Semiconductor firm SMSC has introduced the USB553x, a family of USB 3.0 hub controllers that the company says deliver the "hybrid speed" configuration with an optimised BOM cost for designers.
The new family of USB controllers consisting of 7-port and a 4-port offerings features programmable flexibility for configuration of performance enhancing features, and the ability to support 2-layer PCB designs.
The USB553X family is designed for USB port expansion in docking stations, port replicators, all-in-one monitors, as well as peripheral hubs for use with ultra-mobile PCs, tablets and notebooks.
SMSC VP and general manager of Connected Devices product line Charles Forni said USB 3.0 provides up to a 10x performance increase over USB 2.0 and will usher in a new wave of applications for consumers requiring high speed downloads.
"USB 3.0 fulfills a need for a multi-purpose, high performance connection that can transfer vast amount of consumer generated data from one place to another," Forni said.
SMSC senior director of Marketing Mark Fu said with the added bandwidth inherent in the SuperSpeed version, USB 3.0 is capable of aggregating audio, video, storage and human interface data over a single USB connection on a PC.
"Our 7-port hub, the USB5537, is well suited for a USB docking station requiring all of these capabilities," Fu said.
When used in a standalone USB hub box, the USB5537 provides four USB 3.0 ports and three USB 2.0 ports from one USB connection to a USB host system.
The USB5537 features PortMap, PortSwap, VariSense, PHYBoost, and USB Battery Charging 1.2, and handles embedded USB connections with ease and provides designers the flexibility to meet the industry’s stringent USB certification requirements.
Both USB5537 and USB5534 retain SMSC’s MultiTRAK technology for High Speed USB traffic, which provides a dedicated pipeline, or a transaction translator (TT), for every downstream full-speed device.
Fu said, "In addition to meeting commercial design requirements, the USB553x family is also available in an industrial temperature grade that meets -40 degree C to 85 degree C operating conditions."
