The CP210x is a single-chip USB to UART bridge that converts data traffic between USB and UART formats. The chip includes a complete USB 2.0 full-speed function controller, bridge control logic and a UART interface with transmit/receive buffers and modem handshake signals.  

The CP210x devices also feature onboard EEPROM, a voltage regulator, a USB transceiver and an integrated internal oscillator, eliminating external components generally required in USB applications. System development is further simplified by the Evaluation Kits, which include a complete USB to RS232 evaluation board and royalty-free device drivers for PC, (Windows 98SE/2000/XP), Macintosh and Linux platforms. The USBXpress® development kit now includes support for USB to UART devices.

The CP2102 is recommended for all new designs, and is a pin-compatible upgrade to the CP2101. The CP2103 is recommended for designs requiring lower UART voltage, GPIO and RS485.