Industry’s Lowest-Power High-Speed USB 2.0 Controller Frees Next-Generation Peripherals from Corded Power Supplies

July 19, 2004

EZ-USB™ FX2LP Leverages New Process Technology to Enable a New Category of Video Streaming, Mass Storage and Personal Media Players Powered by the USB Bus

Cypress Semiconductor Corp., the market leader in USB, today began sampling EZ-USB™ FX2LP (CY7C6803A-X), the industry’s smallest, most power-efficient, high-speed USB 2.0 controller. This second-generation programmable controller takes advantage of a new advanced process technology for low-power USB devices developed by Cypress to slash power consumption by nearly 50 percent versus leading competitors. As a result, USB peripherals using the EZ-USB FX2LP controller, including mass storage devices and personal media players, are able to operate off of the power of the USB bus.

"Most USB peripherals require bulky external power sources," said Trevor Davis, product marketing manager for the wired business unit in Cypress’s Personal Communications Division. "Cypress’s EZ-USB FX2LP brings a new level of portability to these devices, providing users greater flexibility in their computing environment."

Featuring a data rate of 480 Mbps, 16 Kbytes of on-chip memory, and up to 40 programmable I/Os, Cypress’s EZ-USB FX2LP solution provides world-class design flexibility. There are also several package options, including a space-saving 8mm x 8mm QFN package, ideal for use in small form-factor mobile applications. To speed development, the FX2LP is pin-compatible with the EZ-USB FX2 and supported by a wide array of firmware, drivers and reference design tools targeting general-purpose USB and ATA-specific products, as well as those employing isochronous data transfers, video streaming and Microsoft’s Media Transfer Protocol. EZ-USB FX2LP is the first USB controller to be manufactured with Cypress’s new low-power architecture and technology. The company plans to release an entire family of low-power USB products throughout the year.

Davis said Cypress’s current generation product, EZ-USB FX2, is already well-entrenched in computing, video and mobile peripherals, including the world’s leading mass-storage devices and MP3/personal media players. "With more than 23 million chips already shipped into ATA and ATAPI-based designs, and more than 300 million total USB shipments, Cypress’s USB experience is unmatched," he said.

Pricing and Availability

Cypress’s EZ-USB FX2LP high-speed USB devices are sampling today and will be in production in October. The products will be priced starting at $4.45 in 10,000-unit quantities.

The original press release can be found here.