New Widebus+™ logic speeds throughput on 36-bit bus interface

A new Widebus+ family of advanced bus interface logic from Texas Instruments increases system throughput by providing a 36-bit bus interface, the industry's widest bandwidth available in bus logic.

The highly integrated devices also simplify system design and increase reliability by elimina-ting the need for other discrete components. Applications include high-performance workstations, networking and telecommunications systems.

"The Widebus+ devices extend what we've done with our other advanced BiCMOS technology (ABT) families, such as the octals and Widebus devices," said Mark Bode, strategic marketing specialist for TI's advanced bus interface products. "One of our chief objectives for the Widebus+ family was to ease the designer's task by incorporat-ing several innovative capabilities in one package."

For interfacing a microprocessor or DSP to memory, or driving a backplane bus, the Widebus+ devices offer:

• High speed (5-ns propagation delay)
• Low power consumption and switching noise
• The ability to drive a large electrical load

Functions include:

• Transparent bus
• Registered bus
• Latched bus
• Clocked bus
• Universal bus
• Multiplexing
• Memory interleaving

A bus hold feature on data inputs lets Widebus+ parts retain the last known state of the bus, eliminating the need for discrete pull-up resistors.

In addition, board layouts are simplified by pin-compatible side mountings that allow Widebus+ devices on either side of a printed circuit board to share control lines.

The devices allow live insertion by incorporating a low leakage current that prevents an inserted board from draining the current from a live backplane.

The first five devices in the Widebus+ family are available now from Texas Instruments and from TI's authorized distributors.

January 1995, vol. 12, no.1

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