Free VID & PID
Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:35 am
Hi all
Just a quick bit of info for all those that are developing & building USB programs / products and have a dilemma about what PID & VID values to use….
Microchip will (at their choice) let you use their VIDs & PIDs without having to pay for them. Others like Texas do too but it's more difficult to get...
There are obviously restrictions and rules that go with them but for those of us out there not using a factory to kick out 1,000’s of the kit needing them it works well. It means that you get to use your own VID & PID numbers that they assign to you with the knowledge that no-one else can use it (legally).
It also means that your application / hardware / driver is unlikely to clash with another already out there. And you don’t have the worry you have when using random numbers that you may be using those owned by someone else (breaking the law).
The main rules to consider is, you can’t produce more than 10,000 using the same VID & PID else you have to buy your own and you have to use Microchips chips for the USB interface. And that seems all we have to do to be able to get them to give use free use of some of their numbers. There are more things to consider but,,,, most if not all doesn't apply to us tinkering in our sheds.
Have a look on Microchips website for the form you fill in to get your own VIDs & PIDs, I did and have not got 5 sets of my own.
The form is here..
http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/D ... 082009.pdf
Just a quick bit of info for all those that are developing & building USB programs / products and have a dilemma about what PID & VID values to use….
Microchip will (at their choice) let you use their VIDs & PIDs without having to pay for them. Others like Texas do too but it's more difficult to get...
There are obviously restrictions and rules that go with them but for those of us out there not using a factory to kick out 1,000’s of the kit needing them it works well. It means that you get to use your own VID & PID numbers that they assign to you with the knowledge that no-one else can use it (legally).
It also means that your application / hardware / driver is unlikely to clash with another already out there. And you don’t have the worry you have when using random numbers that you may be using those owned by someone else (breaking the law).
The main rules to consider is, you can’t produce more than 10,000 using the same VID & PID else you have to buy your own and you have to use Microchips chips for the USB interface. And that seems all we have to do to be able to get them to give use free use of some of their numbers. There are more things to consider but,,,, most if not all doesn't apply to us tinkering in our sheds.
Have a look on Microchips website for the form you fill in to get your own VIDs & PIDs, I did and have not got 5 sets of my own.
The form is here..
http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/D ... 082009.pdf