Microchip SPE devices reduce cost and complexity of IIoT edge devices
Article By : Microchip Technology Inc.
Microchip's industrial-grade 100BASE-T1 offerings reduce cost, wiring and installation complexity by enabling a complete SPE network from device to server.
Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) technology is setting the stage for all-Ethernet IIoT and industrial operational technology (OT) networks that are built with a new class of synchronized low-speed Ethernet edge devices and a simplified cabling infrastructure for latency-sensitive traffic streams.
Microchip Technology Inc. has launched new industrial-grade SPE products that will help fulfill SPE’s promise, 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 far-reaching 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 (MCUs) 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.”
Microchip’s new LAN8650 and LAN8651 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY Ethernet Controllers with Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) simplify the implementation of zonal architectures by enabling basic MCUs, rather than higher-level MCUs 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 all the way to the cloud over simple twisted-pair wiring.
For industrial applications that require higher bandwidth, designers can use MCUs with an integrated Ethernet MAC. Microchip now offers an industrial-grade version of its LAN8770 100BASE-T1 Ethernet PHY Transceiver that provides 100 Mbps transmit and receive capability over a single Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable.
Microchip的SPE投资组合通过其LAN937X的工业级版本和LAN938X千兆以太网TSN开关增强了，并具有100Base-T1 Phys。这些可扩展，安全和紧凑的SPE开关包括用于支持IEEE 802.1AS（GPTP）和IEEE 1588V2（PTP）时间同步的硬件时间stamping功能，以及其他TSN功能。能源效率的功能包括远程唤醒的超深卷式功率，用于电池应用。
“Microchip’s industrial-grade 100BASE-T1 offerings reduce cost, wiring and installation complexity by enabling a complete SPE network from device to server,” said Charles Forni, vice president of Microchip’s USB and networking business unit. “Our industrial-grade SPE offerings are built to withstand harsh environmental conditions across an expanded temperature range while delivering enhanced performance, such as safety, security and extended cable reach, to support industrial applications.”
To support the design efforts of these new products 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, while the MPLAB Network Creator provides a quick and intuitive graphical interface for switch configuration.