Today's SEEQ press release seems to be giving stock a boost.
Company Press Release
SEEQ's Next Generation Fast Ethernet PHY IC Offers Superior
Performance, Rich Feature Set
New SEEQ IC Exceeds IEEE Specifications, Offers Industry-leading
Price/Performance
FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 1997-- SEEQ Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEEQ - news),
the leading independent developer of Fast Ethernet MAC controllers and PHY transceivers, today announced
that its new family of 10/100-Tx Physical Layer ICs exceeded IEEE performance specifications in all phases
of recent Interoperability testing conducted at an internationally recognized independent test lab.
Additional customer qualification testing over the past few months confirms the device exceeds
performance levels of competing first generation PHY ICs. The latest components in SEEQ's Fast Ethernet
product line, the 80220 and 80221 are fully-integrated, single-chip CMOS solutions for both 100Base-TX
and 10Base-T networking environments that offer network switch, hub, and adapter card designers
significantly higher performance with additional unique features not available in other PHY solutions.
''We've worked closely with our customers to incorporate their individual needs and to satisfy a wide range
of engineering objectives during the development of these high performance, feature rich Physical Layer
ICs,'' said Robert Frostholm, vice president of sales and marketing at SEEQ. ''Independent and customer lab
results confirm our success in achieving this. The 80220 and 80221 build on SEEQ's legacy of pioneering
Ethernet design. Having shipped over 30 million physical layer and controller devices since we introduced
the first commercially available Ethernet Controller, SEEQ is uniquely qualified to understand what our
customers really want from a supplier.''
SEEQ's success resides in its design expertise and experience in both the Ethernet Controller and Physical
Layer. Frostholm went on to say, ''It's like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces have to fit together. Our most
successful customers recognize the importance of understanding both halves of the equation. SEEQ offers
the most cost effective system solutions for their MAC and PHY needs.''
Key performance features of the new PHYs include typical Bit Error Rates (BER) of less than 10(-12)
across 140 meters of CAT 5 cable, and extremely low transmit jitter of +/- 0.35nS. The results provide
designers with much improved interoperability at longer cable lengths.
''Additionally, significant improvement in network performance is observed when our customers link to
other systems using less optimal PHYs at the remote end of the cable,'' said Frostholm. To ensure customers
of the highest possible quality level, SEEQ performs 100% final test at 100 degrees C over a 125-meter
cable length. The products are fully characterized for incremental cable length performance to guard against
short or random cable length interoperability problems.
''In addition to the performance advantages, the 80220 and 80221 include a rich feature set of options that
network designers will find very useful,'' said Bill Weir, director of sales & marketing at SEEQ. ''Both the
80220 and 80221 have a Flow Control feature that eases the common congestion problems plaguing Fast
Ethernet Networks today. When Flow Control is asserted under heavy traffic conditions, the device
automatically transmits a JAM packet that will cause the remote unit to back off allowing the host the much
needed time to clear its buffers.''
Both devices have drivers for up to 4 LED's which can be programmed from 5 different event options to be
in a ''normally on,'' ''normally off,'' or ''blinking'' mode. The 80221 incorporates an additional 2 LED
drivers to indicate transmit and receive activity. The chips also provide a fully configurable hardware and
software status interrupt feature that allows designers to select from 11 different event options. Other useful
features include output tristate and 5 bit (symbol) interface options for repeater applications. In addition to
transmitter power-down, the user can program transmit output levels to adjust the output template for
different loading conditions.
The SEEQ 80220 and 80221 are cost-effective, single-chip CMOS ICs that allow switch, hub, and adapter
card networking engineers to implement the complete 10/100Mb Ethernet physical layer from MII bus to
magnetics. They require only a few inexpensive, passive external components, and offer a low, .75W typical
power consumption. Package options include a 44 lead PLCC, 64 lead 1.4x10x10mm LQFP, and soon will
offer the industry's thinnest and smallest PHY footprint -- a 64 lead 1.0x10x10mm TQFP aimed at PCMCIA
applications.
The 80220 and 80221 Physical Layer ICs are currently shipping in volume production with pricing of $9.00
each in 25K unit OEM quantities. In addition to samples and evaluation boards, an '80220/80221
Performance Package and Design Kit' containing data report summaries and other useful design information
is available now to qualified customers. The 80220 and 80221, as with all SEEQ products, meet all
applicable IEEE 802.3, 10Base-T, and 100Base-TX standards.
SEEQ Technology Inc. is a leading manufacturer of data communications semiconductor products.
Headquartered in Fremont, Calif., the company is a LAN pioneer, having introduced the first integrated
Ethernet controller in 1982. SEEQ's product families include Gigabit Ethernet, Fast Ethernet (100Base-T),
and ATM components. SEEQ leads the Ethernet Media Access Controller (MAC) market, and offers the
broadest line of Fast Ethernet MACs and PHYs in the industry.
The company's Ethernet solutions are used in industry-leading applications including network interface
cards, hubs/bridges/routers, switches, and test equipment. SEEQ is a contributing member of the IEEE Fast
Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet committees, and the Gigabit Ethernet Alliance (GEA). For further information
about SEEQ and its products, please visit the company's World Wide Web site at seeq.com, or
call 510/226-7400. |
