TDK Semiconductor Corp. (Irvine, CA), a leader in mixed-signal communication semiconductors, unveiled its new TDK 73S12xx family of eight-bit system-on-chips dedicated to low-cost smart card readers. Targeted applications include smart card readers embedded into laptops and USB-connected PIN-pad smart card readers.
The 73S12xx will allow manufacturers of PIN-pads to build USB-connected, PIN-pad smart card readers with features such as high-speed card communication, full-speed USB and PIN encryption. Various flavors will be introduced to cover particular applications such as a small pin-count option to enable PC manufacturers to incorporate a turnkey smart card reader solution into laptops or PC keyboards, and a high pin-count option for single-chip PIN-pad readers.
An FPGA-based board is available now to start validating the performance and develop the application. Samples of new 73S12xx ICs will be available in mid-2005, to be in production by the end of the year. Existing users of current 73S11xxF products will be able to migrate to the new platform very easily, since the TDK libraries will be compatible.
