When GENICOM Corporation, a leading supplier of high-performance printers for the mid-range client-server market, was designing the new microLaser 320 series of departmental printers (see Figure 1), one of the key decisions was the type of device for the printer control block. Although competitors were using gate arrays for similar controllers, GENICOM engineers wanted a flexible solution that would allow them to go to market faster, to offer many models using the same controller architecture, and to upgrade printers without extensive re-engineering.
Figure 1. microLaser 320 Printer
The microLaser 320 printer series is designed to be a highly versatile departmental printing solution with the widest possible range of options. With standard network connectivity to the most popular operating systems, it offers high-speed, high-resolution printing on a variety of media, advanced document handling, and remote print management. To power the 32 page-per-minute, 1200 x 1200 dots per inch (DPI) output, the microLaser 320 printer series uses a 166-MHz RISC processor as its central processing unit and includes 32 Mbytes of EDO RAM (expandable to 96 Mbytes) and standard Ethernet networking connections. The optional duplexer, finisher/stapler, high-capacity sheet feeder, and 8 Mbytes of FLASH memory for storing fonts and forms make the microLaser 320 an ideal choice for improving office productivity.
The heart of the microLaser 320 is the Intelliprint controller architecture, which is implemented in an Altera® EPF6024AQC240-2 device (see Figure 2). The controller is virtually printer-independent. Therefore, GENICOM can produce a number of different models that operate across platforms, migrate easily and rapidly to new document-handling technologies, and permit trouble-free customer upgrades, extending the life of the printer.
Figure 2. microLaser 320 Board with FLEX 6000 Device
The FLEX 6000 Advantage
The GENICOM engineers decided to use an Altera FLEX® 6000 programmable logic device (PLD) for the printer controller of the microLaser 320 series for a number of reasons. Because of the planned variations between microLaser 320 models, GENICOM decided that using ASICs for their new printer series was impractical-they would probably need an ASIC for each product in the series. Also, because the model's life cycle would be short, given today's rapid advances in printer technology, GENICOM risked being left with excess inventory of ASICs.
As with all projects, time-to-market was a crucial consideration. "Engineering time was critical, so the reprogrammability of a PLD was a key advantage," said Eric Heineman, marketing manager of the Page Printer Division at GENICOM. Not only did the company want the ability to migrate quickly to newer technology, they were also under pressure from a leading computer OEM to deliver a number of different models. Heineman continues, "At the request of the OEM, we even had to make some minor design changes during production, but we were able to respond quickly by reprogramming the FLEX 6000 devices. The flexibility of the devices saved us both time and money."
Another important factor in GENICOM's choice to use FLEX 6000 devices was cost. For GENICOM, the unit cost of FLEX 6000 devices was comparable to the cost of a similar gate array. Additionally, the company did not incur any of the non-recoverable engineering (NRE) costs associated with gate array development. Test vector generation-the most time-consuming part of the gate array design flow-was unnecessary with the FLEX 6000 devices, which are fully tested before shipment. The fast prototyping capabilities of the PLDs also enabled in-system testing early in the design cycle, shortening time-to-market.
The deciding factor for GENICOM was the FLEX 6000 OptiFLEXTM architecture. As Heineman explained, "The routing [in the FLEX 6000 device] is the best on the market, and the predictable timing is critical to the design and to our time-to-market. Also, all the needed functionality could fit into a relatively small device."
Advanced Controller Architecture
The EPF6024AQC240-2 device is used in the microLaser 320 printer series as the interface and control block between the CPU and the printer engine. "We call it the 'GENICOM System Glue,' because this design is basically printer-independent," said Heineman. The peripheral component interconnect (PCI)-compatible FLEX 6000 device contains both the application-specific logic and the PCI bus interface that allows the printer series to offer a variety of options. Figure 3 shows the block diagram of the controller block.
Figure 3. EPF6024AQC240-2 Device in Controller Block
Conclusion
Using FLEX 6000 devices enabled the designers at GENICOM to bring the innovative microLaser 320 printer series to the market in a short time. GENICOM now offers a number of models with different specifications and user options that use the FLEX 6000-based controller, and can make upgrades in the future without extensive reengineering. With the flexible Altera solution, they have created a complete range of options for themselves and their customers.
