Cypress introduces low power USB and UART bridge controllers

     Cypress Semiconductor Corporation today announced the launch of a new EZ-USB USB-UART bridge controller (CY7C64225) to further enrich its market-leading USB product portfolio. This new device provides a low-cost, low-power solution capable of converting a traditional UART (Universal Asynchronous Transceiver) interface into a full-speed USB 2.0 interface. The new solution eliminates the need for additional firmware or software development, significantly accelerating the time-to-market process and helping system manufacturers reduce development costs.

     EZ-USB The USB-UART bridge controller provides sleep currents as low as 6 µA. In addition, it has numerous power management features such as USB remote wake-up, device enumeration signal, and both bus and self-powered modes, which can help manufacturers fully meet the requirements of the USB-IF standard. The device also incorporates a clock generator, eliminating the need for external crystals, which significantly reduces bill of materials costs and saves board space.

     Badri Kothandaraman, Executive Vice President, Data Communications Business Unit, Cypress, said: "The EZ-USB USB-UART Bridge controller is the first device in the USB-UART bridge product family. "We have adequately addressed the power issues that are most important to designers and have provided a complete and easy-to-design solution for applications that require low power consumption, such as small printers, USB-UART cables and industrial systems."

     The EZ-USB USB-UART bridge controller uses 128 bytes of programmable memory to configure device parameters including vendor and product ids, string descriptors, and power modes (self-powered or bus-powered). A software configuration program can be used to help customers modify the above parameters via the USB port. In addition, Cypress offers drivers for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit versions.