Microchip unveils Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) 10BASE-T1S and 100BASE-T1 Ethernet devices

Microchip has introduced a range of industrial-grade Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) devices for IIoT and industrial Operational Technology (OT) networks for low-speed Ethernet edge devices and a simplified cabling infrastructure for latency-sensitive applications.

Microchip LAN8650/LAN8651 10BASE-T1S single pair Ethernet Controllers

The LAN8650 and LAN8651 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY Ethernet controllers come with an SPI for integration into basic microcontrollers rather than higher-end MCUs with a MAC. They can be used to connect sensors, actuators, and other devices over a simple twisted-pair cable.

Microchip LAN8650/LAN8651 specifications:

• High-performance 10BASET1S single-pair Ethernet PHY
• Compliant with IEEE Std. 802.3cg-2019 (10BASE-T1S)
• 10 Mbps over a single balanced pair of conductors
• Half-duplex point-to-point link segments up to at least 15m
• Half-duplex multidrop mixing segments up to at least 25m with up to at least 8 PHYs
• Integrated Media Access Controller (MAC)
• Host interface – SPI
• Supports time-sensitive networking (TSN) by timestamping frame ingress and egress
• EtherGREEN Energy Efficiency
• Over-temperature and under-voltage protection
• Status interrupt support
• Supply Voltage
  • LAN8650 – 1.8V and 3.3V DC
  • LAN8651 – Single 3.3V DC with integrated 1.8V regulator
• Package – 32-pin (5 x 5 mm) VQFN package with wettable flanks
• Temperature Range – -40°C to +125°C extended temperature range

Typical applications would include sensor/actuator networks operating at high bandwidth, industrial control cabinets and machine control, building automation, and audio networks delivering multiple streams such as hands-free microphones and loudspeakers.

Microchip LAN8770 100BASE-T1 Ethernet PHY Transceiver

The LAN8770 is designed for higher-end microcontrollers with an integrated Ethernet MAC with the 100BASE-T1 Ethernet PHY Transceiver providing 100 Mbps transmit and receive capability over a single Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable.

Microchip LAN8770 key features:

• MII/RMII/RGMII interface with SMI management
• Compliant with IEEE 802.3bw-2015 (100BASE-T1)
• OPEN Alliance TC10 support
• FlexPWR technology power management
• Extended cable reach
• Grade 1 Automotive (-40°C to +125°C) qualified
• SGS TUV Certified ISO 26262 ASIL B Ready
• Ultra-low-power sleep mode  – 12uA typical (EtherGREEN™ Energy Efficiency)
• Package – 32-pin VQFN (5×5 mm) and 36-pin VQFN (6 x 6 mm) with wettable flanks for LAN8770M and LAN8770R respectively

Microchip provides Linux and FreeRTOS drivers for the LAN8770 chip, as well as two evaluation boards namely the EVB-LAN8770M_MC with a traditional RJ45 port and the EVB-LAN8770-RMII with a 2-pin terminal both designed to be connected to the Microchip SAMA5D3 Ethernet Development System (EDS) board.

Microchip LAN937x and LAN938x Gigabit Ethernet TSN Switches

Microchip SPE’s announcement also includes industrial-grade versions of its LAN937x and LAN938x Gigabit Ethernet TSN Switches with integrated 100BASE-T1 PHYs which include hardware time-stamping features for supporting IEEE 802.1AS (gPTP) and IEEE 1588v2 (PTP) time synchronization, among other TSN functionality.

I could not find any products page about the LAN938x family, but the LAN9370, LAN9371, and LAN9372 share the following specifications:

• High-performance 10BASE-T1S Ethernet PHY
• Compliant with IEEE Std 802.3cg-2019
• 10 Mbit/s over single balanced pair10 Mbit/s over single balanced pair
• Half-duplex point-to-point link segments, half-duplex multidrop mixing segments
• LAN9370 – Media Independent Interface (MII) and Reduced Media Independent Interface (RMII) with Serial Management Interface (SMI) for rapid register access
• LAN9371 – Reduced Media Independent Interface (RMII) with Serial Management Interface (SMI) for rapid register access&t;/li>
• LAN9372 – Media Independent Interface (MII) with Serial Management Interface (SMI) for rapid register access
• Physical Layer Collision Avoidance (PLCA)
• Single 3.3V supply
• Package
  • LAN9370 – 32-pin VQFN packaging (5 x 5 mm) with wettable flanks
  • LAN9371 – 24-pin VQFN packaging (4 x 4 mm) with wettable flanks
  • LAN9372 – 36-pin VQFN packaging (6 x 6 mm) with wettable flanks
• Temperature Range – -40°C to +125°C extended temperature range
• Microchip Functional Safety Ready

Two evaluation boards are offered with the EVB-LAN8670-RMII designed to be inserted into the SAM E54 Curiosity Ultra Development Board or the SAM E70 Xplained Ultra Evaluation Kit., and the  EVB-LAN8670-USB designed to work with any host with a USB port.

All evaluation boards rely on Microchip MPLAB Harmony v3 software to configure, debug, and program designs and the MPLAB Network Creator provides a graphical user interface for switch configuration.

We first wrote about 10Base-T1L Ethernet chips in 2021 with Analog Devices ADIN1100 Ethernet PHY and ADIN1110 Ethernet MAC-PHY that allowed for up to 1.7 kilometers long Ethernet cables, but it seems the Microchip solutions target much shorter ranges, that that because 10base-T1L is for long distances, while the 10Base-T1S is for shorter distances. They still work using single pair Ethernet cables. The BeaglePlay SBC that we covered earlier today also offers one 10Mbit SPE interface.

Microchip’s LAN8650 and LAN8651 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHYs, LAN937x and LAN938x 100BASE-T1 Ethernet Switches, and LAN8770 100BASE-T1 Ethernet PHY, as well as evaluation boards are available for purchase at on Microchip DIRECT website with price starting at $3.58 per unit for LAN8650/51 for 5K orders, but the lead time is quite long as I’m shown April 2024 availability and limited stock in March 2023 for other chips… Additional details can be found on the products page.

Thanks to TLS for the tip.

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