Lucent Technologies Introduces Universal Serial Bus Chip That Increases Ports and Bandwidth in Personal Computers
Business Wire - May 18, 1998 11:46
ALLENTOWN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 1998--Lucent Technologies' Microelectronics Group today introduced a new integrated circuit that enables personal computer designers to increase Universal Serial Bus (USB) versatility and capacity in PC systems.
Known as the USS302, the new chip gives designers a low-cost way to add two more USB ports and 12 megabits per second (Mbps) of additional bandwidth to a PC or workstation. This extra bandwidth will make it easier for computer users to operate several peripherals simultaneously, such as videoconferencing cameras, ISDN terminal adapters, modems, mice, joysticks, scanners, and printers, without sacrificing performance.
USB connectivity is designed to offer "plug-and-play" connections between computers and common peripherals, eliminating the need for computer users to manually add and configure software that controls these devices. USB ports also operate at faster speeds than today's serial or parallel ports.
"Almost all computers shipped today come equipped with two USB ports, but users will soon find they need more," said Dan Devine, USB product line manager with Lucent's Microelectronics Group. "One way designers can offer more connections is by adding a hub, but peripheral devices plugged into those extra ports will still share the same 12 megabits per second. That could be a problem with peripherals such as videoconferencing cameras, which could hog that bandwidth and slow the other devices to a crawl. But with our USS302 solution, designers can add ports and provide the bandwidth that additional devices will consume, at a reasonable cost."
Lucent's USS302 chip is a two-port USB-to-PCI OHCI host controller that designers can place on a computer motherboard or add-in card. The chip's integrated, dual-speed transceivers result from Bell Laboratories' expertise in mixed signal technology. Other key features include:
- Full compatibility with Microsoft Windows Standard OpenHCI Drivers
- Compatibility with OpenHCI Open Host Controller Interface Specification for USB Release 1.0 Host Controller Interface
- Full compliance with USB Specification Revision 1.0.
- 32-bit 33MHz PCI interface compliance with PCI Local Bus Specification Revision 2.1s.
- Easily configurable to communicate in either a 3V or 5V PCI environment.
- 100-pin metric quad flat pack (MFQP).
The Lucent USS302 will be sampling in July and will be generally available during the third quarter of 1998. Pricing in high volumes will be less than $4.00 per unit. In addition to the chip, Lucent is making evaluation boards available to system designers.
Further specifications for the chip, including pin-out information, are available on the Lucent web site at www.lucent.com/micro. Lucent will also place a reference design for a PC add-in card on its web site for manufacturers to download.
The USS302 chip joins two other Lucent USB chips for use in peripheral devices - the USS720, a USB-to-IEEE 1284 bridge that provides USB compatibility to peripherals designed with parallel port interfaces; and the USS820, a general-purpose USB bridge device. These products, part of Lucent's Silicon Suite* portfolio of USB applications, offer system designers "one-stop-shopping" for host-to-peripheral USB solutions.
The Silicon Suite product offerings provide fully integrated packages of high-level ASIC cores, mixed-signal macrocell libraries, standard products and associated system design tools, software, and services.
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronic components. Bell Labs is the research and development arm for the company. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit our web site at lucent.com.
Lucent's Microelectronics Group designs and manufactures integrated circuits and optoelectronic components for the computer and communications industries. More information about the Microelectronics Group is available from its web site at lucent.com.
Acronyms used in this release:
ISDN - integrated services digital network MFQP - metric quad flat pack OHCI - open host controller interface PCI - peripheral component interface USB - universal serial bus
Trademarks used in this release:
Silicon Suite is a trademark of Lucent Technologies |
