There’s a lot of buzz around IoT, and the industrial sector is also trying to build smarter factories using protocols or standards part of Industry 4.0 or Industrial IoT (IIoT) depending on the country or group you belong too. Avnet has just launched MicroZed Industry 4.0 Ethernet Kit (I4EK) based on Xilinx Zynq-7000 ARM & FPGA SoC to address this market with support for the most common industrial protocols such as EtherCAT, Powerlink, PROFINET RT/IRT, EtherNet/IP, and Modbus-TCP.
The “brain” of the development board is MicroZed module powered by Zilinx Zynq-7020 dual core Cortex A9 processor with FPGA fabric, and coupled with 1GB RAM, 128 MB SQPI flash, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and various I/Os. The module is connected to MicroZed FMC Carrier board with the following features:
- 2x 100-pin board-to-board MicroHeaders
- Xilinx PC4 header for download/debug – Accesses PL JTAG
- 5x Digilent Pmod compatible interfaces
- 39 user I/O
- 1x Pmod header connected to PS MIO
- 2x Pmod headers support the Zed Touch Display Kit
- 2x Pmod headers connected to Bank 13
- Low pin count (LPC) FMC with 72 PL I/Os (36 differential pairs)
- Power-On and System Reset push buttons
- 2x user push buttons, 4x user LEDs, 1x configuration push buttons, 2x status LEDs (power good and DONE)
- On-Board storage – 2 Kb MAC ID EEPROM, optional 1 Kb SHA-1 EEPROM (not populated by default)
- Power supply
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Input – 12V @ 5A input via 2×3 connector
- Internal
- proper sequencing and handshaking as per MicroZed Carrier Card Design Guide
- 5V @ 2 A regulator for MicroZed power
- 1.8/2.5/3.3 V @ 4 A Regulator for MicroZed VCCIO and FMC Vadj
- 3.3V @ 3A Regulator for FMC and Pmods
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- Misc – Optional fan header
Finally, ISM Networking Module II is also inserted to the carrier board to add two IEEE 1588 10/100M Ethernet ports, two CAN bus, RS232 and RS485 interfaces, GPIO connectors, a security EEPROM 256 Mb SPI flash, and some user LEDs. So the kit is based on existing Avnet hardware platform, and also includes JTAG HS3 High Speed Xilinx, a programming cable, a micro SD card, Ethernet and USB cables, a 12V power supply and a Quick Start Card.
The kits is pre-loaded with EtherCAT reference design by HMS Industrial Networks, and can be controlled/managed with Beckhoff TwinCAT software. The Cortex A9 cores in the Zynq processor runs Xilinkx PetaLinux and an evaluation copy of HMS Anybus IP that implements PROFINET, Ethernet, Modbus TCP, EtherCAT, and POWERLINK on the FPGA fabric is included for free for evaluation or development. Deployed products will be licensed with a tiny 1-wire security chip, and only one protocol is available at any given time to due Block RAM capacity of the Zynq-7020’s FPGA.
MicroZed Industry 4.0 Ethernet Kit is sold on Avnet for $699 an up. A few more details are provided on Microzed I4EK product page.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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