USB to TTL Serial Adapter Prolific PL2303TA – 3.3V/5V, 4-Pin Socket, 3Mbps | DTECH DT-6553

The USB to TTL serial adapter Prolific DT-6553 converts a USB 2.0 port into a 3.3V or 5V TTL UART serial interface, terminating with a 4-pin 2.54mm female header socket — the standard connector format for GPIO-style UART connections on Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP8266, STM32 Nucleo boards and any embedded platform with a through-hole UART header. The DTECH DT-6553 uses the PL2303TA chip from Prolific Technology, integrated directly into the USB-A connector housing, and provides TXD, RXD, VCC and GND through the 4-pin female socket end. It supports data rates up to 3Mbps, selectable 3.3V or 5V logic levels, an operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C, and broad driver coverage from Windows XP through Windows 10 and multiple Server editions — including automatic driver installation via Windows Update on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10.

USB to TTL Serial Adapter Prolific — PL2303TA Chip and 4-Pin Header Design

The DT-6553 uses the PL2303TA — Prolific Technology’s current-generation genuine USB-to-serial UART bridge controller — integrated directly into the USB-A connector housing. This keeps the design compact and the cable end clean. The opposite end terminates with a 4-pin female header socket at 2.54mm (0.1 inch) pitch, the same spacing used on Raspberry Pi GPIO headers, Arduino UART pads, ESP-01 programming headers and most through-hole embedded platforms — the socket seats directly onto a male header with no additional adapter required. The full PCB-side pinout exposes six signals (TXD, RXD, CTS, RTS, VCC, GND), with the four most commonly needed signals (TXD, RXD, VCC, GND) wired out to the female header. Official signed drivers are maintained by Prolific and available from the PL2303TA product page at prolificusa.com.

3.3V and 5V Selectable — Safe Across Modern and Legacy Embedded Hardware

Applying 5V TTL logic to a 3.3V GPIO UART pin risks permanent damage to the connected microcontroller. The DT-6553 supports selectable 3.3V or 5V signal levels and VCC supply output, making it safe for 3.3V devices such as Raspberry Pi, ESP32, ESP8266, STM32 and NVIDIA Jetson, as well as 5V devices such as Arduino Uno and classic AVR microcontrollers. The UART interface supports 7 or 8 data bits, 1 or 2 stop bits and odd, even, mark, space or no parity — covering every standard serial framing configuration encountered in embedded development. At up to 3Mbps, it handles everything from slow sensor telemetry through high-speed firmware flashing protocols. The -40°C to +85°C operating temperature exceeds standard commercial ranges, making it usable in temperature-variable industrial and outdoor environments — not just controlled lab benches.

Virtual COM Port, Driver Support and Applications

On first connection, Windows installs the PL2303TA driver (automatically on Windows 7, 8.1, 10 via Windows Update; manually for XP, Vista and Server editions) and creates a virtual COM port in Device Manager (e.g., USB-to-Serial Comm Port (COM3)). This port is recognised without modification by PuTTY, TeraTerm, Arduino IDE Serial Monitor, esptool.py for ESP flashing, STM32CubeProgrammer and any other serial terminal or embedded tool. The PL2303TA’s internal EEPROM also allows USB Vendor ID (VID), Product ID (PID) and descriptor strings to be reprogrammed for OEM builds. The adapter is USB bus-powered with low USB bandwidth consumption and no external supply required.

Typical applications include Raspberry Pi serial console access (GPIO UART pins), Arduino UART debugging, ESP8266/ESP32 firmware flashing and AT command testing, STM32 debug output monitoring, OpenWRT and DD-WRT router console access, embedded Linux boot log capture, IoT device commissioning and any UART debug or programming task requiring a reliable USB to TTL serial adapter, Prolific connection from a laptop or PC.

For the FT232-based TTL cable alternative with multi-pin configurations (3/4/6-pin) and TX/RX LEDs, see the DTECH IOT6552 USB to TTL cable. For USB-to-RS232 adapters with DB9 connectors for industrial serial equipment, browse the full industrial serial product range at bam.ae.

Specifications Table