MCCI(R) Corporation, the world's leading developer of USB connectivity software , announced on May 1 the availability of device functionality for the MCCI Catena(R) 1910 HSIC USB verification tool and protocol analyzer.

The HSIC standard allows product developers to use USB as a high speed chip-to-chip interface. This method of short range (under 10 cm) inter-chip connectivity leverages the existing USB infrastructure to reduce development time and cost. Cost and power reduction comes through replacement of the traditional USB PHY with a simple two wire interface, allowing operation at low-voltage CMOS levels. Like traditional USB, HSIC USB products are either hosts or devices.

Standard USB has a rich ecosystem of test equipment, including bus analyzers that allow traffic to be captured and displayed in a human-readable form. However, traditional USB bus analyzers only support tracing via standard USB connectors and cables and are not suited for the different electrical signaling used by HSIC USB. This makes it very difficult to hardware and software developers to debug electrical, protocol, and system problems.

The Catena 1910, available since 2010, solved the HSIC USB device and system test and analysis problems by offering both host emulation and protocol analyzer capabilities in a single product, which can be operated simultaneously for maximum flexibility. The device upgrade allows HSIC USB host silicon developers to use the Catena 1910 to test their host implementations at the electrical and protocol layers, as well as performing system tests.

The Catena 1910 uses the Synopsys(R) DesignWare(R) Hi-Speed USB 2.0 IP in an FPGA for the HSIC device. In addition to functioning as a HSIC USB device, the integrated hardware design captures USB transaction-level traffic and transfers it to the host via an ExpressCard interface. Captured traffic can be viewed in standard trace viewer applications.

Device personalities are defined using the MCCI USB DataPump. This software allows easy prototyping of complex multi-function and multi-configuration USB device personalities. MCCI ships a number of pre-built personality modules with the Catena 1910 device upgrade. Pre-built personalities include mass storage, networking using NCM, wireless WAN emulation using MBIM, and portable media player emulation using MTP, and engineering protocols for basic loopback. Additional personalities can be built as Win32 applications using provided API libraries.

"The Catena 1910 has been well-accepted by the HSIC USB development community, the device upgrade provides an important system verification tool," says MCCI CEO Terry Moore. "When testing hosts, it's important to know that your device is standards-compliant and stable; the use of the Synopsys DesignWare IP and the MCCI USB DataPump system software ensures the highest possible level of compatibility."

"By integrating the Synopsys DesignWare Hi-Speed USB 2.0 On-The-Go controller and HSIC PHY IP into the Catena 1910, MCCI gives designers confidence that the system is fully compatible with the USB standard and interoperates as expected with other USB devices," said Ed Bard, senior director of marketing at Synopsys. "Our collaboration with MCCI to ensure interoperability helps the industry integrate USB 2.0 IP into next-generation SoCs with less risk and improved time-to-market."

About MCCI

MCCI is a leading developer of USB drivers and firmware for PCs and portable devices, a maker of USB test equipment, and a provider of USB testing services. The company provides firmware and system software, including xHCI, OTG, NCM, MBIM, MirrorLink, and MTP middleware solutions for OEM/ODM manufacturers of cellphones, PDAs, PCs, and other computer devices. Nearly a billion products have been delivered with MCCI technology. MCCI test equipment supports embedded mobile communications standards such as HSIC USB, MIPI-HSI, and MirrorLink. MCCI experts are actively involved in worldwide technical standards activities. A privately held corporation, MCCI has its headquarters in Ithaca, NY, USA with support/development offices in Taiwan, India, Korea, and Japan. For more information, please visit: http://www.mcci.com.

Note to Editors: MCCI is a registered trademark of MCCI Corporation.