 |
|
|
 |
||
 |
|
|
STMicroelectronics Announces ADSL Modem Chipset With Controller-Less Design, Reducing Complexity, Size, Cost and Consumption |
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
 Geneva,
May 14, 2001 - STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) today announced a new
customer-premises ADSL
modem chipset aimed at both laptop and desktop computers. It is the first
on the market to employ a controller-less design with USB or PCI interface,
reducing cost, size and power consumption while allowing simple firmware
updates to extend product lifetimes.Called Unicorn, the new chipset is based on ST's 'Ascot' full-rate 8Mbps solution. Already shipped in millions of kits, the design has been adapted so that part of the modem functions can be implemented by the host processor, eliminating the need for a dedicated control processor chip. As a result the chipset is simpler and less expensive, while modem software is stored on the computer's hard disk drive and can be updated easily. Power consumption in active mode is just 0.7W for the chipset and below 2W for the complete modem solution, thus matching USB bus power requirements. The complete solution also fits USB power rating in stand-by mode. Unicorn consists of two component combinations, the digital ST70137 chip and one of ST's Analog Front End chips - the ST70134A chip for a PCI solution or the ST70136 chip for both PCI and USB solutions. Supplied in a compact TQFP144 package using HCMOS7 technology, the ST70137 is a controller-less ADSL DMT transceiver including both PCI and USB interfaces. Using BiCMOS5 technology, the ST70136 chip comes in a TQFP64 package. The PCI interface makes it possible to build an internal ADSL CPE modem while the USB interface suits external bus-powered ADSL modems. The Unicorn chipset offers full compatibility with full-rate and G.lite ADSL standards. In addition it is compatible with USB standards and includes plug-and-play support. Thanks to Windows 98, 2000 and ME features, the plug-and-play feature makes Unicorn ideal for easy-to-use world modems. Drivers for Linux and MacOS are also planned for the second half of year 2001. ST engineers have optimized the architecture to minimize the burden on the host processor to almost imperceptible levels. Measurements on a 400MHz Intel Celeron processor running the ADSL modem in PCI mode under Windows 2000 gave a CPU load as low as 4% with the link up and with no IP traffic, rising slightly above 20% at 8Mbps using PPP protocol over an ATM connection; during initialization the CPU load remained around 18%. ST70137 hardware features include PCI 2.2 and USB1.1 compliance. Bus-powered features include support for ADSL digital processing, direct interface to ST's ST70136 or ST70134A Analog Front Ends, and Microwire to external serial memory. The ST70137 draws only 400mW in full operation, from +3.3V and +1.8V supplies. ST70136 features include wide transmit/receive dynamic range to reduce external filtering, and activity detection for wake-up function. The ST70136 draws only 300mW in full operation, 5mW in low power mode, and 1mW in standby from +5V and +3.3V supplies. With its low power tone detector feature, the ST70136 allows wake-up of the modem from the DSLAM side, still fitting perfectly with USB power requirements. In addition to the two chips, ST also supplies a complete reference design packaged on a CD-ROM that contains schematics, bill of materials, PCB layout file, Windows USB driver and a hardware manual. The Unicorn shipping package also includes a complete set of software tools for Windows 98, 2000 and ME including PC software for modem control and communications protocols. Full ATM support is assured by the inclusion of drivers for PCI Interface, USB with ADSL modem control, and ATM devices. Configuration and diagnostic tools are also provided. Built and tested evaluation boards for the reference design are available. ST is a leading supplier of integrated circuits for wireline connectivity solutions, including modem chipsets for V.90, full-rate ADSL, G.Lite ADSL, Voice-over-IP, optical networks, data communications and analog line cards. For further information about Unicorn and other ST connectivity products visit www.st.com/connectivity. About STMicroelectronics STMicroelectronics is the world's third largest independent semiconductor company. The Company shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange. The Company designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) and discrete devices used in a wide variety of microelectronic applications, including telecommunications systems, computer systems, consumer products, automotive products and industrial automation and control systems. In 2000, the Company's net revenues were $7,813.2 million and net earnings were $1,452.1 million. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
||