USB 3.0 transceiver boasts 'lighthing-fast' transfers

Texas Instruments Inc. has launched a SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) transceiver capable of lightning-fast data transfers when compared to USB High-Speed devices (USB 2.0).

Featuring receiver sensitivity that is twice as good as required by the USB 3.0 specification, the TUSB1310's PIPE3 and ULPI interfaces enable USB 3.0 functionality when used in conjunction with the integrated application processor digital cores. The 5Gbit/s USB 3.0 PHY transceiver operates from a single crystal or external reference clock with selectable frequencies from 20-, 25-, 30- and 40MHz. This allows the TUSB1310 to provide a cost-effective USB 3.0 solution with few external components and minimum implementation cost.

"End users are demanding the ability to store huge photo and high-definition video files on their portable consumer devices with ease and speed," said Steve Anderson, senior VP over TI's high-performance analog business unit. "The TUSB1310 is capable of completing data transfers of a 27Gbit Blu-ray disk in less than 90 seconds, versus nearly 15 minutes with USB 2.0. Using TI's complete SuperSpeed USB portfolio, engineers can design faster, more cost-effective and user-friendly consumer products for today and in the future."

The TUSB1310 supports many applications, including surveillance cameras, multimedia handsets, smart phones, digital still cameras, portable media players, personal navigation devices, audio docks, video IP phones, wireless IP phones and software defined radios. TI offers an expansive portfolio of SuperSpeed USB devices. Key available devices are the SN65LVPE502, a dual-channel USB 3.0 redriver/equalizer; the TPD2EUSB30, a two-channel ESD solution for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface; and the highly accurate TPS25xx series of USB power switches. Future offerings include peripherals, bridges, hubs, and hosts.

The devices feature receiver sensitivity of less than 50mV differential peak-to-peak for detecting weak signals, which is twice as good as the specification requirement, allowing use of longer cables and easing board layout challenges. The transceivers include flexible, integrated spread-spectrum clocking that can reduce BOM cost by five percent or more. In addition, industry-standard link layer interfaces (PIPE3 for USB 3.0 & ULPI for USB 2.0 compatibility) enable easy system integration to a wide variety of attached digital cores.

The TUSB1310, TPD2EUSB30 and SN65LVPE502 are available now from TI and its authorized distributors. The TUSB1310 is packaged in a 175BGA and pricing starts at $6 in 1,000-unit quantities; the TPD2EUSB30 is packaged in a SOT (DRT) and pricing starts at $0.15 in 1,000-unit quantities; and the SN65LVPE502 is packaged in a QFN and pricing starts at $4.25 in 1,000-unit quantities.