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Low Voltage JTAG Adapter for Intel Processors

10 August 2010 – Corelis, Inc has announced the availability of a new active Low Voltage Adapter for compatibility between Corelis’ boundary-scan controllers and low voltage JTAG designs operating below 2.5V. The Low Voltage Adapter is rated to support up to 100 MHz TCK speeds, employs ESD protection, and is capable of driving up to 90mA on its outputs.

The Low Voltage Adapter provides an electrical and mechanical interface to connect any Corelis 20-pin boundary-scan controller to a high density Intel XDP (eXtended Debug Port) connector. XDP is a 60-pin, small form factor connector designed to extend JTAG by permitting two separate clock domain scan-chains to be implemented. Dividing the system scan-chains into two domains allows increased operating frequencies of the processor scan-chain by moving slower chipset JTAG agents to a completely separate clock domain.

The XDP port runs at roughly 1.0V and has 51 ohm signal termination resistors, preventing traditional TTL-based JTAG controllers from interfacing to it. The Low Voltage Adapter overcomes this limitation by providing the appropriate level translation and current drive capability. Circuit boards having an Intel XDP connector can utilize the Low Voltage Adapter to access the scan chain with existing scan controllers.

“The Low Voltage Adapter fills a gap for new processor technologies that require a low voltage interface combined with low impedance termination. The adapter is capable of driving a 50 ohm resistor at one volt,” states David Muse, Hardware Products Manager at Corelis.

The Low Voltage Adapter is fully compatible with Corelis’ ScanExpress family of software products and comes complete with all necessary hardware and cabling. The adapter is available from stock with a list price of $1,500.