News & Events
Xicor Announces Industry's First Programmable Dual Low Voltage CPU Supervisors with Integrated Memory to Monitor System Voltages down to 0.9V
--Integrated 4K EEPROM Memory with Battery Backup Ideal for Intelligent System Management Functions in Computing and Communication Systems
MILPITAS, Calif., June 3, 2002 - Xicor, Inc. (Nasdaq/NM: XICO), a leading supplier of programmable mixed-signal integrated circuits, today announced a family of advanced dual low voltage CPU Supervisory products that integrate power-on-reset, watchdog timer, two independent low voltage sense monitors, a battery switchover circuit and fault monitoring on a single device.
The X40020/21 and X40420/21, are ideal for advanced computing and communications applications, as well as Routers, LAN switches and Network support equipment, and Servers and Storage Area Networks (SAN) that typically operate with multiple supply voltages and use battery backed RAM. Additional features include low voltage monitoring to 0.9V, two low voltage resets, a watchdog timer output and a manual reset that make these devices ideal system management products that greatly improve overall system reliability and performance.
"Xicor continues to extend the functionality and feature set of our field programmable CPU Supervisor family," said Venkatesh Shan, Xicor's General Manager, Power & System Management Products. "These dual voltage CPU supervisors integrate all of the key functions to manage and monitor system parameters in complex embedded systems. In addition, what sets these devices apart is their ability to record and maintain data for fault detection and system diagnosis making them intelligent system managers that ensure reliable system operation."
X40020/21 and X40420/21 Technical Features
The X40020/21 and X40420/21 monitor two independent voltages and feature user-programmable functions that provide system designers with the flexibility to tune device parameters to meet exact system requirements. The devices include user selectable Power On Reset times of 50ms, 200ms, 400ms or 800ms. This allows the system to either quick start for reduced power consumption or to provide longer delays for the system to load firmware prior to execution of the software.
The X40020/21 and X40420/21 feature watchdog timeout selection intervals of 25ms, 200ms and 1.4 seconds. Moreover, the watchdog timer function can be disabled to facilitate system software debugging. Both products allow the user to select the low voltage reset trip points for the two independent low voltage monitors contained in the device, which are independently programmable from 0.9 to 4.75 volts. With threshold voltages as low as 0.9V these devices can monitor the latest high performance processor core voltages, which can be as low as 1V. The Dual CPU Supervisor is an ideal companion to monitor systems that use embedded CPUs, ASICs and FPGAs.
The 4k EEPROM memory is integrated in the X40420 and X40421 and includes support for Xicor's Block Lock feature. The non-volatile memory can be used to record device ID, manufacturer data, maintenance data or system parameters. In addition, the resident memory allows implementation of advanced power management algorithms. The device offers a fault detection register that reports the failure of either voltage in addition to the occurrence of a watchdog time-out or manual reset. This fault monitoring can be very important for tracking system reliability and establishing more reliable and flexible reset recovery mechanism. All devices communicate through the industry standard 400K Hz two-wire serial interface. These Dual CPU Supervisor solutions offer high degree of flexibility and reduced overall component count and cost.
The X40020/21 and X40420/21 are available in 14-pin SOIC or TSSOP package.
Pricing and Availability
| Dual LVS | Fault Detection Register | Memory | Reset Outputs | Pricing 1000 + | Available | |
| X40020S14-A | X | X | 0K | Active High | $1.89 | Now |
| X40021S14-A | X | X | 0K | Active Low | $1.89 | Now |
| X40420S14-A | X | X | 4K | Active High | $2.09 | Now |
| X40421S14-A | X | X | 4K | Active Low | $2.09 | Now |
About Xicor
Xicor designs, develops and markets a wide variety of programmable mixed-signal integrated circuits and nonvolatile memory products used in networking, computing, communication and industrial applications. The Company's products include digitally controlled potentiometers and system management ICs that allow system designers to digitally control analog functions in signal processing, microprocessor monitoring and power management. Xicor product, corporate and financial information is readily available on the World Wide Web at http://www.xicor.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release are forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks may include the impact of competing products and pricing, timely design acceptance by our customers, timely ability to ramp new products into volume production, industry wide shifts in supply and demand for semiconductor products, and other risks detailed from time to time in Xicor's SEC filings.
