Aktivt kabel til Thunderbolt løsninger

Intersil har udviklet et kabel med integreret chipsæt, der gør et muligt at understøtte datahastigheder 20 Gbit/s i Thunderbolt baserede løsninger (in english).

Intersil has unveiled its active cable solution specifically designed to support Thunderbolt cables. As data rates in cables reach 10Gbps and beyond, the physical properties of thin cables cause significant signal impairment. In order to correct for signal impairment, complex high-speed transceiver ICs must be located within the connectors at each end of a cable. Thunderbolt ‘active cables’ are the first consumer examples of this trend which will become prevalent for high-speed interconnections in the coming years.

Intersil’s active cable system solution includes the ISL37231 – the industry’s fist 40nm active cable IC – and the ISL80083 companion power management IC.  Intersil’s solution provides two bi-directional channels with an aggregate transfer rate of 20Gbps. Users can easily interconnect Thunderbolt-enabled products with a single thin cable, and daisy-chain up to six devices.

- We’ve set the stage for an unprecedented low price point for Thunderbolt cable, says Roger Levinson, vice president & general manager for Intersil’s signal path products group.
- This will promote the simple, high-speed interconnection of peripherals that lead to enhanced digital experiences. Our 40nm technology reduces the cost of every variable in the cable manufacturing process, enabling the widespread adoption of Thunderbolt technology.

Simpler, smarter solution

Intersil’s ISL37231 high-speed signal processing IC, together with the ISL80083 power management IC, provides a complete and highly integrated solution. The embedded microcontroller and input rail selector greatly minimize the number of external components required for the production of a Thunderbolt cable, thereby reducing overall cost.

The ISL37231 provides the industry’s lowest power and highest performance for a broad range of inexpensive cable types including Shielded Twisted Pair (STP), Twinax and Microcoax. The ISL37231’s advanced features, which include media optimized adaptive equalization, de-emphasis and signal retiming, increase the robustness of inexpensive links that would otherwise be unreliable with simple retiming solutions.

As an integrated mini-Power Management IC (mini‐PMIC), Intersil’s ISL80083 is purpose-built to efficiently power the ISL37231 transceiver in Thunderbolt cables. The ISL80083 integrates a highly efficient 2.5MHz synchronous buck regulator, low power linear regulator, level shifters and input rail selector, and also contributes to a much lower solution cost