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By goofyfoot2001
#195986
I've got the FTDI Basic Breakout - 5V and need 3.3v for my pro mini arduino. I'm not too clear on which trace to cut while I think I get soldering the two pads adjacent to the 3.3v printing. Can anyone draw me a picture with where to cut the trace?

Thanks!
By n1ist
#195987
Image

Holding the board as shown in the picture above, there are three silver rectangular pads in the center. There is a trace (covered with solder mask so it is hard to see) between the center pad and the right pad. This is what needs to be cut.
Then jumper the center pad to the right pad.
/mike
By goofyfoot2001
#195990
Wait the solder mask to cut is between the center and the left 5v pad right? Wait so the mask is ALSO between the center and the 3.3v pad. It's a darkness between them?
By n1ist
#195994
You are right. Sparkfun has the wrong picture up for the 5V board. I will let them know. The comment in the schematic is wrong as well...

You want the center disconnected from 5V and connected to 3.3V
/mike
By goofyfoot2001
#195997
Thanks MIke but my issue is I don't see that the center is connected to the 5v unless its underneath the red. Am I cutting through the red coating between the center pad and the 5v side or just soldering the center to the 3.3v pad?
By n1ist
#196014
Looking at the edges of the pads, you can see the ends of the trace between them. The middle of the trace is covered with red solder mask. You cut thru the mask and trace under it.
User avatar
By bboyho
#198116
Hi,

I was in the middle of writing a new tutorial for SparkFun when I noticed this issue. This question has come up a few times but I did not realize that the image for the 5V FTDI's product page was incorrect. It looks like the image has not been updated yet. I have notified someone in our catalog team to remedy the issue. I will be also looking into the issue with the schematic.

I apologize for the confusion. n1ist is correct, you would need a hobby knife [ https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9200 ] to cut the copper trace underneath the solder mask. You just need to move the blade across the trace a few times. You would need to be careful not to cut the other traces adjacent to the jumper pads. To test, you can use a multimeter set to measure continuity [ https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/ho ... continuity ] to see if the center pad and the right pad (closest to the 5V silkscreen) are disconnected. Once the trace has been cut, you would need to add solder between the left pad (closest to the 3.3V silkscreen) and the center pin.

If you have further questions, feel free to check in with our technical support [ https://www.sparkfun.com/technical_assistance ].
By theropod
#198117
One small issue. Nobody “silkscreens” anything anymore. All screen printing is done with manmade fibers these days, and the tern “silkscreening” is out of date.
User avatar
By darrellg
#198143
theropod wrote: Wed Jan 31, 2018 5:10 pm One small issue. Nobody “silkscreens” anything anymore. All screen printing is done with manmade fibers these days, and the tern “silkscreening” is out of date.
This may be true, but no one refers to the printed reference layer of a PCB as anything but the silkscreen layer. It may be technically wrong, but that's what everyone calls it.
User avatar
By bboyho
#198195
Update: The image, schematic, and Eagle files have been updated on the product page to reflect the 5V FTDI basic breakout. 8)