The CS8900A is a low-cost Ethernet LAN Controller optimized for the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus and general purpose microcontroller busses. Its highly-integrated design eliminates the need for costly external components required by other Ethernet controllers. The CS8900A includes on-chip RAM for buffering transmit and receive frames.
The CS8900A is a true single‑chip Ethernet controller that integrates a direct ISA‑bus interface, 802.3 MAC engine, 4‑Kbyte on‑chip memory, EEPROM interface, and a complete analog front‑end.
It supports 10BASE‑T and AUI ports, full‑duplex operation, low power consumption (55 mA at 5 V), and provides low‑power standby and suspend modes. The document includes register definitions, packet handling architecture, and programming details.
| On‑Chip Memory | 4 Kbyte page |
|---|---|
| Full‑Duplex Operation | Supported |
| 10BASE‑T Port | Included with analog filters |
| AUI Port | Supports 10BASE‑2, 10BASE‑5, 10BASE‑F |
It includes a 4‑Kbyte page of on‑chip memory.