SANTA CLARA, CA — National Semiconductor Corporation's two new low-power, high-performance buffer/repeaters for low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) systems extend the signal reach of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) across backplanes and cables in telecom, datacom, industrial, medical, automotive and office imaging applications.

The DS90LV004 and SCAN90004 1.5-Gbps, four-channel buffers include configurable output pre-emphasis, hot-plug protection and 15 kV of electro-static discharge (ESD) protection. For designers who want to implement system-level test, the SCAN90004 features IEEE 1149.6 (JTAG) testability.

“The DS90LV004 and SCAN90004 dramatically improve the performance of a wide variety of designs driving high-speed signals,” said Jeff Waters, product line director for National Semiconductor's interface division. “In FPGA- and ASIC-based designs, for example, these buffers minimize simultaneous switching noise issues, improve ESD protection, and deliver higher-speed and longer-reach signals over lower-cost cables and backplanes.”

The four-channel DS90LV004 drives up to four LVDS clock and/or data channels over common backplanes or simple cable configurations. The wide differential input range interfaces to LVDS, low voltage positive-emitter-coupled logic (LVPECL) or current mode logic (CML). Output levels are fully LVDS compliant. The DS90LV004 operates at data rates up to 1.5 Gbps and includes configurable output pre-emphasis that allows the designer to “overdrive” the outputs to compensate for a lossey interconnect. In power-sensitive applications, a power-down mode minimizes power consumption when all four channels of a single device are not active — in redundancy applications, for example.

The SCAN90004 has the same features as the DS90LV004, and also includes IEEE standard 1149.1 and 1149.6 (JTAG) testability to verify high-speed differential connections in the system. These JTAG-accessible features extend the capability of an existing system or board-level JTAG bus to high-speed mixed-signal environments. The DS90LV004 and SCAN90004 are available now in a 48-pin TQFP.

In 1,000-unit quantities, the DS90LV004 is priced at $4.95 and the SCAN90004 with JTAG is priced at $5.20. An evaluation board and lead-free package options are also available. Click here for the DS90LV004 data sheet, or here for the SCAN90004 data sheet.

National Semiconductor Corporation, +1 800-272-9959, http:// lvds.national.com.