It allows easy connectivity between PCs and peripherals, because it provides a very high-speed interface—up to 480Mbps—and does not require inserting a separate NIM into the computer, says the vendor. The NIM is designed with the COM20022 controller employing the latest ARCNET technology supporting data rates up to 10Mbps. The USB22 includes a high-speed microcontroller that transfers the data between ARCNET and USB. It has up to 128Kbytes of ARCNET receiver buffering to handle the reception of broadcast messages or the monitoring of networks with high traffic levels. The USB22 is ROHS compliant, and is shipped with a CD containing a Windows 2K/XP compatible DLL and driver, along with a USB cable. Pricing starts at $295.
