NXP Introduces Industry’s First I2C-Bus Controllers Supporting New Ultra Fast-Mode Specification

By providing one very large 4.25-kB data buffer per channel and significantly reducing interrupts to the host processor, the PCx966x product family has been optimized for efficient I²C designs in repetitive data-intensive LED controller and stepper motor applications, such as those found in the gaming industry.

Invented by NXP (formerly Philips Semiconductors) over 30 years ago, the I²C bus has revolutionized chip-to-chip communications by replacing complex parallel interfaces with a straightforward yet powerful serial structure using a simple two-wire format. The I²C bus continues to be used extensively for system management and control in computing and enterprise equipment, and in portable and consumer applications, where it shrinks the IC footprint and leads to lower system costs. Operating at speeds of up to 5 MHz, the new Ultra Fast-mode (UFm) is a uni-directional push-pull serial bus ideally suited for driving LED controllers and other devices that do not require feedback. With its newest UFm and Fm+ bus controllers, NXP is significantly enhancing I²C performance for gaming systems such as Japanese pachinko and slot machines, by improving management of large, complex data transfers, and enabling stronger resistance to electrical shock attacks.

“Specialty games including pachinko and slot machines in Japan require very rugged solutions enabling extremely fast, complex and large data transfers with minimal disruptions to the host processor. By introducing I²C-bus controllers that can handle both Ultra Fast-mode and Fast-mode Plus, NXP is pushing the envelope in addressing the growing needs of this market,” said Stephen Blozis, international product marketing manager, Interface Products, NXP Semiconductors. “Capable of handling data transfers up to 5 Mbit/s, our new UFm bus controllers will significantly improve the performance of advanced gaming systems, and provide new architecture options for large LED displays.”

Key design benefits of the PCx966x I²C-bus controllers include:
-Easier programming of the microcontroller for repetitive, data-intensive applications
-Large data transfers resulting in fewer interrupts to the system microcontroller and a faster load cycle
-Ability to communicate with up to 64 slaves in a single serial sequence
-JTAG-enabled for boundary scan

Technical features of the new I²C UFm and Fm+ include:
-Parallel-bus to I²C-bus protocol converter and interface
-5 Mbit/s unidirectional data transfer on Ultra Fast-mode (UFm) channel(s) using push pull totem pole outputs
-1 Mbit/s bi-directional data transfer on Fast-mode Plus (Fm+) channel(s) using open drain outputs
-Individual 4352-byte buffers for each channel
-Sequence loop control feature that allows it to automatically retransmit a stored sequence
-Trigger input synchronizes serial communication exactly with external events