SEEQ Press Release .....For those SEEQ followers and holders....please note:
, 6:03 am Eastern Time
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.
Contact:
SEEQ Technology
Bill Weir, 610/941-2180
bweir@seeq.com
or
MAR.COM
Stacy Oliver, 408/363-1170
stacy@svmar.com
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