Lab26, VSC7126, VSC7136

Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation announced availability of the LAB26 Logic Analyzer Board that enables the evaluation of Fibre Channel and Gigabit Ethernet transceiver ICs. The LAB26 Logic Analyzer Board provides a low cost, easy to use tool to evaluate signal quality and performance of both the VSC7136 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver and the VSC7126 Fibre Channel transceiver.

The LAB 26 is a self-contained evaluation unit for testing transceiver IC characteristics such as output jitter, waveform integrity and basic functionality. In-depth evaluation can be implemented by connecting a Pattern Generator (20-bits at either 53.125MHz or 62.5MHz) to board pods for transmit data and control signal generation. A logic analyzer may also be connected for monitoring receive data and status signals. In this configuration, 8B/10B data is sent to the evaluation unit's transmitter to generate Fibre Channel/Gigabit Ethernet data which is then monitored by the logic analyzer.

Important evaluation board features include an on-board, removable 53.125MHz oscillator for VSC7126 evaluation or a 62.5MHZ oscillator for VSC7136 evaluation in a DIP, half DIP or surface mount form. An on-board voltage regulator may be used to provide 3.3V to the IC under test. Multiple media choices are supported including either SMA or DSUB-9 connectors to interface with the appropriate equipment.

The VSC7126 is the industry's first 1.0625Gb/s fully integrated 20-bit Fibre Channel transceiver IC. It integrates the transmitter and receiver functions into a single chip and incorporates a digital Clock Recovery Unit (CRU). It is ideally suited for host adapter and RAID systems using existing 20-bit protocol controller chips. Unlike other Fibre Channel transceivers that use a 106.25MHz reference clock, the VSC7126 uses a 53.125MHz clock which leads to a simple customer implementation.

The VSC7136 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver is based on the VSC7126 and is ideally suited for the high bandwidth requirements of the Gigabit Ethernet market. Unlike other Gigabit Ethernet transceivers that use 125MHz reference clocks, the VSC7136 operates off a 62.5MHz reference clock, making it easier to design and use and less costly to implement. The VSC7136 is ideally suited for the high bandwidth requirements of Gigabit Ethernet switches, hubs, routers, servers and Network Interface Cards (NICs).

The VSC7126, and its VSC7136 derivative, are different. The use of the 53-MHz clock will considerably simplify designs for Fibre Channel as will the equivalent 63-MHz clock for Gigabit Ethernet. The evaluation board offers not only the ability to test the parts in a fairly real-world environment but also gives the OEM designer a starting point for the final product design.

As the first part to fit the full integration needs of both the communications systems it is a good candidate to take a good percentage of the first generation market.