the same commands are sent to the genuine and
counterfeit components, but on genuine FTDI parts it does literally nothing.
Here is a commented decompilation:
[https://twitter.com/marcan42/status/525202516816842752](https://twitter.com/marcan42/status/525202516816842752)

It is very hard for me to picture any purpose this code could serve other than
deliberately bricking counterfeit devices. FTDI has offered no explanation.
There were some tweets (now deleted) from FTDI which didn't outright admit to
it, but rhetorically asked for a better way to fight counterfeits.

USB is sort of a baroque and unpleasant protocol, and much more of a pain in
the butt than RS232. But it is probably less of a pain than depending on a
supplier who will deliberately damage end users' property in the field and
insist they did nothing wrong, before insisting they did nothing at all in a
denial that insults the reader's intelligence.

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bestham
I'm going to avoid using FTDIs at any cost in my future designs. An Atmega16U2
or Atmega8U2 replacement should suffice in most cases.

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zw123456
I agree with your assessment of USB, unfortunately now it is so ubiquitous you
can't avoid it. My biggest complaint about FTDI is their devices are just too
expensive, and I just haven't found a better replacement.

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tw04
I don't mean to be the grammar nazi, but good god have someone proofread your
official press release... that was painful.

