CS8900A
Crystal LAN™ ISA Ethernet Controller
1.3 Key Features and Benefits
older I/O-space designs, PacketPage is faster, sim-
pler and more efficient.
1.3.1 Very Low Cost
To boost performance further, the CS8900A in-
cludes several key features that increase throughput
and lower CPU overhead, including:
The CS8900A is designed to provide the lowest-
cost Ethernet solution available for embedded ap-
plications, portable motherboards, non-ISA bus
systems and adapter cards. Cost-saving features in-
clude:
•
StreamTransfer cuts up to 87% of interrupts to
the host CPU during large block transfers.
•
Integrated RAM eliminates the need for expen-
sive external memory chips.
•
Auto-Switch DMA allows the CS8900A to
maximize throughput while minimizing missed
frames.
•
On-chip 10BASE-T filters allow designers to
use simple isolation transformers instead of
more costly filter/transformer packages.
•
•
Early interrupts allow the host to preprocess in-
coming frames.
•
•
•
•
The serial EEPROM port, used for configura-
tion and initialization, eliminates the need for
expensive switches and jumpers.
On-chip buffering of full frames cuts the
amount of host bandwidth needed to manage
Ethernet traffic.
The CS8900A is designed to be used on a 2-
layer circuit board instead of a more expensive
multilayer board.
1.3.3 Low Power and Low Noise
For low power needs, the CS8900A offers three
power-down options: Hardware Standby, Hard-
ware Suspend, and Software Suspend. In Standby
mode, the chip is powered down with the exception
of the 10BASE-T receiver, which is enabled to lis-
ten for link activity. In either Hardware or Software
Suspend mode, the receiver is disabled and power
consumption drops to the micro-ampere range.
The 8900A-based solution offers the smallest
footprint available, saving valuable printed cir-
cuit board area.
A set of certified software drivers is available at
no charge, eliminating the need for costly soft-
ware development.
In addition, the CS8900A has been designed for
very low noise emission, thus shortening the time
required for EMI testing and qualification.
1.3.2 High Performance
The CS8900A is a full 16-bit Ethernet controller
designed to provide optimal system performance
by minimizing time on the ISA bus and CPU over-
head per frame. It offers equal or superior perfor-
mance for less money when compared to other
Ethernet controllers. The CS8900A’s PacketPage
architecture allows software to select whichever
access method is best suited to each particular
CPU/ISA-bus configuration. When compared to
1.3.4 Complete Support
The CS8900A comes with a suite of software driv-
ers for immediate use with most industry standard
network operating systems. In addition, complete
evaluation kits and manufacturing packages are
available, significantly reducing the cost and time
required to produce new Ethernet products.
CIRRUS LOGIC PRODUCT DATA SHEET
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