Bridge chip speeds Bluetooth product roll out

Combining a high performance UART and a Compact Flash / PCMCIA interface on a single chip and handling a data rate up to 15Mbps in asynchronous mode, the OXCF950 bridge chip supports latest and future generation Bluetooth product developments.

Provided by Oxford Semiconductor in the ultra low profile 48 pin TQFP package, and simply integrated with a Bluetooth RF transceiver module, the device offers a low cost solution for add-in card design. A mode pin selects PCMCIA or Compact Flash operation, while the choice of UART or Local Bus connection is an added option in PCMCIA mode.

To shorten time to market, the OXCF950's single UART channel is software compatible with industry standard 16C550 and Oxford's own 16C950 product families. And with an integral 128 byte deep transmit and receive FIFO to reduce CPU overhead, the OXCF950 can accommodate data rates up to 60Mbps in isochronous mode.

The OXCF950 bridge chip design has been based on a true 5V tolerant 3.3V process and as a result, requires no external regulation to operate comfortably in both high and low voltage environments, a requirement of the PC Card specification.

To aid OEM product differentiation, a Microwirea compatible EEPROM interface allows the programming of device attribute memory, UART and local configuration registers during power up or hard / soft reset. By doing so, card manufacturers have the means to configure the device to match the precise needs of their own particular application.

The OXCF950 complements Oxford Semiconductor's existing OXCB950 bridge chip solution integrating the UART channel with a Cardbus / PCI interface.