Turnkey solution to bridge a USB host and an SPI bus

A high-performance bridge controller with driver support for Windows, OS X and Linux operating systems, Silicon Labs’ new CP2130 provides industry-leading data throughput, exceptional configurability and a high level of mixed-signal integration. Operating over a temperature range from -40°C to +85°C, the CP2130 incorporates on-chip functions and peripherals which eliminate the requirement for external components. This saves both bill of materials cost and board space.

Geir Førre, senior vice president and general manager of Silicon Labs’ Microcontroller product, comments: “More and more developers rely on Silicon Labs’ cost-effective, easy-to-use USB smart interface solutions to eliminate the complexities associated with adding USB to embedded systems. We designed the new CP2130 USB-to-SPI bridge controller with simplicity in mind, creating a highly integrated interface solution that provides developers with everything they need to add USB while reducing cost, complexity and time to market.”

With the increasing adoption of USB in the embedded market, developers need cost-effective solutions which accelerate time-to-market. Silicon Labs' CP21xx bridge family aims to meet these needs: it enables developers to add USB functionality to their applications without requiring USB software, firmware or hardware domain expertise typically required with more complex alternatives. Completing the popular CP21xx Smart Interface portfolio, the CP2130 bridge controller adds SPI to the roster of USB-to-UART, I2C/SMBus and I2S interface solutions.

The CP2130 features: a USB 2.0 full-speed controller and transceiver; a highly configurable SPI controller which can communicate with up to 11 SPI slave devices down to 1.8 V; 348-byte programmable memory; crystal-less USB operation; and an integrated 5 V voltage regulator rated at 100 mA. Communicating with a wide range of SPI slave devices, the integrated SPI controller uses any of its 11 GPIO pins as chip-selects or configuring them for alternate functions that can be used to eliminate external circuitry and components. The fastest full-speed USB bridge controller on the market, it offers up to 6.6 Mbps read throughput and 5.8 Mbps write throughput.

Available now in a compact 4 mm x 4mm 24QFN package, the CP2130 USB-to-SPI bridge chip is available now for sampling and in production quantities. Pricing starts from $1.23 (USD) each in 10,000-unit quantities. Silicon Labs also offers the CP2130EK USB-to-SPI evaluation kit, priced at $20 (USD MSRP). This enables complete evaluation and customization of the CP2130 controller.