FTDI’s FT232R or TUSB3410?

Hi,

Is FTDI’s FT232R a smarter or easier solution than TUSB3410?

We are looking for a solution which could convert OMAP L138’s USB 2.0 (OTG) signal to RS232 serial signal (only TX and RX are required) and we find some comparisons between the two:

Many sites simply recommend FTDI’s converters, for example, “5 Steps for Selecting the Right USB to Serial adapter” simply call FTDI’s products “best”.  Quote:

We have extensive experience with these which shows us that these processor chips works with the majority of devices and equipment on the market. The drivers are very stable, easy to install and compatible with all versions of Windows 32/4-bit, Mac, Linux.

However, there are numerous types of USB devices such as USB mass storage, USB modem, USB speaker, etc. What type(s) of signal does FTDI’s IC expect? Different types of USB signal runs at different speeds, and uses different set of endpoints/interface/configurations, and is FT232R so smart so that it automatically handles all of them and converts all properly to RS232 (and how does it convert, say, USB mass storage write commands to RS232 ASCII characters)?

On the other hand TUSB3410’s datasheet gives much more technical details of the Device/Interface/Endpoint descriptors, and it contains a 8052 core and numerous registers for programming. It seems more likely that with proper configuration (register programming) TUSB2410 will be capable of performing all kinds of USB signal conversion.

Could someone tell me why FT232R appears (in datasheet) so simple and TUSB3410 so complicated? Are they comparable and are they the same type of IC?

If we would need to use OMAPL138’s USB2.0 has host to transmit data (in ASCII format) out, and use a converting chip to convert the signal into RS232 format, which IC should we choose? Do we have to program OMAPL138’s USB controller to send out Device/Interface/Endpoint descriptors to the converter?

Paul