Microchip Technology (Asia General Manager and Korea Representative Byung-Don Han) has launched a new industrial Gigabit Ethernet transceiver optimized for process automation with precision timing protocols.

Microchip Technology Inc. today announced the LAN8840 and LAN8841 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver devices, which are compliant with the IEEE® 1588v2 standard for Precision Timing Protocol (PTP) for critical process synchronization.

The LAN8840/41 Ethernet devices are based on Linux® drivers and offer a variety of Ethernet speed options, including 10BASE-T, 10BASE-Te, 100BASE-TX, and 1000BASE-T.

The LAN8840/41 devices facilitate packet prioritization through a high-speed timestamp function that determines network latency between various components and synchronizes it with the time of all connected devices.

These capabilities are particularly important in process automation applications that require precisely controlled production systems, such as robotics, distributed sensors, cooling and mixing systems. Designed with robust applications in mind, the LAN8840/41 devices meet industrial temperature standards, operating from -40°C to +105°C.

“The new LAN8840/41 single-port transceivers complete Microchip’s Time Sensitive Networking offering by providing connectivity for end-to-end nodes in process automation applications,” said Charles Forni, vice president of Microchip’s USB and Networking business unit. “These devices complement Microchip’s existing Ethernet portfolio by providing an end-to-end network solution that connects the diverse components, development tools and support Microchip offers.”

The LAN8840 (48 QFN) and LAN8841 (64 WQFN) are available in volume production now. Pricing starts at $2.78 each in 10,000-unit quantities. For more information or to purchase, contact a Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor, or visit Microchip's purchasing and customer service website.