bbfly BF32302 USB FORScan Cable

The alternative on budget cables is usually a WCH CH340. Both work for reading codes and changing settings. FTDI earns its fans for a few specific reasons:

• Stable drivers: FTDI's virtual COM port driver has been maintained for many years and is built into many operating systems.
• Latency timer: the driver lets you lower the port's latency from its 16 ms default, which some FORScan users do for quicker replies.
• Clear identity: Windows lists it as USB Serial Port, so you always know which driver is in charge.

There is a caution attached. Copies of the FTDI FT232 chip circulate in cheap electronics, and in 2014 an official FTDI driver update disabled many of them before FTDI withdrew it. The bbfly calls itself a modified FTDI cable, and bbfly does not publish which exact FTDI part it uses.

In practice, a counterfeit chip usually announces itself during driver installation or shortly after, as a device Windows refuses to start. If that happens, contact the maker rather than hunting for old drivers that tolerate fakes.

The second half of the cable is the Ford part: a switch that reaches the medium-speed CAN network where many Ford comfort modules live. The USB guide compares FTDI and CH340 cables across the whole range.

Many Fords of the 2000s and 2010s split their modules like this:

A standard ELM327 cable only connects to pins 6 and 14. The bbfly's switch moves the CAN connection to pins 3 and 11, so FORScan can talk to the second group of modules. The chip then works at whichever network speed FORScan asks for.

Late-1990s Fords that predate CAN use the older J1850 PWM protocol instead. bbfly does not list its protocol support, so owners of those trucks should confirm in FORScan before relying on this cable for them.

What you can change on that network depends on the car. Owners commonly use FORScan on switched cables for jobs like these:

1. Global window opening and closing from the key fob.
2. Tire size correction after fitting different wheels.
3. Turning off the double horn chirp or the seatbelt chime.
4. Daytime running light changes, where the hardware allows.

Every one of those needs the matching factory module. No cable adds hardware that is not there. FORScan shows which network each module sits on, and the FORScan and Ford guide explains the network split and switch types in more depth.

1. Install FORScan for Windows from its official site, and request its Extended licence if you plan to change settings.
2. Plug the bbfly into the laptop. Windows usually loads the FTDI driver by itself; if not, install the VCP driver from FTDI's own site.
3. Open Device Manager and find USB Serial Port under Ports (COM & LPT). Note the COM number.
4. If you want to tune it, open the port's Properties, then Port Settings and Advanced, and adjust the latency timer.
5. At the car, set the switch to HS, turn the ignition on and connect from FORScan.
6. Move the switch to MS only when FORScan tells you to, then back again when it asks.

Before writing anything, connect a battery maintainer and save each module's configuration in FORScan. A USB link cannot drop out the way Bluetooth can, but a sagging battery or a sleeping laptop can still spoil a write.

Mac users need Windows somewhere, because FORScan is a Windows program. The ELM327 connection fixes cover what to check when the laptop sees the cable but the car stays silent.

If an FTDI bridge is the one thing you care about, the bbfly delivers it, as do FTDI versions of the generic cable. If you want to know which models are covered before you spend anything, the MOCATEC's notes are more useful. For regular FORScan work, automatic switching saves effort every session.

• Choose the bbfly for an FTDI cable with a switch and nothing extra.
• Choose the vLinker FS USB to skip the switch and gain programming voltage.
• Choose the OBDLink EX for module programming and every bus at once.

Whatever cable you use, check FORScan's vehicle list for your exact model before ordering. It is the final word on what the software can reach.

Store the cable loosely coiled rather than wrapped tight around the plug. Most USB cable failures start where the wire enters the housing, and a cheap cable deserves the same care as a costly one if you want it to last.