why usb blaster need be set a max3378 （Level conversion chip）

[Altera_Forum]

i have seen the altera usb blaster ，there is nothing Level conversion IC ，but others always said that it should be a Level conversion ic in the usb blaster to fit the different Level of the target board... 

 could you tell me why？

[Altera_Forum]

There's two different situations to consider; 

 1) A USB-Blaster cable  This type of USB-Blaster gets plugged into a target board via the 10-pin JTAG header. The VCC_TARGET pin on this header powers a dual-supply buffer inside the programmer so that the logic levels driven onto the JTAG pins are appropriate for the target board.  2) On-board USB-Blaster  When the USB-Blaster is included on a PCB, there is no need for a level translator, since the designer of the board will ensure that the USB-Blaster JTAG logic levels (typically from a MAX series CPLD) are appropriate for the JTAG device attached to it.  If you were to use an on-board USB-Blaster schematic as the reference design for building a USB-Blaster cable, then you would need to *add* the level translator to your design.  Cheers, Dave