SPE 10BASE-T1S and 100BASE-T1 devices reduce IIoT complexity
Microchip has developed SPE (single pair Ethernet)10BASE-T1S and 100BASE-T1 devices for IIoT edge devices and higher speed applications. According to Microchip, the SPE devices reduce cost and complexity of IIoT edge devices while supporting higher speed, Ethernet-everywhere architectures and applications.
Microchip’s LAN8650 and LAN8651 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY Ethernet controllers with serial peripheral interface (SPI) simplify the implementation of zonal architectures by enabling basic microcontrollers, rather than higher-level ones with a media access controller (MAC), to be used when creating sensors, actuators and other devices for the edge of OT and IT networks. These low speed devices do not need their own communication system and Microchip’s MAC-PHYs connect them into a standard Ethernet system to the cloud over simple twisted pair wiring.
For industrial applications that require higher bandwidth, designers can use microcontrollers with an integrated Ethernet MAC.
Microchip offers an industrial-grade version of its LAN8770 100BASE-T1 Ethernet PHY Transceiver that provides 100Mbits per second transmit and receive capability over a single ushielded twisted pir (UTP) cable.
Microchip’s SPE portfolio is enhanced with industrial-grade versions of its LAN937x and LAN938x Gigabit Ethernet time sensitive networking (TSN) switches with integrated 100BASE-T1 PHYs. These scalable, secure and compact SPE switches include hardware time-stamping features for supporting IEEE 802.1AS (gPTP) and IEEE 1588v2 (PTP) time synchronisation, among other TSN functionality. Energy-efficiency features include deep sleep power down with remote wake for battery applications.
The industrial-grade SPE products will help fulfill SPE’s promise for automation, from 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHYs that more easily connect edge IIoT devices to the cloud, to industrial versions of its 100BASE-T1 time sensitive networking (TSN) Ethernet PHY transceivers and switches that enable higher speed applications across Ethernet networks.
“Microchip is helping to fuel the adoption of zonal architectures in industrial applications with our new MAC-PHYs that connect to many of Microchip’s microcontrollers to reduce the design complexity and implementation costs for bringing a host of sensors, actuators and other products into the new 10BASE-T1S network infrastructure,” said Matthias Kaestner, vice president at Microchip. “With these new 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHYs and industrial versions of our 100BASE-T1 TSN products, we are making it easier to connect the physical world to the cloud while enabling a seamless Ethernet architecture throughout the IIoT and other industrial networks.”
A set of network analysis tools and evaluation boards are available including the LAN8651 EVB and EVB-LAN9383. Microchip’s MPLAB Harmony v3 provides software support to configure, debug and program designs and the MPLAB Network Creator provides a quick and intuitive graphical interface for switch configuration.
