i/oZONE Products for the week of March 3, 2003
Cypress Semiconductor says . . .
Smart USB - Cypress's Next-Gen USB Embedded Host Family
Lets Cameras, PDAs, Cell Phones, Set-Top Boxes Communicate Directly
Cypress Semiconductor is now shipping a new family of next-generation USB embedded host controllers. Featuring 16-Bit RISC controllers, large memory and low power, the devices make it possible to develop embedded applications - including cell phones, PDAs, printers, cameras and music players - that can connect to each other without the need for a host computer.
EZ-Host (CY7C67300) is a multi-port embedded host/peripheral controller targeted at the non-handheld market - including set-top boxes, DVD players, Internet appliances, wireless access points, print servers and KVM switches. EZ-Host contains a high-performance 16-bit RISC microcontroller; two USB serial interface engines (SIEs), each individually configurable, with two ports per SIE; and a configurable I/O block that can connect to numerous standard interfaces.
EZ-OTG (CY7C67200) contains most of the functionality of EZ-Host but is customized for mobile devices - including cell phones, PDAs, video and still cameras, MP3 players and mass storage devices. Supporting the USB On-the-Go (OTG) protocol, EZ-OTG enables true "plug-and-play" connectivity between portable devices. EZ-OTG contains two USB SIEs, with one port per SIE, and a power-boost circuit that operates down to 2.7V.
Both EZ-Host and EZ-OTG can operate as either hosts or peripherals, depending on the application. Both contain 16 kbytes of RAM, making possible custom applications; multiple CPU interfaces; and on-board BIOS to handle a portion of the USB processing. The embedded processor eliminates the need for an external CPU in many applications. Cypress has leveraged its industry leading SRAM technology to provide a device with added functionality while remaining cost competitive with other solutions in the marketplace.
To enable the advanced capabilities the devices, Cypress provides all of the necessary support, including a complete development kit with programming tools, Linux drivers, frame work firmware, and functional examples. Real Time Operating System (RTOS) support, including availability of a USB stack and class drivers, simplifies the total solution development effort.
"EZ-Host and EZ-OTG give designers a new level of flexibility and control," said Cathal Phelan, vice president of Cypress's Personal Communications Division. "They enable new applications in systems without an existing CPU, and act as a co-processor in applications with a CPU, enabling additional functionality and enhanced system performance. Their large on-board memory space lets designers embed custom code to produce tailored applications without incurring the cost of an ASIC. They're the most flexible USB host/peripheral solutions on the market, and at a very attractive price."
"Cypress is taking the right approach," said Brian O'Rourke, Senior Analyst with Instat/MDR. "The high-growth opportunities for USB in the future will be the ones that move USB away from the PC. This includes portable applications such as cell phones and PDAs as well as non-PC form factors like set-top boxes."
These dual-role devices comply with the USB 2.0 specification, support both full- and low-speed traffic and are fully compatible with the USB On-the-Go Supplement. Both devices give OEM customers the ability to create a true USB mobile and/or embedded host device that can perform select host functions independent of a PC but that can also operate as a peripheral to a PC.
USB On-The-Go (OTG): The new USB Standard for Embedded Devices
OTG is a new supplement to the USB 2.0 specification aimed at the portable
market. Cypress Semiconductor has extended its position as industry leader
in USB peripheral technology by taking a leading role in the OTG working
group and in defining the specification.
analogZONE Says . . .
USB has become the de facto serial interface of choice in most consumer applications, and Cypress's new USB host chips may help open the market further with their support for the new USB On The Go (OTG) protocol. If you're not familiar with it yet, OTG is a supplement to the USB protocol that enables host and peripheral to initiate and terminate sessions, and even negotiate and swap host/peripheral roles on the fly. The protocol uses a set of specified voltages and states that don't interfere with normal USB operations to do the signaling that enables any two OTG-capable peripherals to establish an ad-hoc network.
Cypress's CY7C67300 and CY7C67200 are, to the best of my knowledge, among the first parts on the market to support OTG. They're aimed at non-PC applications such as cameras, cell phones, printers, or other host devices, where the host might not have sufficient smarts to run the USB OTG protocol stack without burdening the on-board processor. Both controllers feature a 16-bit StrongARM RISC engine that designers can either use as-is or do some additional programming themselves to optimize throughput, or even offload some processing tasks from an overtaxed host.
The '200 EZ-OTG controller is intended for handheld devices, with two USB ports, each controlled by its own serial interface engine (SIE) controller. The controllers are capable of supporting two channels of full-speed (12 Mbit/s), full-duplex USB without burdening the host system. In fact, in situations where the host is too busy or non-existent, the StrongARM processor can often supply the needed horsepower and can handle all communication functions. This, plus a pair of timers, and more I/O options than a Swiss Army knife (UART, HSS, SPI, DMA, HPI, EPP and GPIO) make it a cinch to talk with any other device you have in your design. Whether it's a camera, cell phone, or MP3 player, the EZ-OTG device should support speedy, and efficient data transfers while not taking too big a bit of your batteries or your budget.
While the '300 EZ Host chip can support the OTG protocol, it's often not necessary in the multi-port host/peripheral applications it's been targeted at. These devices are intended for use in applications of the non-portable variety, such as set top boxes DVD players, automotive electronics, etc… The '300 makes its mark by providing an inexpensive and easy way to add up to four ports (controlled by two independent communication engines) of USB communications with minimal load on the host system. In addition to the two additional USB ports, the EZ-Host also has interfaces for IDE, PWM and serial EEPROM that you can configure at will (see the block diagram).
The development tools for both devices look great - at least on paper. They include a complete StrongArm-based single board computer running the Linux operating system and Linux drivers supplied as the base platform. A pair of mezzanine boards for the EZ-Host & EZ-OTG, A bunch of sample Windows applications, EZ-Host/EZ-OTG firmware, SBC firmware (source code included) and you're in business. The complete USB stack and Class Drivers should also speed your development efforts significantly.
For small quick-and-dirty projects, the board's ROM-based chip bios may be enough to get you through. It has the basic tools for upload/download, setting break points and basic debug functions to enable cheap, quick time to market for simple applications.
With Beta samples available now, and general sampling in April, both parts get a low Vaporware Index Rating. I just hope that the software support is as good ends up being as good as Cypress claims it will be. My only other concern with both parts is that given the extremely cost-conscious nature of the products these chips are targeted for, the prices quoted ($4.99 and $3.99 respectively in 10-k lots) will have to be discounted substantially for designers to be able to afford to use them in high-volume consumer applications.
Data Sheets (NDA required)
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