Design Applications

Add Hi-Speed USB 2.0 to a Printer

The NET2280 can be used to easily add Hi-Speed USB 2.0

functionality to any PCI-based printer. The standard PCI

interface of the NET2280 connects gluelessly to a printer’s

PCI bus backplane. Standard PCI registers allow the printer’s

CPU to easily configure and send data to and from the

NET2280.

The NET2280 features six programmable USB endpoints for

any combination of Interrupt, Isochronous, and Bulk data

transfers. This allows printer applications to transfer different

data (such as diagnostic or critical print data) through different

endpoints to improve quality of service and ease of design.

PLX provides device firmware to configure the NET2280 to

resemble a standard USB Printer Class device. With the USB

Printer Class firmware, these devices can be recognized by

PCs without any additional host-side drivers.

In these applications, the integrated CPU is usually not

needed.

Figure 2: Converting a PCI-Based Printer to USB

Migrate PCI and CardBus Designs to USB

The NET2280 is designed to easily convert existing PCI Cards

or CardBus Adapters to stand alone USB Devices. Since both

PCI and CardBus chips are based around the standard PCI

protocol, the NET2280 connects gluelessly with them.

Instead of a PCI Host Chipset and BIOS on a PC configuring

the PCI/CardBus silicon, the NET2280 can itself act as the

PCI Host, with configuration information coming from its

internal 8051 CPU or from the USB Host. Auto-Enumeration

Technology allows a standard USB Host to detect this new

USB device even if no firmware has been run. This means

that firmware can actually be downloaded to the USB device

after initial boot-up.

The NET2280 includes PCI clock, reset, interrupt, and

arbitration pins to compensate for the other components

usually found in a typical PCI Host environment.

The NET2280 Reference Design Kit

The NET2280-RDK includes a PCI Board that easily plugs

into any standard PCI slot (3.3V or 5V). This board also

includes an optional PCI slot for plugging other PCI boards

into the RDK board itself. That would be for those

applications where the NET2280 will be the PCI Host.

Both USB Host and Peripheral side software is included with

the NET2280-RDK. The Host side software consists of

generic USB client drivers and several test and development

applications. The peripheral side firmware is used to

configure the NET2280 to resemble a standard USB class

device (like a printer or mass storage device) for which no

USB Host driver will need to be written. For custom, vendor-

specific applications, the Firmware API is provided to abstract

USB operation to standardized function calls. While this

software is available for various operating systems, it is

written in standard C with portability in mind. An included

porting guide aids USB developers through the entire porting

process.

PLX Technology, Inc.

870 Maude Ave.

Sunnyvale, CA 94085 USA

Tel: 1-800-759-3735

Tel: 1-408-774-9060

Fax: 1-408-774-2169

Product Ordering Information

Part Number

Description

NET2280REV1A-LF

PCI to USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Peripheral Controller

NET2280RDK

NET2280 Reference Design Kit

NET2280EVB

NET2280 Adapter Card

NET2280EVB-SW

NET2280 Adapter Card with Software

Please contact your local PLX sales representative for ordering information.

© 2005 PLX Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. PLX and the PLX logo are registered trademarks of PLX Technology, Inc. All other product names that appear in this material are for

identification purposes only and are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Information supplied by PLX is believed to be accurate and reliable,

but PLX Technology, Inc. assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this material. PLX Technology, Inc. reserves the right, without notice, to make changes in product design or

specification.

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