NEWS RELEASE

Release Date: 29 August, 1999

Editorial Contact: Bill Goodale, Macrolink Inc., ) 714.777.8800, Fax 714.777.8807

CompactPCI High-Speed Asynchronous Serial I/O card for High-Density Applications

Anaheim, CA, 8/29/99 --- Macrolink, Inc. announces the immediate availability of the MCCS "Sierra" high-speed asynchronous serial communications controller for Compact PCIbus applications. Available with 8 or 16 asynchronous serial ports, the 6U module supports individual data rates up to 1.5Mbps, and a maximum aggregate throughput of 48Mbps full duplex. Independent baud rates for each port and a wide variety of I/O interfaces allow developers, integrators and end-users to tailor the MCCS to fit their specific needs.

The MCCS combines innovative hardware design with an Industry Standard 16550 UART-style Serial I/O application interface, using the latest generation serial interface silicon with 64-byte deep FIFOs. Deeper FIFOs reduce interrupt overhead, and the load on the host computer, resulting in higher system performance and efficiency. UART interrupts are combined and presented at paced intervals to the cPCIbus, dramatically reducing host overhead. Extended FIFOs are provided to further decrease cPCIbus overhead, supporting the highest data rates.

Macrolink’s 4-port Serial Line Interface Conditioning (SLiC) modules allow each MCCS to handle diverse line level requirements. A single MCCS can be configured with any mix of RS-232, RS-422, RS485, MIL-STD-188C and buffered TTL in 4-port groups. Up to four different SLiC modules can be installed with up to 12 signal lines per port for full modem control. All serial line signals are routed to the rear panel via the J3 and J5 cPCI connectors. Access to the serial lines is provided on a standard 80mm deep transition panel. Macrolink supports a number of cable and connector options from this I/O transition panel to the external serial interfaces.

The MCCS can act as a full-service replacement for host-based serial ports, or for a low-density mezzanine board, and provides a low-cost-per-port alternative for existing legacy systems as well as emerging requirements. Device driver support for VxWorks and Solaris 2.6 is currently available. Device drivers for WindowsNT, as well as for several other standard UNIX operating systems, are currently in development.

The MCCS "Sierra" is a single-slot 6U cPCIbus board with PICMG 2.1-compliant Slave Interface, and includes Interrupt Pacing support, 64-byte internal FIFOs and extended FIFO support, with matching FIFOs allowing over 30MB/s block mode access from the cPCIbus. The sixteen port version of the "Sierra" is priced at $1,195 in OEM quantities, and includes RS-232 SLiC modules. A copy of this press release, as well as other product information, is available from our website at http://www.macrolink.com/press/mccs.htm .

Macrolink, Inc. designs and manufactures sophisticated board-level, mass storage and system products for the VMEbus, cPCI bus and other industry standard busses. These products include communications, specialized I/O, mass-storage, true Hot Swap SCSI, system modules, Rugged/MIL-STD/ATR enclosures and rugged laptop workstations. Founded in 1978, Macrolink is headquartered in Anaheim, California.

Contact Bill Goodale of Macrolink, Inc. for more information at:

Phone: (714)777-8800 X303

FAX: (714)777-8807

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