Peripheral Controller Enables Use Of Multi-Level Cell NAND Flash

With support for up to 16 Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash devices, the West Bridge Astoria peripheral controller allows designers to use the lowest-cost, highest-density flash storage available. The latest member of the West Bridge family delivers the same High-Speed USB data transfer performance as the West Bridge Antioch controller, while adding a configurable multimedia storage interface and flexible processor interface to ease connections to a broad range of embedded processors and mass storage devices. These features allow the Astoria controller to connect to any embedded processor or DSP, bringing MLC NAND support to new applications including portable media players, wireless cards, dongles, portable navigation devices, digital cameras, POS terminals, and more. By fully offloading management of USB and storage from an embedded processor, the new controller saves critical processor resources and maximizes data-transfer performance. The West Bridge Astoria controller features up to 27 programmable GPIOs and 16 USB endpoints. It comes in a 100-ball VFBGA (Very-Fine Ball Grid Array) package that measures 6 by 6 mm, with 0.5-mm pitch. Additionally, Astoria supports standard handset frequencies such as 19.2 MHz and 26 MHz for clock input, eliminating the need for an additional crystal. CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR CORP., San Jose, CA. (408) 943-2600.