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PCI-USB and PCI-ATA for embedded system

I'm looking for a PCI USB 1.1 host controller and a PCI-ATA controller that will satisfy the "Digi-Key test" (i.e. available no-questions-asked in small quantity) for a low-volume application. My perfect chip would be something like the Intel PIIX4, but like most PC chipsets, this is obsolete and/or unobtainable.

For USB, I've been down the list at

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and the only candidate appears to be the uPD720101 (USB 2.0) from NEC, which is available from Avnet. Is there another option?

For ATA, I haven't found a single part that is available at "retail". I've looked at everyone I can think of - Via, Opti, Silicon Image, Intel, ......

Reply to
larwe
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Have you looked at the AMD Geode Companion chip CS5535/6? It has PCI southbride, USB 1.1, ATA-5 and AC97. You might need some glue CPLD for your processor. If it works for you, it's $20 (qty 1) at arrow and $13 (qty 66) at avnet.

Reply to
linnix

You probably already know this, but ... the uPD720101 is the device used in the Linksys NSLU2 (~$50US). I know you just want the USB controller, but I thought I'd throw that out, since its such a nice little platform ;-)

--
Michael N. Moran           (h) 770 516 7918
5009 Old Field Ct.         (c) 678 521 5460
Kennesaw, GA, USA 30144    http://mnmoran.org

"So often times it happens, that we live our lives in chains
  and we never even know we have the key."
The Eagles, "Already Gone"

The Beatles were wrong: 1 & 1 & 1 is 1
Reply to
Michael N. Moran

It's also used in the Kuro Box and the related Linkstation products... :)

By the way, the thrust of this project is that I'm writing these articles for IBM on Linux-on-PPC using the Kuro Box. Now Revolution is basically out of business, I need to develop my own hardware platform, which I will make completely open-source.

Reply to
larwe

Hi!

No, I hadn't considered it as a candidate for anything other than a Geode-based system. My understanding was that it uses a very weird local bus for the link between CPU and CS553x, and it provides a PCI bus on the other side of the companion. I'll study the datasheet some more and see what I can learn, thanks for the pointer.

My selected CPU has a PCI bridge on-chip, so I was really looking for a simple "tie the right lines together" approach.

Reply to
larwe

well, then

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--
the penguins are psychotic
aka just smile and wave
Reply to
koko

That's a card, I need just the chip. I'm not implementing a PCI connector in my hardware platform.

Reply to
larwe

I know, but that card has exactly the same chip as Kuro, you can reuse the chip and throw away the card My guess is you wont find anything cheaper than this.

prewious link had it listed as out of stock, this one does have it

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--
the penguins are psychotic
aka just smile and wave
Reply to
koko

My understanding is that the CS553X acts as a special PCI device for configuration. The hardware is standard PCI. However, the configuration firmware is special, which is done in the uboot bios. In theory, it can be ported to the PPC.

It's easy enough hardware wise. Firmware might need some work.

Reply to
linnix

No, I'm not designing a product to use salvaged parts; the cost of cleaning, baking and repacking those parts ready for automated assembly would totally wipe out any price advantage, by the way. More importantly, next week I could order the same card and find a different chip on it. It's a nightmare - I've been part of a company that used consumer PC components in embedded systems, and I have the gray hairs to prove it.

Reply to
larwe

Ok, your "available no-questions-asked in small quantity" made me think you want few samples.

--
the penguins are psychotic
aka just smile and wave
Reply to
koko

Ah, understandable. The reason I specified this is that I don't really know what the volume will be - I anticipate making no more than 20 for myself, probably fewer than that - but the board _might_ be marketable as an off-the-shelf SBC, in which case I could do as many as 1K.

Reply to
larwe

Yummm. Dual-dual-core 970MP's SMP maybe? ;-) Perhaps one of those 3 core Xenon (Xbox 360) processors. Surely, IBM can set you up with those ;-)

Lots of GPIO and UARTs too ;-)

What? I never said I was *practical*...

--
Michael N. Moran           (h) 770 516 7918
5009 Old Field Ct.         (c) 678 521 5460
Kennesaw, GA, USA 30144    http://mnmoran.org

"So often times it happens, that we live our lives in chains
  and we never even know we have the key."
The Eagles, "Already Gone"

The Beatles were wrong: 1 & 1 & 1 is 1
Reply to
Michael N. Moran

The reason I'm using the Kuro Box is that it's very difficult to get free/loaner hardware or upfront cash out of IBM; it's much easier to invoice and get money on n/65 terms. Kuro is the first project I started with IBM, and I didn't want to invest too much in it, since I wasn't sure if I'd get my money back. It's easier to get $10,000 on a n/65 invoice than it is to get $50 up-front or the loan of an evaluation board, let me tell you.

Since I'm now comfortable with the cashflow issues, I'm going to invest rather more in this board. I am estimating that it will cost a few thousand to develop. But I have to be realistic about how much experience I have in these high-speed circuits - the fastest thing I've designed (not counting RF-related stuff) had a main bus speed of 33MHz and one very short 80MHz RAM bus going between a video IC and its framebuffer RAM.

So I'm looking at a 200MHz MPC8241 design, 128Mb SDRAM, 16Mb flash, two USB, two serial, and ATA (I'll probably run the ATA bus to a CompactFlash slot and a 44-pin IDE header).

I'm just about to post a more detailed description in the discussion forum for my Kuro article series, if you go to

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and right down the bottom click the "Participate in the discussion forum" link, you'll see it.

Reply to
larwe

and a 40 pins header? CD and DVD drives don't come in 44-pins header, only 40 pins.

128Mb SDRAM fixed, or as we say under-speced (sorry, I mean upgradable). We have need for at least 256M, and better with 512M. The SDRAM area is likely to give you the most headaches (and layers).
Reply to
linnix

This is designed for space constrained, battery powered applications, i.e. 2.5" hard disk (if any) and laptop CD-ROM drives. Standard adapters are available from 44-pin IDE to 50-pin standard slim CD-ROM connector.

You can obtain 4044 pin IDE adapter cables if you want to use 3.5" hard disks or desktop-size optical media drives.

:) Well, I figured 640K should be enough for any real application, so I expanded to 128Mb in order to be safe ;) Actually, my application is very happy in 64Mb.

I was originally looking at a SODIMM socket. However I've decided not to do this, mostly because of space requirements, partly because of the need to read out SPD and configure the memory controller appropriately. Easier firmware.

Remember that this board is designed for _my_ application and it is made open-source so if you need extra stuff in _your_ application, you can simply bolt it onto the schematic and lay out the board again . It's not intended to be a general-purpose SBC - if you can do what you need to do with it, then great, otherwise "use the source".

Reply to
larwe

I would not use 64 bits SODIMM on the PPC. However, we are planning on a 32 bits modules (66 pins, 2.5"x2.5") with 2 banks. At least you can choose between 128M or 256M. We are still debating whether to accept two modules (128M to 512M) or one (128M to 256M). The small modules has 6 signals (layers) and 4 planes, while the main board has 4 signals and 2 planes. That way, we can pay less for the 10 layers PCB.

Reply to
linnix

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