New Cirrus Logic PC Card host adapter provides state-of-the-art CardBus support

Business Wire, Oct 20, 1995

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 1995--Reinforcing its leadership position in the PC Card host adapter market, Cirrus Logic Inc. (Nasdaq: CRUS) today announced the industry's most advanced and flexible PC Card-compliant host interface adapter.

Optimized for Pentium-class notebooks and multimedia applications, the new chip (CL-PD6832) features CardBus support and a Zoomed Video (ZV) port that efficiently transfers multimedia data.

As a CardBus host adapter, the new entry complies with the most recent release of the PC Card standard. Accordingly, it supports high-performance 32-bit, 33 MHz operations in each of its two independent interface sockets. Other key features include R2 compliance for backward compatibility, socket-to-socket transfer (bus master) capability and multi-function card support. For end users, these collective capabilities provide universal PC card compatibility and support for emerging 32-bit cards and a wide range of new applications.

"With our new host adapter, Cirrus Logic again demonstrates why it is the industry's leading supplier of advanced host adapter solutions," said Kasturi Gopalaswamy, Marketing Manager for Cirrus Logic's Host Interface Division. "We were first to introduce such innovations as integrated DMA and the PCI-to-PCMCIA interface, and continue this groundbreaking role by supporting CardBus and ZV port." Cirrus Logic has been the leading proponent of the ZV port proposal being reviewed by the PCMCIA committee. The purpose of adding a dedicated video bus is to accommodate the growing emergence of demanding multimedia applications. By providing a direct connection between a PC Card and a VGA accelerator's feature connector port or audio DAC, it allows video and audio data to bypass the system bus. Using this connection significantly reduces bandwidth impositions on the system bus, resulting in improved overall system performance. These benefits are especially evident on the ISA bus, enabling up to 30 frames-per-second video playback capability.

The CL-PD6832's support for Direct Memory Access (DMA) functionality on the PCI bus also enhances performance and enables multimedia applications. This protocol, which is standard on the ISA bus, is required for multimedia support since it is used in a wide range of existing popular game and entertainment programs, including SoundBlaster compatible cards.

Another significant feature of the new chip is its 7 programmable windows per socket -- 5 memory windows and 2 I/O windows. This unique capability provides the high degree of flexibility required for efficiently supporting simultaneously operating sockets and such multi-function cards as fax modems. It manages conflicts between multiple commands written to the same address by finding programmable alternate addresses, thereby ensuring connectivity.

Key to managing dual, independent I/O slots in conjunction with other system requirements, is the chip's 32-bit bus mastering capability. This feature functions as an intelligent traffic controller that handles multiple demands for bus bandwidth. By prioritizing access to the bus and managing bandwidth allocation, bus mastering allows the system to operate more efficiently. For bandwidth intensive multimedia applications, this feature is essential.

Included in the CardBus spec and supported by the new chip is the capability for mixed-voltage (5V to 3.3V) operations. Like Cirrus Logic's other host adapter products, it offers advanced power management techniques including Suspend mode for stopping the internal clock and automatic low-power Dynamic mode that stops transactions on the PC Card bus. It also supports insertion and removal of cards while the system power is on. With its R2 support, the new host adapter provides the benefit of backward compatibility with the large existing population of PCMCIA 2.0- and 2.1-compatible cards.

Packaging, Pricing, and Availability

The CL-PD6832 PC Card host adapter is packaged in a 208-pin plastic quad flat pack (PQFP) and 208-pin very thin quad flat pack (VQFP). Sample quantities of the new device will be available at the end of the fourth quarter priced at $21 to $22 in quantities of 1,000. Volume production is planned for February 1996.

Headquartered in Fremont, Calif., Cirrus Logic Inc. is a leading manufacturer of advanced integrated circuits for the desktop and portable computing, telecommunications, and consumer electronics markets. The Company applies its system-level expertise in analog and digital design to innovate highly integrated, software-rich solutions. Cirrus Logic has developed a broad portfolio of products and technologies for applications spanning multimedia, communications, system logic, mass storage, and data acquisition.

CONTACT: Cirrus Logic, Fremont

Connie Duncan, 510/226-2346 (Media)

Kasturi Gopalaswamy, 510/226-2261 (Reader)