USAR Intros ACPITroller II Embedded Controller

USAR Systems (New York) is offering a new ACPI-compliant embedded controller that, in addition to providing an 8042 keyboard controller, also features an SMBus host and a built -in Smart Battery System Manager (SBSM). Intended for notebook and other portable systems, the single IC is equipped with USAR's patented Zero-Power technology, which is claimed to allow the USAR ACPITroller II to always operate in "Stop" mode without any data or event loss. The IC, which operates continuously between 3 and 5 volts, consumes less than 1 micron A of current. The ACPITroller II's SBS 1.1-compatible SBSM will control a smart charger/smart selector; monitor the state, measurements and characteristics of the system's batteries; support simultaneous charge/discharge; and make all decisions as to which batteries to charge and discharge, and when. The IC has three PS/2 ports for hot-plug connection of external keyboards and mice as well as an embedded pointing device. It powers down even when PS/2 devices are connected and active. The device's SMBus host manages three SMBus ports, which comply with the latest (v1.1) SBS and SMBus specifications. The ACPITroller II is priced under $7 in quantities of 100,000.