Exar Introduces High Performance Low Voltage (2.25V-3.6V) Quad UART -

Fremont, California, October 30, 2006 – Exar Corporation (NasdaqGM: EXAR), a leading provider of high-performance, mixed-signal silicon solutions for the worldwide communications infrastructure added a high performance, low power Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) to its growing portfolio of serial communications solutions. The XR16V794 is a highly integrated 64-byte FIFO UART supporting serial data rates of up to 8Mbps. The device is ideal for the higher data speed requirements found in industrial applications such as automation/process control, point-of-sale, network management and remote access servers amongst others.

"Given its low power capability while supporting 2.25V to 3.6V operation with 5V tolerant inputs, and direct interface to the system bus without the need for any external buffers, the XR16V794 can optimize system cost and board space," said Levent Ozcolak, vice president of marketing, Interface Products. "This device, along with over 20 other Exar four-channel UARTs, offers designers a wide array of features, package options, data-speeds and FIFO sizes for their next generation systems."

Product Details

The XR16V794 has several features that greatly simplify hardware and software design. The 5th generation flat register set reduces the software development efforts. The device also has a global interrupt source register, which provides for faster interrupt servicing and improves overall efficiency. In addition, this register monitors which UART channel has an interrupt service request, and reports whether the UART channel transmitter or receiver requires servicing.

The XR16V794 enables the transfer of more data bytes during each interrupt service thus reducing the CPU overhead. Also, the RTS / CTS or DTR /DSR automatic hardware and software flow control feature maximizes data throughput for higher system performance. Furthermore, the XR16V794 offers automatic RS- 485 half-duplex direction control with programmable turn-around delay which compensates for the customary signal propagation delay in long cable length network installations.

The XR16V794 has programmable TX and RX FIFO trigger levels, wireless infrared (IrDA) encoder/decoder, device identification and a sleep mode wake- up indicator. The device has enhanced features such as a fractional baud rate generator, 64 bytes of TX and RX FIFOs for each UART channel, and is capable of operating up to serial data rates of 8 Mbps. It is register-set, package and pin compatible with Exar's existing XR16L784.

"The XR16V794's single interrupt output pin and single chip-select for all four UART channels and the new 5th generation register set together will make system design simpler and faster," said Rakesh Bhatia, strategic marketing manager, Interface Products. "Its compatible to the XR16L784 makes the transition to the newer feature-rich device seamless."

Tools and Support

The following drivers are available for the XR16V794: Windows CE 4.2 and 5.0, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, XP and Linux. With the availability of software drivers and Exar's application support hot line (uarttechsupport@exar.com) UART customers can accelerate their product development cycle.

Packages, Prices, Availability and Additional Information

The four-channel XR16V794, is offered in a 64-pin LQFP package, and is priced in the mid-$12 range in 1,000 piece quantities. The device is available for sampling now. Additional information on this product can be found at: http://www.exar.com/product.php?ProdNumber=XR16V794 and other UART Products at: http://www.exar.com/area.php?areaID=3.

Exar products are European RoHS compliant except for external lead finish or solder balls. Lead-free products are also available upon request.