Ubicom Adds 2 MCUs to IP2000 Wireless Series

By Bernard Cole
iApplianceWeb
(02/17/03, 04:00:29 PM EDT)

Mountain View, Ca. -- Ubicom, Inc. has begun sampling on two new IP2000 wireless network MCUs for use in embedded networking applications deploying 802.11a/b/g wireless local area networks (WLANs) and connected electronic devices.

The two new products include the IP2022-160, a 160 Megahertz (MHz) version of the popular IP2022, and the IP2012, a feature-specific low-cost variation of the IP2022, which is targeted at the much lower bills of materials (BOMs) required for designs in wireless networking equipment and electronic devices targeting the small business, small office/home office (SOHO) and home markets.

By increasing the clock speed of the IP2022 processor, the architecture is able to boost its TCP/IP and UDP performance by as much as 33 percent. In networked client application tests, the company said, the 120 MHz IP2022 and IP2012 processors operate at full 802.11b and 10base-T Ethernet data rates, with MIPS to spare.

The 160 MHz IP2022 provides an additional 40 MIPS for applications requiring extra bandwidth, such as streaming media or higher data rate 802.11g/802.11a-based solutions. With tailored features for cost-sensitive applications, such as entry-level 802.11b Ethernet bridge, access point, and device networking products, the company says the new IP2012 derivative delivers an average 10 percent reduction in system BOM cost when compared to products using the original IP2022 processor.

With line-speed performance at up to one-half the cost, using one-third the power in one-tenth the footprint of competing technologies, all IP2000 family products feature a deterministic microprocessor architecture that uses an enhanced, 4-stage-pipelined Harvard architecture, single-cycle instruction execution and a fixed, deterministic three-cycle interrupt response time.

Like its 120 MHz predecessor, the new IP2 features two serializer/deserializer (SerDes) units and an external SRAM controller. At the other end of the family, the new IP2012 operates at 120 MHz, but includes only one SerDes unit and no external SRAM controller. Ubicom will continue to offer the original 120 MHz IP2022 processor, reducing the price by 25 percent.

Sampling new, the new controllers are scheduled to be available in production quantities by the end of the quarter with pricing in 100,000 unit quantities set at $7 each for the IP2012-120; $8 each for the P2022-120; and $9 each for the IP2022-160.

The Universal Device Networking Kit and Advanced Wireless Kit are currently available with kit updates for these new processors becoming available starting in February.

For more information about this product, go to www.ubicom.com.

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