Product category: Communications ICs (Wired)
News Release from: Texas Instruments (April 2001-March 2006) | Subject: XIO2000 PCI-Express-to-PCI bridge
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 10 May 2004
Bridge chip enables
split-chassis PC demo
Texas Instruments demonstrated a split-chassis PC platform at last week's Windows Hardware Engineering 2004 Conference
Further strengthening its commitment to PCI Express architecture development and deployment, Texas Instruments demonstrated a split-chassis PC platform at last week's Windows Hardware Engineering 2004 Conference. The split-chassis PC platform is made possible by TI's new XIO2000 PCI-Express-to-PCI bridge technology.
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 10 May 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Changing wireless landscape explained
TI will showcase the latest mobile products that enable its customers to innovate in a world driven by demand for on-the-go entertainment and productivity at CTIA Wireless 2006
Webcast to address wireless power optimisation
Texas Instruments and Avnet Electronics Marketing will present a live Analog eLab webcast on 'Optimising power in low-power wireless systems' on 12th April 2006
At the heart of the demonstration was an x1 TI PCI Express interface running over a cable, supporting full PCI Express performance of 2.5Gbit/s bidirectional throughput.
'Although the concept of a split-chassis PC (or modular PC) has been discussed within the industry for several years, today we are demonstrating the practical implementation of such a system enabled by PCI Express running over a cable, while providing 2.5Gbit/s of performance in both the upstream and downstream direction', said Dan Jensen, Systems Engineering Manager at TI.
This development will enable OEMs to begin moving platform mechanical designs in line with ergonomic environments of everyday users.
Desktop platforms today are typically placed on the floor, as far away from the user as practical, with the intention of trying to hide the desktop tower from the user's surroundings.
Users are ready for devices that they interface with on a regular basis to be moved to the table top, while keeping the often bulky, loud and unattractive desktop tower hidden from sight.
Further reading
Gigabit Ethernet transceiver is flexible interface
A six-channel gigabit Ethernet transceiver provides a full-featured, flexible interface in datacommunications and telecommunications equipment
Bluetooth and FM coexist in harmonious RF chip
The BlueLink 6.0 platform combines the industry's best performance Bluetooth wireless technology with high fidelity FM stereo and mono performance on a single chip
Driver masters analogue signalling
A digitally controlled current/voltage output driver is designed for industrial applications such as industrial PLCs and process control equipment
'Many times users find themselves under a desk at the back of the PC trying to find an available USB, 1394 (FireWire) or some other type of connector, then trying to determine which direction to insert the plug', said Jensen.
'A split-chassis system, like what we are demonstrating, shows how an OEM can design a platform that meets a user's ergonomic needs without compromising performance.
This concept also allows OEMs to 'upgrade and differentiate' platforms more effectively without modifying the main system board, helping to minimize the desktop clutter'.
With split-chassis designs, consumers can choose to upgrade performance of their system at one time and then choose to upgrade the I/O capability of their system at another.
Out of pocket expenses are therefore spread out over time, while keeping current with the latest system performance and I/O capabilities.
The TI split-chassis PC platform demonstration includes a desktop tower with the PCI Express x1 interface to the split-chassis I/O hub running over a cable.
The split-chassis I/O hub incorporates TI's XIO2000 PCI Express-to-PCI bridge, which is connected to a USB host controller, Parallel ATA controller and the TI PCI7621 UltraMedia controller.
The demonstration supports simultaneous active connections between main system memory and the I/O connections in the split-chassis I/O hub - all enabled by the high-performance capabilities of PCI Express.
'What is unique about this demonstration is that for the first time we have been able to extend the full performance of the primary I/O system bus outside of the standard desktop chassis by leveraging the capabilities of PCI Express', said Jensen.
In addition to helping OEMs meet this ergonomic consumer demand, TI's commitment to PCI Express focuses on a complete portfolio of products built for the PCI Express architecture, enabling chip-to-chip interconnect, I/O interconnect for adapter cards and an I/O attach point to other interconnects such as PCI, 1394 (FireWire) and USB.
Other planned products include PCI Express switch and physical layer devices, as well as devices supporting the ExpressCard specification (formerly known as Newcard), a small form factor successor to PC Card.
These, along with existing TI devices such as CardBus, 1394 and USB, will provide designers a complete portfolio of interface options from TI.
• Texas Instruments (April 2001-March 2006): contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
•
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Related Business News
Japan's Kansai Elec sees no boost in energy imports
Tokyo, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Co Inc said on Wednesday it has no plans to boost energy imports or restart its decommissioned thermal plants to cope with an unplanned shutdown of its nuclear unit.
Major Challenges and Issues Facing the...
...Medium-Small Sized Touch Panel Industry. Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report related to the worldwide components industry is now available to its catalogue.
Smart Sensor Solution for Automotive Electronics Industry by VTI
The new VTI automotive digital accelerometer family has been designed to support the trend towards intelligent integration and smart sensing combined with improved reliability and sophisticated self-test features.
Maxscend Technologies to Showcase Latest DAB/DAB+/DMB...
...Solution at IBC 2007. Maxscend Technologies, a leading mobile DTV chip solution provider, will be showcasing its MXD0120, the DAB/DAB+/DMB demodulator with the lowest power consumption in the industry, as well as being the smallest in size, at the International Broadcasting
Intoto Firewall Sets 16Gbps Performance Record
Intoto, the leading provider of security software for network infrastructure equipment, today announced that its iGateway Firewall has set a new industry performance standard as the first firewall to deliver up to 16 Gigabits per
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
