VIA Fire IIM VT6308P/S 1394 Host Controller

A complete small package single chip PCI solution for high-speed, low power seamless plug and play connections to the latest IEEE 1394 enabled devices.

The IEEE 1394 high-speed serial bus (known as 'Firewire™') is a leading PCI peer-to-peer interconnect system and is widely acclaimed as the primary interface for digital audio and video applications. The IEEE 1394a specification enables hot-pluggable high volume connections to PC peripherals such as printers and hard disk drives, multimedia appliances, and consumer electronics devices such as game consoles and video cameras.

The VIA Fire IIM VT6308P/S is a single-chip, low power 2-port IEEE 1394 host controller providing PC systems with high speed, flexible connectivity to a wide range of peripherals and consumer electronics. Supporting the latest high speed IEEE 1394a standards, the VIA VT6308P/S can detect connected device types and automatically configure data speeds to 100, 200, or 400 Mbps, transmitting both asynchronous and isochronous (real-time) data packets.

With an integrated physical and link layer, the VIA VT6308P/S is equipped with 32-bit PCI bus interface that features advanced power management, and cardbus support. On-board chip logic performs bus initialization and arbitration functions allowing for easy plug-and-play connections, and a DMA engine supports high performance data transfer for media disk drives.

The VIA VT6308 is compliant with the latest IEEE 1394 standards with full 1394a P2000 support, and has an OHCI compliant programming interface with support for I2C EEPROMs and 4-Wire Serial ROMs. The VIA VT6308P/S has VIA and OHCI software driver support built into all recent Microsoft® Windows® operating systems.

To minimize power consumption the VIA VT6308P/S has a programmable PCI power management mode that shuts down power to unconnected ports, while a sleep function maximizes the power efficiency of connected ports. The chip is manufactured using a low power 0.20 micron process to further reduce operating power requirements.

Combining the single chip design with a powerful feature set, the VIA VT6308P/S is the ideal solution for OEMs and motherboard manufacturers looking for a small package, low power and cost effective controller solution to add IEEE 1394 connectivity to their product line-up.

Benefits of VIA 1394 VT6308P/S

Simplicity
Single chip design with full 'plug and play' capabilities for integration into PC systems and consumer electronics, equipped with an Open HCI interface and logic to perform bus initialization and arbitration functions.

Flexibility
Features 2 ports supporting transmission rates up to 400 Mbps enabling the use of multiple high bandwidth peripherals running simultaneously.

Energy Efficiency
Low power consumption is provided by an improved 0.20 micron manufacturing process, enhanced by a programmable PCI power management mode with sleep function for connected ports and inactive port disabling.

Compatibility
Interoperability with IEEE 1394-1995 devices, and full P1394a 4.0 supplement support, with VIA and OHCI driver software support incorporated into the leading operating systems.

Ideal for Mobile Applications
Available in a compact 14x14 LQFP small package for integration into devices with constrained board space, such as laptops and small form factor PCI devices. Also available as a 14x20 package in PQFP format, offering complete flexibility to OEMs.

Key Features

» Single Chip PCI Host Controller with 2 ports for IEEE 1394-1995 and IEEE 1394a-2000
» Embedded 1394 Link Core

    - Dual buffer mode enhancements

    - Skip Processing enhancements

    - Block Read Request handling

    - 32 bit CRC generator and checker for receive and transmit data
» 32-Bit Power-Managed PCI Bus Interface

   - Compliant with PCI specification v2.3

   - Compliant with PCI Bus Power Management Specification v1.1
» Integrated 400 Mbit 2-Port PHY

   - Provides two 1394a fully compliant cable ports at 100 / 200 / 400 Mbit per second

   - Supports provisions of IEEE 1394-1995 Standard for High Performance Serial Bus 1.0 and       1394a-2000

   - Full 1394a P2000 support

   - Logic performs bus initialization and arbitration functions

   - 2KV ESD protection
» Supports I2C EEPROM and 4-Wire Serial ROM with GUID PROM Shadow to EEPROM.
» Supports Shadow EEPROM mechanism for EEPROM-less application.
» Supports repeater mode
» 3.3V Power Supply with 5V Tolerant Inputs
» Integrated 3.3V to 2.5V Regulator
» 128-Pin 14x20 PQFP (VT6308P)
» 128-Pin 14x14 LQFP (VT6308S)
» PCB Reference Designs & Schematics Available