
CP2103
14
Rev. 1.0
5. Asynchronous Serial Data Bus (UART) Interface
The CP2103 UART interface consists of the TX (transmit) and RX (receive) data signals as well as the RTS, CTS,
DSR, DTR, DCD, and RI control signals. The UART supports RTS/CTS, DSR/DTR, and X-On/X-Off handshaking.
The UART can be programmed to support a variety of data formats and baud rates. If the Virtual COM Port drivers
are used, the data format and baud rate are set during COM port configuration on the PC. If the USBXpress drivers
are used, the CP2103 is configured through the USBXpress API. The available data formats and baud rates are
6. GPIO Pins
7. Internal EEPROM
The CP2103 includes an internal EEPROM that may be used to customize the USB Vendor ID (VID), Product ID
(PID), Product Description String, Power Descriptor, Device Release Number, and Device Serial Number as
desired for OEM applications. If the EEPROM is not programmed with OEM data, the default configuration data
While customization of the USB configuration data is optional, it is recommended to customize the VID/PID
combination. A unique VID/PID combination prevents the driver from conflicting with any other USB driver. A
vendor ID can be obtained from
www.usb.org, or Silicon Labs can provide a free PID for the OEM product that can
be used with the Silicon Laboratories VID. It is also recommended to customize the serial number if the OEM
application is one in which it is possible for multiple CP2103-based devices to be connected to the same PC.
The internal EEPROM is programmed via the USB. This allows the OEM's USB configuration data and serial
number to be written to the CP2103 on-board during the manufacturing and testing process. A stand-alone utility
for programming the internal EEPROM is available from Silicon Labs. A library of routines provided in the form of a
Windows DLL is also available. This library can be used to integrate the EEPROM programming step into custom
software used by the OEM to streamline testing and serial number management during manufacturing. The
EEPROM has a typical endurance of 100,000 write cycles with a data retention of 100 years. USB descriptors can
be locked to prevent future modification.
Table 9. Data Formats and Baud Rates
Data Bits
5, 6, 7, and 8
Stop Bits
Parity Type
None, Even, Odd, Mark, Space
Baud Rates2 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2400, 4000, 4800, 7200, 9600, 14400, 16000, 19200, 28800, 38400,
51200, 56000, 57600, 64000, 76800, 115200, 128000, 153600, 230400, 250000, 256000,
460800, 500000, 576000, 921600
3Notes:
1. 5-bit only.
2. Additional baud rates are supported. See “AN205: CP210x Baud Rate Support”.
3. 7 or 8 data bits only.