For Immediate Release

Corelis Adds Capability to Directly Program Serial Bus I2C and
SPI-based Devices to its ScanExpress Boundary-Scan System

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Cerritos, CA, June 7, 2006 – Corelis Inc., a leading supplier of high-performance Boundary-Scan/JTAG tools, announced today the addition of direct I2C and SPI-based device programming capabilities for the Corelis ScanExpress Boundary-Scan System that employ Corelis JTAG controllers. The SPI and I2C interfaces are independent of the JTAG test interface; this means that the user can use the same JTAG controller to test the board and perform direct programming of serial EEPROM and flash memories without removing the JTAG connector or switching to a dedicated SPI and I2C programmer.

To simplify the application of direct programming, the user needs only to enable the direct programming option on the Test Programming file Generator (ScanExpressTPG), to create the SPI and I2C programming files. The programmer automatically detects the file type and programs the device using either the SPI protocol or the I2C.

Using the new direct programming port, serial FLASH/EEPROM devices can be programmed at speeds up to the device theoretical programming time.  This is significantly faster than programming the devices indirectly using JTAG, typically 10 times faster and often surpassing this, depending on target configuration. Programming capability offered by the new port also allows versatile I2C and SPI device access, a useful benefit when JTAG access is not provided.

 Karla May, Corelis Boundary-Scan Product Manager said: "As a Boundary-Scan market leader, it is up to Corelis to introduce new and innovative ways to increase test and in-system programming productivity.  The enhancement of the Corelis Boundary-Scan tools to include these features allows users to dramatically reduce device on-board programming time and manufacturing costs".

Corelis developed an upgrade program for its customers that allow them to upgrade their old controllers to include the new direct programming feature.

For additional information on the new direct SPI/I2C Serial Bus Programming Interface that has been added to Corelis 20-Pin TAP connectors, please refer to Corelis Application note # 06-118.

What is SPI?

The Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) is a full-duplex, synchronous, serial data link that is standard across many microprocessors, microcontrollers, and peripherals. It enables communication between microprocessors and peripherals and/or inter-processor communication. The SPI is flexible enough to interface directly with numerous commercially available peripherals, EEPROMs and flash memory devices.

What is I2C?

The I2C bus, developed by Philips, is a popular serial, two-wire interface used in many systems because of its low overhead. The two-wire interface minimizes interconnections so ICs have fewer pins, and the number of traces required on printed circuit boards is reduced. Each device connected to the bus is software addressable by a unique address with a simple Master/Slave protocol.  The I2C bus is also commonly used to interface to serial EEPROMs and flash memory devices.

About Corelis

Corelis offers the industry’s broadest line of boundary-scan software and hardware products that combine exceptional ease-of-use with advanced technical innovation and unmatched customer service. Corelis’ ScanPlus and ScanExpress boundary-scan systems are used for interconnect testing as well as in-system programming of Flash memories, serial EEPROMs, CPLDs and FPGAs. Systems include a complete range of IEEE-1149.1-compatible boundary-scan testers for PCI, PC-Card, 10/100 LAN, USB 2.0, cPCI/cPXI, PC Card and VXI host interfaces. Corelis also offers a full-line of JTAG emulation and debugging tools, and provides custom test engineering services.

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