Cypress Introduces Low-Power USB-to-UART Bridge Controller

No additional firmware/software development effort is needed to use the new solution, reducing time-to-market and development costs for system manufacturers.

The EZ-USB USB-UART Bridge Controller offers sleep currents as low as 6 µA. It also has other power management features such as USB remote wake-up, device enumeration signaling and both bus- and self-powered modes. These features enable manufacturers to meet USB-IF standards. The device also includes an integrated clock generator that eliminates the need for an external crystal, reducing BOM cost and board space.

“The EZ-USB USB-UART Bridge Controller is the first device in a family of USB to serial bridge products,” said Badri Kothandaraman, Executive Vice President of the Data Communications Division at Cypress. “We have addressed the issue that designers have told us is most important—power consumption—and delivered a complete, easy-to-design solution for applications that require low power such as small-form-factor printers, USB-UART cables and industrial systems.”

The EZ-USB USB-UART Bridge Controller incorporates 128 bytes of programmable memory to configure device parameters including vendor and product IDs, string descriptors and power mode (self-powered or bus-powered). A software configuration utility is available that assists customers to modify these parameters via the USB port. Cypress also provides a driver for use with 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

The CY7C64225 is in full production today and available for ordering from Cypress and its distribution partners. It is offered in a 28-pin SSOP package that can be mounted on a two-layer printed circuit board.