USB-Based Microcontroller Packs 32-Bit CPU For Top-Notch Throughput

Feb. 16, 2006

The USS2828 system-on-a-chip (SoC) controller combines a USB 2.0 interface and a 32-bit embedded processor to triple the data-processing throughput of similar controllers based on 8-bit 8051 embedded processors. Developed by Agere Systems, it also boasts

Dave Bursky

The chip's high-speed USB 2.0 port supports 480- and 12-Mbit/s data-transfer rates. Additionally, its ARM7TDMS processor offers a 40-MIPS throughput that lets applications like digital cameras, MP3 players, and image scanners process faster or provide extra features.

This controller includes 8 kbytes of RAM and 16 kbytes of ROM, two timers, a direct memory access controller, a memory controller for external memory, a programmable interrupt controller, and a general-purpose I/O interface with up to 24 programmable I/O lines (see the figure). Also available on the chip are a JTAG test port and an I²C serial port.

The chip can tie into a host system through the programmable I/O lines. Or, it can tie into a host system by using a 16-bit memory interface.

Contact the company for volume pricing.

Agere Systems Inc.
www.agere.com

About the Author

Dave Bursky | Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.