Prolific Technology Manufacturer Skill

MPN Structure

Prolific MPNs follow this general structure:

PL[SERIES][VARIANT][PACKAGE][-REEL]
 |   |       |        |       |
 |   |       |        |       └── Optional: REEL, TUBE, TRAY, TR for packaging
 |   |       |        └── Package code (implicitly determined by variant for PL2303)
 |   |       └── Variant letters (HX, HXA, HXD, TA, GT, GC, GL, RA, SA, etc.)
 |   └── 4-digit series number (23xx, 25xx, 27xx, 38xx)
 └── PL = Prolific prefix

Example Decoding

PL2303HXA-SSOP
│  │   │  │
│  │   │  └── SSOP package
│  │   └── HXA = Enhanced HX variant
│  └── 2303 = USB to serial converter
└── PL = Prolific prefix

PL2303GT
│  │   │
│  │   └── GT = QFN package variant
│  └── 2303 = USB to serial converter
└── PL = Prolific prefix

Product Series

PL23xx Series - USB to Serial

PL25xx Series - USB Bridge

PL27xx Series - USB Hub

PL38xx Series - USB to Parallel

PL2303 Variants

The PL2303 series has many variants with different features:

Package Codes

USB Version by Series

Handler Implementation Notes

Pattern Matching

// PL23xx series - USB to serial converters
"^PL23[0-9]{2}[A-Z]*.*"

// PL25xx series - USB bridge ICs
"^PL25[0-9]{2}[A-Z]*.*"

// PL27xx series - USB hub controllers
"^PL27[0-9]{2}[A-Z]*.*"

// PL38xx series - USB to parallel converters
"^PL38[0-9]{2}[A-Z]*.*"

Series Extraction

// Series is "PL" + 4 digits
// PL2303HXA -> PL2303
// PL2773 -> PL2773

if (upperMpn.matches("^PL2303.*")) {
    return "PL2303";
}
// Generic: return first 6 characters

Package Code Extraction

// For PL2303 variants, package is implied by variant:
// HX, HXA, HXD, TA -> SSOP
// GT, GC, GL -> QFN
// RA, SA, S -> SOP

// Explicit package after hyphen:
// PL2303HXA-SSOP -> SSOP

Variant Extraction (PL2303)

// Check variants from longest to shortest:
if (suffix.startsWith("HXD")) return "HXD";
if (suffix.startsWith("HXA")) return "HXA";
if (suffix.startsWith("HX")) return "HX";
if (suffix.startsWith("GT")) return "GT";
if (suffix.startsWith("GL")) return "GL";
if (suffix.startsWith("GC")) return "GC";
if (suffix.startsWith("TA")) return "TA";
if (suffix.startsWith("RA")) return "RA";
if (suffix.startsWith("SA")) return "SA";

Replacement Compatibility

PL2303 Family Compatibility

All PL2303 variants are generally compatible:

• Same USB-to-serial functionality
• Different variants offer additional features (GPIO, speed)
• Software drivers are largely interchangeable

Hub Controllers

Hub controllers are NOT interchangeable across USB versions:

• PL2734 (USB 2.0) is NOT compatible with PL2773 (USB 3.0)
• Within same USB version, hubs are compatible

Driver Notes

• PL2303 driver compatibility: Different OS versions may require different drivers
• Counterfeit chip detection: Prolific drivers detect counterfeit chips and refuse to work
• HXA/HXD variants: Require newer drivers than original PL2303

Related Files

• Handler: manufacturers/ProlificHandler.java
• Component types: ComponentType.IC

Learnings & Edge Cases

• PL2303 is the dominant product: Most Prolific parts are PL2303 variants
• Variant determines package: Unlike other manufacturers, the variant suffix often implies the package type
• Driver compatibility issues: PL2303 has complex driver compatibility across variants and OS versions
• Counterfeit detection: Prolific implemented counterfeit detection in drivers, causing issues with some legacy parts
• USB version in series number: PL27xx uses last digit to hint at USB version (PL2773 = USB 3.0)
• No manufacturer-specific ComponentTypes: All parts use generic ComponentType.IC