DALLAS (Jan. 23, 1996) -- Designers of PC expansion boards, such as fax/modems, memory or graphics cards, can include Plug and Play (PnP) capabilities with one of two new devices from Texas Instruments. The first device, a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/ Transmitter (UART), is the industry's first such device to include PnP capabilities. The second device allows a PC board the ability to interface with the Windows® 95 operating system through the PnP device.
With PnP capabilities, users are relieved of much of the re-configuration burden when an expansion board is added to a PC. The Windows 95 operating system and its BIOS recognize the requirements of PnP compatible boards or modules in the system and resources are automatically allocated to service them.
Designated the TL16PNP550A, TI's new PnP compatible UART completes the serial-to-parallel and parallel-to-serial data conversions needed for a PC's serial port. The TL16PNP550A has a simple three-pin interface to EEPROM memory where information needed during auto-configuration is stored. Due to internal FIFO's, it can buffer as much as 16 bytes of information. By buffering received and transmitted characters, the device can relieve the system's CPU from excessive software overhead. The TL16PNP550A also provides the board designer with a high degree of flexibility because it includes 10 interrupt pins.
The TL16PNP550A also features two bypass modes which will help facilitate the industry's transition to PnP capabilities. In PnP bypass mode, the TL16PNP550A's PnP capabilities are not used and the device simply functions as a UART. As PnP proliferates in the industry, the TL16PNP550A can be switched out of PnP bypass mode to function as a UART with PnP capabilities. In UART bypass mode, the TL16PNP550A simply functions as a PnP controller, allowing it to be used on other types of boards, such as graphics or sound cards, that don't need UART functionality.
The TL16PNP100A is a stand-alone PnP controller which supports two logical devices. It can be used on a PC board to provide PnP capabilities. The TL16PNP100A features a simple, three-pin interface to EEPROM memory where information needed during PnP's auto-configuration process is stored. This tri-state interface allows another on-board controller access to the EEPROM. The device has six interrupt pins and interfaces directly to the PC's ISA/AT bus.
The TL16PNP550A and TL16PNP100A are available now from TI and its authorized distributors. Suggested resale pricing in quantities of 1,000 begins at $5.60 for the 68-pin TL16PNP550A and at $3.00 for the 44-pin TL16PNP100A. Both devices come in Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier (PLCC) packaging.
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