This board has several functions all together. It could works as a USB to Serial converter. It converts a USB connection into 5 volt TX and RX that you can connect straight to the Arduino Mini/Ethernet or any other boards with an FTDI cable-compatible connector.
Also, this board could servers as Xbee adaptor. You could connect it with PC or Arduino. With this module and Xbee, PC and Arduino could send data to each other.
This module features the Atmega16U2 programmed as a USB-to-serial converter, the same chip found on the Arduino UNO R3. The USB Serial module has an ISCP interface, allowing you to reprogram the chip when placed in DFU mode.
This module could serves as Xbee adaptor.
While it serves as USB 2 Serial converter, you could connect it to Arduino board such as Arduino mini/Ethernet. You could burn the sketch to Arduino, or send data to Arduino with Serial Monitor.
Along this product, we will ship pins and wires. So you don't have to worry about it.
Note: Arduino mini and Arduino ethnet are a little different on the pins. The pin order is reversed.
To let Arduino send data wireless through this module and Xbee, we add another switch.
In the case that Arduino mini and Xbee are both connnected to this module, if slide the switch to the left (NSWAP), PC could communicate with Arduino mini and Xbee, but Xbee couldn't communicate with Arduino mini. However, if slide the swith to the right (NSWAP), Xbee could communicate with PC and Arduino mini, but Arduino mini couldn't communicate with PC.
| Communicate on Switch | SWAP |
NSWAP |
| XBEE --- PC | Y |
Y |
| XBEE --- Arduinio | N |
Y |
| PC --- Arduino | Y |
N |
You could download the schematic to know more about the technique reason.
