Driver · 2012-04-26
Uniden USB-1 cable driver - Prolific PL2303 1.6.0
Recommended version Verified — manufacturer file
Download zip (3.4 MB) Manufacturer's page ↗
Prolific PL2303 Driver Installer 1.6.0 (build 2012-04-26): WDM driver v2.1.30.193 and WDF driver v3.4.31.231, adding Windows 8 for the newer PL2303HXD cable, plus Prolific's PL2303CheckChipVersion tool. The driver Uniden's USB-1 page links first.
Read before installing. Windows 8 support only for the PL2303HXD chip (newer USB-1 cables); for an older HXA cable use 1.5.0. Run PL2303CheckChipVersion.exe to see which chip a cable has.
Contents
| File | Size | SHA-256 |
|---|---|---|
| PL2303_Prolific_DriverInstaller_v1.6.0.zip | 3.4 MB | acc3a85d6111e053e4e42f08f4201a7b0020b237461e6a73af1812393508a381 |
| README.txt | These instructions | |
| SHA256SUMS | Checksums of the files above | |
Instructions
The complete README.txt included in the zip:
Uniden USB-1 cable driver - Prolific PL2303 1.6.0
=================================================
WHAT THIS IS
------------
Prolific PL2303 Driver Installer 1.6.0 (build 2012-04-26): WDM driver
v2.1.30.193 and WDF driver v3.4.31.231, adding Windows 8 for the newer
PL2303HXD cable, plus Prolific's PL2303CheckChipVersion tool. The driver
Uniden's USB-1 page links first.
The USB-1 is Uniden's USB-to-RS232 adapter cable. Uniden: "The USB-1 cable
uses the Prolific PL2303 chipset." With the driver installed the cable appears
in Windows as a COM port, which programming software (FreeSCAN, UASD) and the
BC_VUP firmware updater then use.
Changes in this installer (Prolific release note): adds PL2303EA/RA/SA
support, Windows 8 (HXD and newer chips only), a fix for a COM port that would
not disappear when unplugged mid-transfer, and the CheckChipVersion tool.
APPLIES TO
----------
Uniden lists these scanners as using the USB-1 cable: BC246T, BCD396T, BCT15,
BCD996T, BC346XT, BCT15X, BCD396XT, BCD996XT and BC95XLT. In this archive it
is tagged to the BCD396XT and BC246T.
Only cables with the Prolific PL2303 chip, such as the USB-1. Uniden: a
third-party adapter with an FTDI chip needs FTDI's driver, and Uniden cannot
support third-party cables. Not relevant to the BC350A or BC355N, which have
no PC connection.
Operating systems: Windows 2000 SP4/XP/Vista/7/8/Server 2003-2008 R2
(32/64-bit).
BEFORE STARTING
---------------
- Unplug the USB-1 cable. Uniden: "You must run this installer prior to
plugging in the USB-1 cable."
- Administrator rights on the PC (Uniden's troubleshooting steps run the
installer with "Run as Administrator").
- Know which chip the cable has. Uniden: older USB-1 cables use the
PL2303HXA, newer ones the PL2303HXD; current Prolific drivers for Windows
8 do not work with the HXA, which needs the 1.5.0 package. The 1.6.0 zip
includes PL2303CheckChipVersion.exe to tell them apart.
- Remove any older Prolific driver first if the cable misbehaves (see IF
SOMETHING GOES WRONG).
CONTENTS OF THIS ZIP
--------------------
The zip published on fubsypoly.com wraps the vendor file(s) byte-for-byte,
unmodified.
PL2303_Prolific_DriverInstaller_v1.6.0.zip
3,515,045 bytes
SHA-256 acc3a85d6111e053e4e42f08f4201a7b0020b237461e6a73af1812393508a381
The vendor zip contains:
PL2303CheckChipVersion.exe (212,992 bytes, dated 2012-04-13)
PL2303 Windows User Manual v1.6.0.pdf
(1,039,305 bytes, dated 2012-05-03)
PL2303_DriverInstallerv1.6.0_ReleaseNote.txt
(6,521 bytes, dated 2012-05-03)
PL2303_Prolific_DriverInstaller_v1.6.0.exe
(3,234,552 bytes, dated 2012-04-26)
README.txt
This file.
SHA256SUMS
SHA-256 checksums of the files above.
INSTALLATION
------------
1. Unzip PL2303_Prolific_DriverInstaller_v1.6.0.zip.
2. Run the installer (PL2303_Prolific_DriverInstaller_v1.6.0.exe), as
Administrator, and follow its prompts. Prolific's own instructions are in
the PDF manual inside the zip.
3. Plug in the USB-1 cable. Windows should recognise it and install it as a
COM port (Uniden: about 30 seconds the first time the cable is plugged
into a port).
4. Open Device Manager > Ports (COM & LPT) and note the COM number of the
"Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port". Set the programming software or BC_VUP
to that port.
5. Each USB port on the PC typically gets a different COM number; after
moving the cable to another port, update the software's port setting.
The exact wording of the installer's screens could not be confirmed.
VERIFYING
---------
With the cable plugged in, Device Manager > Ports (COM & LPT) lists a Prolific
USB-to-Serial Comm Port with no warning icon. A yellow mark with Error Code 10
on Windows 8 or later means an HXA-chip cable with a driver that does not
support it (Prolific's 1.6.0 release note).
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
-----------------------
Uniden's steps for a failed installation (verified on Windows 7 64-bit):
1. Plug in the cable, open Device Manager, right-click the device with the
error and choose Uninstall; then unplug the cable.
2. In Uninstall Programs, remove "PL-2303 USB-to-Serial" and any other old
Prolific drivers.
3. Download the driver again, unzip it, right-click the installer and choose
Run as Administrator.
4. Plug in the cable; it should install as a COM port.
If the COM port appears but software cannot talk to the scanner, check the COM
number and the scanner's baud-rate setting, and close any other program using
the port.
DOWNGRADING
-----------
Drivers can be swapped: uninstall the current Prolific driver (Device Manager
and Uninstall Programs, as above) and install the other package. For an HXA
cable on Windows 8 or later Uniden directs users to the older 1.5.0 package.
PROVENANCE
----------
File: PL2303_Prolific_DriverInstaller_v1.6.0.zip
Source: https://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/USB-1Drivers/PL2303_Prolific_DriverInstaller_v1.6.0.zip
Wayback: (none recorded)
Retrieved: 2026-09-18
Vendor page: https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/USB-1Drivers
Status: verified
Downloaded from Uniden's live file. Status verified: the vendor's own URL. The
driver was written by Prolific Technology Inc. and is redistributed by Uniden
for the USB-1.
MORE INFORMATION
----------------
- Uniden USB-1 drivers page:
https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/USB-1Drivers
- Uniden download listing for the USB-1:
https://www.uniden.info/download/index.cfm?s=USB-1
- BCD396XT Upgrades & Firmware:
https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/uniden-bcd396xt/vol-5/
- Prolific drivers for other operating systems: http://www.prolific.com.tw
Other versions of USB-1 cable driver (Prolific PL2303)
- 1.5.0 · 2011-10-21
- Vista installer (2006-10-22) · 2006-10-22
- 2.0.2.0 · 2006-02-15