QuickLogic Speeds Hard Disk Drive Transfers With New Proven System Block

UDMA Block Quadruples Performance of Reading Data From an HDD Using the Parallel ATA Interface

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- March 25, 2008  -- Continuing its commitment to the mobile device market, QuickLogic® Corporation, has developed an UltraDMA (UDMA) system block for its Customer Specific Standard Product (CSSP) platforms. Created in conjunction with CSSP customers, the UDMA block speeds data transfers to mass storage while reducing system power requirements.

The UDMA Proven System Block (PSB) adds to QuickLogic’s suite of hard disk drive (HDD) interface blocks for the company’s CSSP platforms, including PolarPro and ArcticLink. The UDMA block quadruples the speed of parallel-ATA data transfers from 16 Mbytes/sec to 66 Mbytes/sec. It works in ATA/ATAPI-5 modes as well as multi-word DMA and PIO modes, and includes driver software for the Linux operating system. Development of a Windows CE based software driver is also planned for release.

“The performance enhancement that the new UDMA PSB gives our ATA interface will support the design of mobile devices that stream movies from a hard disk drive,” said QuickLogic’s Principal Architect and Senior Director of Systems Engineering, Judd Heape. “Designers can also translate this performance increase into power savings by putting the HDD into a low-power sleep mode in between data transfers. The higher transfer speed means that the HDD spends more time asleep.”

QuickLogic’s development of the UDMA PSB arose as the result of working with a customer on creation of a CSSP for a wireless HDD product. “The customer wanted to make sure the actual data transfer rate between the HDD and the QuickLogic supplied USB High-speed On-the-Go (OTG) interface port was as fast as possible, at least 200 Mbits/second,” said Heape.

“QuickLogic worked very closely with the customer and jointly defined the system architecture to create this block which led to exceed their performance expectations. This solution highlights QuickLogic’s complete approach to fulfilling customer needs and how QuickLogic can successfully work directly with customers to create and combine PSBs to address their most challenging requirements.” The UDMA PSB is available immediately as part of QuickLogic’s CSSP support package.

About QuickLogic

QuickLogic Corporation is the inventor and pioneer of innovative, customizable semiconductor solutions for mobile and portable electronics OEMs and ODMs. These silicon plus software solutions are called Customer Specific Standard Products (CSSPs). CSSPs enable our customers to bring their products to market more quickly and remain in the market longer, with the low power, cost and size demanded by the mobile and portable electronics market. For more information about QuickLogic and CSSPs, visit www.quicklogic.com.