Dual-Role IP Core Meets Full-Speed USB 2.0

March 4, 2002

The industry's first dual-role USB 2.0 controller macrocell is now available from Mentor Graphics. It complies with both the current USB 2.0 standard for full-speed functions and the new On-The-Go supplement for point-to-point...

David Maliniak

The Inventra MUSBFDRC synthesizable macrocell supports host and peripheral functions in point-to-point data transfers. With it, designers can include a single core for both peripheral and host applications, configuraing the core as required.

The On-The-Go supplement gives portable devices a cost-effective means of conducting point-to-point communications using USB protocols. It lets portables connect directly to a peripheral device for point-to-point file exchange without a host PC.

The soft IP core and an evaluation board are both available. The board shows how the core can be configured as a standard USB peripheral within a mass-storage device when connected to a PC. It also demonstrates file transfers from a PC to a peripheral over On-The-Go connections, as well as data transfers in the form of print files when configured as a host.

The core complies with the USB standard for full-speed (12-Mbit/s) functions. It supports session-control and host-negotiation protocols. And, it's configurable for up to 15 additional transmit endpoints and 15 additional receive endpoints. Also included is a PVCI-compatible CPU interface. An AMBA-AHB bridge is optional.

USB device-layer firmware is provided to facilitate peripheral application-code development. The firmware gives designers "hooks" for application-specific software, such as a host stack, and handles device configuration and control management. It's delivered in C for embedded development tools and compiles from 10 to 20 kbytes.

The Inventra MUSBFDRXC soft IP core and evaluation board will be available in the second quarter. A reference design for On-The-Go configurations will be available early in the first quarter for developers. Contact Mentor for pricing and delivery information.

Mentor Graphics Corp., (503) 685-7000; www.mentor.com/inventra.

About the Author

David Maliniak | MWRF Executive Editor

In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.