Controller chip switches peripherals to USB 2.0

PLX Technology has developed the industry's first PCI-to-USB peripheral controller optimised for converting PCI-based designs to Hi-Speed USB 2.0 products.

PLX Technology has developed the industry's first PCI-to-USB peripheral controller optimised for converting PCI-based designs to Hi-Speed USB 2.0 products.

The new PLX NET2282 controller simplifies the design of USB 2.0 applications, such as TV tuners, Wi-Fi adapters and video-capture systems.

The PCIbus on the NET2282 can be either a PCI host or a PCI adapter.

As a PCI adapter, the NET2282 can fit into any standard 3.3 or 5V PCI slot.

This enables any system with a PCIbus to instantly add a USB 2.0 peripheral port in minutes.

The NET2282's versatility is further enhanced by support from several operating systems, so additional software modification is minimised.

As a PCI host, the NET2282 is used to convert existing PCI cards or CardBus adapters to stand-alone USB devices or ExpressCard adapters.

As opposed to relying on a host PC's PCI chipset, the NET2282 has the essential resources - emulated main memory, PCI arbitration, and an integrated CPU - to configure and operate a PCI device.

Furthermore, the NET2282's auto-enumeration technology enables the resulting USB device to be configured by a USB host, without any code running on the PCI side at all.

The NET2282 has been tuned for power and performance.

Its integrated descriptor based DMA controllers allow for simple transfer control with light overhead.

It is able to sustain transfer speeds up to 40Mbyte/s, enough bandwidth for full-motion, uncompressed, HDTV signals.

With the NET2282's Dynamic Virtual Endpoint Technology, transfers of multiple, simultaneous, video streams are also straightforward.

Despite this fast throughput, the NET2282 is still able to maintain low power consumption (154mW), allowing for its use in USB bus-powered devices.

"PCI and USB each have evolved into the two primary expansion and connectivity buses in desktop and laptop computers, but applications popular with one haven't always been available for the other", said Adam Chen, Senior Product Marketing Manager at PLX.

"With the NET2282, we've developed a way for manufacturers to quickly and easily convert many of their PCI-based video and network applications to USB 2.0".

"And thanks to the NET2282's support by an array of operating systems as well as the availability of PLX development tools, minimal software modifications are needed in converting those designs".

The NET2282, like all PLX interconnect devices, is supported by a PLX Rapid Development Kit (RDK).

The NET2282's RDK includes a PCI adapter board that easily plugs into any standard PCI slot (3.3 or 5V).

This board also comes with PCI slot for plugging other PCI boards into the RDK itself.

Software is provided to aid in converting existing PCI drivers to USB drivers.

Peripheral side firmware and APIs are also included to easily configure the NET2282 so that it emulates a standard USB-class device, such as a printer or video product.

The NET2282 is sampling now, with production scheduled for Q2 of this year.

The NET2282, which comes in a lead-free, 120-pin TQFP package, is priced at $7.80 in standard 10,000-off quantities.

The NET2282-RDK is also available now, at $695.

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