The programmable Hard Disk Drive (HDD) controller expands the PXA2xx processor's native interface set to communicate with IDE-based HDDs, QuickLogic says. In consumer electronic products, particularly multimedia players, "processor bandwidth is a precious commodity," according to the company. By embedding dedicated sector buffers, and by offloading the overhead of IDE timing and polling operations from the PXA processor, the controller chip is saves PXA processor bandwidth for other concurrent tasks.
In addition to the chip itself, QuickLogic is offering a "complete HDD Solution Pack" that includes a daughtercard compatible with the Intel PXA270-based Processor Developer's Kit (the "Mainstone" DVK) and a complete Board Support Package (BSP) for the use with Microsoft's Windows CE and Windows Mobile operating systems. The daughter card supports all IDE-compatible HDDs, including the 1.8- and 1.0-inch form-factor miniature disk drives optimized for space- and power-constrained consumer products.
"Small form-factor storage (HDD) is a key element for today's latest embedded handheld applications where a very large amount of storage of data and rich media is required, such as portable media players and navigation systems," noted Scott Dunagan, Intel's Director of Marketing for embedded PXA2XX products.
QuickLogic says that the uWatt programmable controller is part of a larger strategy to provide low power connectivity between the PXA2XX family of processors and a range of emerging networking, storage, and media processing technologies that target portable and handheld markets. The company
recently announced a programmable bridge chip that integrates PCI-based peripherals such as Wi-Fi chipsets, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) devices and Ethernet controllers into PXA2XX-based embedded systems.
Related stories:
