Conexant Announces CX93040 Smart Modem Based on SPI Interface and Controller

Perfect modem control, easy application to various embedded applications, and minimized host interference

June 16, 2011, Newport Beach, California – Conexant Systems (Country Manager for Korea: Kyung-bae Park), a leader in innovative semiconductor solutions for imaging, audio, video, embedded modems, and video surveillance applications, today announced the new controller-based modem CX93040 utilizing the SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) interface. The CX93040 is available in three versions with different speeds: V.32bis, V.34, and V.92.

As the newest product in Conexant's smart modem product line, the CX93040, which integrates a microcontroller, digital signal processor, memory, and SmartDAA, is a suitable solution for applications where the modem is used as an backstrip, such as point-of-sale (POS) terminals or set-top boxes.

Looking at the CX93040, an SPI interface has been added to the main processing unit to maximize flexibility. SPI, used in almost all SOCs and/or main processing units, is a shared bus that operates in master/slave mode and requires only a single set of I/Os for all peripherals attached to the SPI bus. This stands in stark contrast to the Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) port for the RS232 serial bus, which requires a separate set of I/Os for each peripheral. By utilizing the SPI bus, the CX93040 removes the general-purpose asynchronous transceiver and related pins from the SOC and allocates them to the modem.

Dr. Sailesh Chittipeddi, President and CEO of Conexant, stated, “As the world’s leading modem provider, Conexant has created the CX93040, featuring a design that meets the requirements of customers worldwide based on 30 years of accumulated technological expertise.” He added, “Thanks to Conexant’s proprietary SmartDAA technology, the unified design allows for global compatibility, eliminating the need for different modem configurations for each country.