Teridian Semiconductor Corp. announced sample availability of a high performance Fast Ethernet Controller for embedded applications. The 78Q8430 targets consumer electronics and industrial applications that require high performance, and ease of use, while limiting the burden on the host processor.

Ethernet is a high bandwidth, low-cost networking technology that is used frequently by system designers of consumer electronic devices such as set-top boxes, digital televisions, and digital video recorders as well as multi function printer/fax applications, which will allow current generation host processors networking connectivity using a generic 8, 16, or 32-bit Bus interface.

"With the explosive growth of voice, video and data connectivity to the consumer, we believe the 78Q8430, with its minimal host processor overhead capabilities is well positioned to give system designers a cost effective networking solution," said Gerald Fitch, President & Chief Executive Officer of Teridian Semiconductor Corp.

The 78Q8430 with integrated hardware IPChecksum and 32KB of configurable SRAM is ideal for applications where network throughput performance cannot compromise the low latency or performance requirements of mission critical functions like audio or video processing. Many original equipment manufacturers are adding Ethernet connectivity to their products and finding they may not always be able to afford the additional processing overhead needed to provide a reasonable level of network performance. By providing dedicated hardware support for processor intensive functions and large 32KB buffers, system designers using the 78Q8430 can quickly achieve network throughput performance without spending significant development hours optimizing code.

At the network side, the 78Q8430 interfaces to UTP cabling via a transformer and RJ45 connector. With full 802.3 auto-negotiation and support for HP Auto-MDIX, connection with any LAN device is assured.

Pricing and Availability

Samples of the 78Q8430, as well as Evaluation Kits are available now, with production volumes expected later this year. In addition, device drivers for the 78Q8430 are available from Teridian for multiple processors and operating systems. For pricing information contact any Teridian sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor, or visit Teridian''s Web site at http://www.teridian.com/sales.