Conexant Surges Forward with Modem Technology

By Susan Hospod
iApplianceWeb
(11/27/01, 01:09:07 AM EDT)

Conexant Systems has begun shipping the world's fastest single-chip cable modem and supporting reference designs. The latest in their InfoSurge family of cable modems, the CX24943 uses a highly integrated design and advanced process and packaging technology to consume as little as half the power of alternative solutions while occupying half the board space.

Conexant's CX24943 is a single monolithic system-on-a-chip (SoC) digital cable modem IC that is based on Conexant's previous-generation CN9414 single-chip cable modem, and was developed using leading-edge CMOS process technology and advanced packaging techniques.

The single-chip CX24943 cable modem combines a unique dual-processing engine and advanced software architecture to deliver 29,000 packets per second throughput regardless of packet size. This enables it to maintain the full coaxial cable line rate of 38 Mbps even with packets as small as 160 bytes while supporting Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) and EuroDOCSIS 1.0 and 1.1 standards.

The device was designed into the industry's smallest single-chip cable modem package, a 17mm x 17mm 228-pin plastic ball grid array (PBGA) that cuts power dissipation to an industry-low 500mW typical.

Product applications supported by the InfoSurge CX24943 device include Ethernet and/or Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable modems, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) modems, as well as Computer Controlled Cable Modems (CCCMs), multifunction home-networking products, set-top box solutions, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) equipment, and Internet Protocol (IP) telephony products.

Additionally, its aggregate of more than 405 MIPs of dual, on-board processing power is capable of supporting a number of software applications used in broadband router products. These applications include security firewalls, advanced bridging and routing protocols, Network Access Translation (NAT), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers, and wireless 802.11b access points, eliminating the need for external microcontrollers.

Conexant's CX24943 cable modem contains an embedded dual-processor engine consisting of an ARM9 application processor running at 225 MHz and a second ARM9 Media Access Controller (MAC) processor running at 144 MHz. All system functionality is partitioned between the application software and the cable MAC processing tasks.

Using the CX24943's dual-processor architecture and an enhanced release of the InfoSurge DOCSIS software architecture, Conexant has boosted CPU clock rates by 40 percent and increased downstream packet throughput performance threefold. Conexant's enhanced InfoSurge DOCSIS/EuroDOCSIS 1.0/1.1 application software can also be used to upgrade deployed InfoSurge cable modem devices for improved performance and functionality. In addition, Conexant's previous cable-modem software is fully compatible with the new CX24943 device, enabling customers to reuse earlier, certified code.

Customers can utilize the CX24943 product to support multiple worldwide standards, proprietary specifications, and application-specific requirements both at the cable MAC and software applications layer. Cable operators can also download feature enhancements into field-deployed solutions, minimizing truck rolls and equipment obsolescence.

The chip includes an embedded IEEE 802.3 10/100 MAC with a Media Independent Interface (MII) that provides direct access to home networking products including HomePlug powerline and HomePNA phoneline networking devices. Additionally, it includes a USB 1.1 transceiver for easy plug-and-play installations, and a host interface to accommodate IP telephony, as well as IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11a wireless networking standards.

Conexant's CX24943 reference designs provide complete DOCSIS/ EuroDOCSIS 1.0/1.1-capable cable modem solutions for Ethernet/USB or PCI applications, allowing manufacturers to quickly bring products to market. The CX24943 reference designs also use Conexant's advanced CN2811 silicon tuner to provide superior performance for DOCSIS/EuroDOCSIS 1.1 applications.

The reference design kits include Conexant's proven InfoSurge DOCSIS/EuroDOCSIS 1.0/1.1-capable software, which meet the specific network requirements of @Home and Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) for Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 1998, and Windows NT.

Conexant's CX24943 single-chip cable modem is shipping to customers now. The device is packaged in a 17mm x 17mm 228-pin PBGA and is priced at $26.50 in quantities of 10,000.

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