Nov. 12, 2001
INITIO CORP. INTRODUCES ITS FASTEST 1394 "FIREWIRE" BRIDGE CONTROLLER
INIC-1430 with Integrated Processor Provides Data Transfers up to 400MB/sec.; Complete Demonstration at Comdex/Fall
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Nov. 12, 2001 -- Initio Corp., a leading maker of input/output (I/O) solutions for storage systems and peripherals, today announced the Initio® INIC-1430, Initio's fastest bridge controller to date, providing the IEEE 1394 “FireWire” interface to new and existing storage and consumer drives. With data transfers of up to 400MB/sec., the cost-effective INIC-1430 single-chip bridge controller enables peripheral and drive-enclosure manufacturers to develop high-speed 1394 solutions for applications such as digital video, imaging and data storage -- all with plug-and-play ease of use.
Featuring an integrated 1394 core, microprocessor and ATA interface, the INIC-1430 delivers all the necessary I/O components in a single ASIC. The chip enables manufacturers either to design new 1394-interface drives, such as disk, DVD, removable and CD-RW devices, or bridge existing designs to the 1394 interface via drive enclosures using the INIC-1430. Additional industrial and consumer applications include scanners, printers and video cameras. The INIC-1430's flexibility in design and the array of applications it supports combine to provide manufacturers a significant time-to-market advantage in delivering 1394 solutions, while taking advantage of the rapidly growing availability of 1394-equipped computers and servers
Initio will provide a live demonstration of the INIC-1430 at Comdex/Fall, November 10-15, Las Vegas. Manufactures requesting a personal demonstration can call Initio (1.800.99INITIO) to schedule an appointment.
Successful Partnerships in Growing Market
"The INIC-1430 represents the next phase in Initio's 1394-controller program, in which we've successfully partnered with leading manufacturers to develop 1394-enabled drives and other peripherals," said Eric Wilson, director of business development at Initio. "We envision those manufacturers to design and market even more powerful industrial and consumer-oriented 1394 solutions with the INIC-1430."
The 1394 market shows steady growth, according to industry research. Cahners In-Stat Group estimates the market for computers and peripherals equipped with the 1394 interface will grow to 112 million in 2004.
Integration, Array of Support, Firmware Support
The INIC-1430's integrated design and support for various interfaces provides an ideal interconnect between proven drive designs and the FireWire interface. Key features include:
• Performs 1394a Cycle Master
• Integrated microprocessor
• Supports asynchronous transfers at 100, 200 and 400 Mb/sec.
• UDMA 100/66/33, DMA mode 0-2
• Supports Serial Bus Protocol-2 (SBP-2)
• Supports industry-standard physical layer
• Separate command-in/command-out and page-table buffers for optimum performance
• Seamless integration of variety of drive types
The INIC-1430's SBP-2-compliant firmware is store in an external Flash ROM. The firmware extracts ATA, MMC-2 and RBC command sets from the SBP-2 transport layer and passes them to the ATA device. It controls the transmission and reception of data. The multiple transmit and receive FIFOs and DMA channels allow the INIC-1430 to handle transfers of asynchronous data and act as a bus bridge between the host bus and 1394 interface.
Availability and Pricing
The INIC-1430 is sampling now and will be available in December in 128-pin LQFP package for $8 in volume quantity. Contact Initio Corp. at 408.577.1919 or 800.99INITIO (800.994-6486).
Initio Corp. (www.initio.com) is a privately held maker of input/output solutions for the information-technology industry. Founded in 1994, Initio is based in San Jose, Calif.
Initio is a trademark of Initio Corporation, which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Editorial contact:
Jerry Steach
CommonGround Communications
(for Initio Corp.)
650.967.3071
jsteach@pacbell.net
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