Microchip Technology Announces New Single Pair Ethernet (SPE)10BASE-T1S and 100BASE-T1 Devices

By Tiera Oliver

Associate Editor

Embedded Computing Design

March 13, 2023

News

Microchip Technology Announces New Single Pair Ethernet (SPE)10BASE-T1S and 100BASE-T1 Devices

CHANDLER, Arizona —  Microchip Technology announced new industrial-grade single pair ethernet (SPE) products. The 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHYs are designed to connect edge IIoT devices to the cloud, and industrial versions of its 100BASE-T1 Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) Ethernet PHY transceivers and switches are designed for high-speed applications across wide Ethernet networks.

The new LAN8650 and LAN8651 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY Ethernet Controllers with Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) are made to 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. Per the company, the low-speed devices don’t require their own communication system, instead Microchip’s MAC-PHYs connect them into a standard Ethernet system to the cloud over twisted-pair wiring.

For high bandwidth industrial applications, MCUs with an integrated Ethernet MAC can be utilized by designers. 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 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 SPE portfolio features industrial-grade versions of its LAN937x and LAN938x Gigabit Ethernet TSN Switches with integrated 100BASE-T1 PHYs. The SPE switches include hardware time-stamping features for supporting IEEE 802.1AS (gPTP) and IEEE 1588v2 (PTP) time synchronization. Energy-efficiency features include ultra-deep-sleep power down with remote wake for battery applications.

“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 these new products, 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 graphical interface for switch configuration. 

Microchip’s LAN8650 and LAN8651 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHYs and its LAN937x and LAN938x 100BASE-T1 Ethernet Switches and LAN8770 100BASE-T1 Ethernet PHY are available for purchase at Microchip’s Purchasing and Client Services website, www.microchipDIRECT.com

Tiera Oliver, Associate Editor for Embedded Computing Design, is responsible for web content edits, product news, and constructing stories. She also assists with newsletter updates as well as contributing and editing content for ECD podcasts and the ECD YouTube channel. Before working at ECD, Tiera graduated from Northern Arizona University where she received her B.S. in journalism and political science and worked as a news reporter for the university’s student led newspaper, The Lumberjack.

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