The VSC3312 is a 12-port 6.5 Gbps asynchronous switch with advanced signal equalization designed for high-speed serial backplanes and cable interconnect applications. VSC3312 switches allow multicast, loop back, and reconfigurable Input/Output (I/O) capability, allowing for great flexibility in allocating and routing signals in a broad range of applications. The VSC3312 includes dual time-constant equalization, which significantly reduces jitter associated with driving multi-gigabit signals across backplanes and cables.

Using a fully asynchronous architecture allows any data rate or protocol on any channel without the need for an external reference clock. This gives the VSC3312 wire-like interoperability in virtually any application that uses binary signaling.

The VSC3312 can also be used as a buffer that simplifies and enhances the design of highspeed signal paths by providing signal equalization at both inputs and outputs to reduce or reverse signal degradation due to transmission line effects.

The VSC3312 has a total of 24 ports. Eight are dedicated inputs, eight are dedicated outputs, and the remaining eight may be configured as either inputs or outputs without restriction. This design provides the flexibility of using the device as a standard 12x12 crosspoint, or any ratio from 8x16 to 16x8. This unique feature allows full I/O utilization in any application that has less than a 2:1 ratio between inputs and outputs. In many cases, this translates to a significant reduction in chip count.

Featuring programmable input signal equalization and output pre-emphasis, each with multiple time constants, the VSC3312 is also ideal for countering signal degradation over a wide variety of transmission media types and lengths.

Typical power consumption for the device is 160 mW per active channel, and unused channels may be de-activated to save the power associated with those ports. The output drivers for the VSC3312 also feature a wide supply voltage range, from 1.8V to 3.3V, which allows flexibility in matching output swing to the application requirements.

The VSC3312 has a LOS detector with programmable thresholds on every input port. The LOS status can be made to appear at either of two status pins for external use. The LOS signal can also be switched to each of the outputs in concert with the high-speed switching core. LOS forwarding can be enabled for each of the outputs, which will cause the outputs to be squelched in response to a LOS detect at the corresponding input, thereby propagating signal envelopes through the switch.

Programming of the VSC3312 is through a standard two-wire serial interface. The interface address can be hardwired through static pins or through a proprietary two-pin interface that allows for address selection after power-up. All pin functions such as Config, ResetB and Status pin states are also accessible through registers to ensure maximum flexibility.