The FireBird Quad USB Host Controller (USB 3.0)supports four USB 3.0 ports arranged as two ports per host controller with each controller having its own PCI Express x1 Gen2 interface to give a combined total data throughput of 10 Gbps. The USB 3.0 Host Controllers used are the proven Renesas™ μPD720202.

Many USB 3.0 Host Controllers found on motherboards and processor modules share bandwidth with other devices typically resulting in inconsistent performance in demanding applications such as high-speed acquisition from USB3 Vision cameras. The FireBird Quad USB 3.0 Host Controller solves this problem by configuring each pair of USB 3.0 ports to use a single lane Gen2 PCI Express interface. Similarly this architecture provides a balance between cost and performance – so that two USB 3.0 devices may operate simultaneously at full bandwidth, or four devices operating simultaneously sharing the combined bandwidth of two full speed links. The board incorporates a dedicated power supply for USB to ensure reliable device operation independent of the main system power supply. The output is set to 5.1V to compensate for voltage drop along long reach USB 3.0 cables.

Software support is based on the proven Renesas™ driver stack which provides the high throughput required by USB3 Vision cameras. Combined with the GenICam standard, these international vision standards in turn provide compatibility with a wealth of third-party applications allowing rapid product development and integration.