Prolific Technology and ProlificUSA (www.prolificusa.com) have announced a second new USB 3.0 connectivity IC. The PL2701 is a single-chip SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Host-to-Host bridge controller IC. specially designed to connect two USB Host devices such as Desktop/Laptop PC, Tablet, SmartPhone, or Smart TV with any of Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android OS installed. SuperSpeed USB 3.0 has data transfer bandwidth of up to 5Gbps offering 10X faster performance over Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (480Mbps) and is backward compatible with all USB3.0/USB2.0/USB1.1 hosts, devices, and hubs.
The PL2701 uses a “Hybrid Multi-Class” channel that allows two USB hosts to share keyboard/mouse, network, mass storage, display, and multimedia capabilities. The PL2701 links two USB hosts to exchange data through RNDIS (Remote Network Driver Interface Specification) and supports HID (Human Interface Device) including keyboard and mouse. Both USB sides support Mass Storage mode to read external flash memory. The PL2701 also provides flexible endpoint assignment mechanism to easily support multi-USB class protocol. Many applications can be implemented through this high performance controller.
In terms of networking, one advantage of USB over Ethernet is that it does not share the same limitations of Ethernet IP configuration that make deployment of new targets and platforms onto a current network difficult. Firewalls, static IP address settings and other common Ethernet configurations can make it difficult to communicate with a deployed product. The USB host-to-host cable bypasses these common network configuration issues.
Prolific provides the ULinQ App software that allows end-users to not only to share files but also to control and use the display, storage, and multimedia capabilities of the other host. The ULinQ feature creates a brand new user-experience in sharing mobile contents and apps with other smart devices with larger displays.
The PL2701 together with the ULinq software allows users to build a low-cost scalable KVMP switch. Simply add a USB 3.0 hub and PL2701 cables to connect multiple computers with only one keyboard, video and mouse. Similarly, a simple star-topology network can be created using a USB 3.0 hub and multiple PL2701 cables.
The PL2701 is available to OEM’s and VAR’s as an LQFP-64 chip or a ready made cable.
Prolific Technology Inc. is a fabless IC company who has been developing connectivity solutions for almost 20 years. Tectona Electronics Inc./ProlificUSA is the sole agent for Prolific products in the Americas.