Cypress intros EZ-USB FX3 controller

SAN JOSE, USA: Cypress Semiconductor Corp. has introduced its first USB 3.0 controller, the EZ-USB FX3 targeted at video and imaging, printing, scanning, and a variety of applications that need higher throughput than USB 2.0.

The new EZ-USB FX3 (CYUSB3014) device is a flexible peripheral controller with a General Programmable Interface (GPIF II) that delivers a 5-Gbps USB 3.0 data pipeline, a fully configurable ARM9™ processor core and backwards compatibility with USB 2.0. With an internal bus architecture designed to operate at four times the USB 3.0 speeds, EZ-USB FX3 is ideal for moving large amounts of data extremely fast. It can, for example, deliver high-definition video streaming in imaging applications, eliminating the need for compression on the peripheral side.

Cypress is the market leader in USB controllers, having shipped over 1 billion devices since 1996. Cypress USB products, including the new USB 3.0 controllers, deliver design flexibility, USB compliance and whole product support that includes software tools, development kits and reference designs. The new USB 3.0 controllers enable designers to quickly and easily customize solutions for their end markets, since the ARM9 core is fully accessible for use as an independent microcontroller.

USB is the most successful peripheral connectivity standard with an installed base of billions of devices and has been heavily adopted in consumer electronics, PC peripherals and portable devices. USB 3.0 is the next step in the wired USB market, offering the same ease of use and flexibility that users expect, but at the much higher data rate of 5 Gbps. USB 3.0 also offers better power management (20 percent of USB 2.0) and faster battery charging (charge in half the time) compared to USB 2.0. Cypress’s new FX3 controller will enable USB 3.0 adoption across a variety of platforms, just as the Cypress FX2 controller did for USB 2.0.

“Cypress has been leading the wave of USB adoption with low-speed, full-speed and high-speed solution, and will continue to do so with SuperSpeed USB 3.0. Our success in USB is based on our flexibility, quality and breadth of portfolio,” said Dinesh Ramanathan, executive VP of Cypress’s Data Communication Division. “Our USB 3.0 solutions were built using those principles, and we’re working with our customers to help deliver end-market products that enable consumers to take advantage of USB 3.0’s bandwidth. EZ-USB FX3 is the first of a series of planned USB 3.0 solutions from Cypress.”