PCIe-to-USB 2.0 Host Controller Bridge

PLX Technology, Inc., supplier of PCI Express (PCIe) switch and bridge silicon and software with over four million units shipped, unveiled the OXPCIe200, a high-performance PCIe-to-USB 2.0 host controller bridge. Because of the wide adoption of both PCIe and USB, the PLX OXPCIe200 is ideal for a broad range of applications including industrial control, PC peripherals, ExpressCard modules, point-of-sale terminals, servers, communications systems, and embedded designs.

              Communications Application of PCIe to USB

The OXPCIe200 is a unique device as it provides a single-chip solution for multiple-interface needs, thus replacing multi-chip solutions that add to the BOM cost, consume more power and require valuable board space. This advanced multi-port PCIe bridge offers serial connectivity comprised of two USB 2.0 host ports, SPI or SRAM interface, a 950 UART port, GPIOs and Rx/Tx FIFOs. The highly integrated device delivers up to 62.5Mb/s data throughput, while its advanced system management architecture substantially reduces CPU and system overhead. Other key features of the OXPCIe200 include a low power requirement of 300mW, a small footprint (9x9mm) Thin Array Plastic Package (TAPP), and support for industrial temperature.

The OXPCIe200 uses operating system-native USB drivers and dedicated PLX device drivers that are quality-assured, exhaustively tested and Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL)-approved. The device is PCI-SIG® PCI Express specification-compliant – having successfully completed the organization’s comprehensive interoperability compliance testing procedures – and is listed on the group’s approved Integrators List.

Empowering designers with time- and cost-saving tools, PLX’s Oxide software development kit accelerates product development and time-to-market by enabling designers to customize serial connectivity devices such as the OXPCIe200 in minutes. Oxide requires no software expertise and offers an intuitive graphical user interface for simple point-and-click selection with sensible text box entry for fast, error-free customization without resorting to source-code editing. Making specific product customizations is a simple matter of checking boxes and filling out text in the Oxide GUI.

“PLX has extensive market experience with PCI Express and USB interconnects, and bridging the two technologies now opens new opportunities for designers to channel the high-speeds of multiple end-points,” said David Raun, vice president of marketing and business development, PLX. “Our charter is to continue product leadership in PCI Express Gen 1 and Gen 2 and USB 2.0, while at the same time applying that expertise to next-generation interconnects, PCI Express 3.0 and USB 3.0.”

“When an industry-wide interconnect need is met with a device such as the OXPCIe200, a much wider range of designs can be realized,” said Brian O’Rourke, principal analyst at market researcher In-Stat. “PLX Technology, by blending PCI Express and USB 2.0 into a single-chip host controller and providing a multiple-interface solution, is addressing a pronounced need among system and board makers across multiple market segments.”

Pricing and Availability
The OXPCIe200 is in full production today with volume prices at $7.65.