A new single-pair Ethernet (SPE) product is expected to reduce the installation cost and complexity of IIoT edge devices by making it easier to connect IIoT edge devices to the cloud.

Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) today announced the introduction of its new industrial-grade SPE 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY and 100BASE-T1, industrial versions of its Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) Ethernet PHY transceivers and switches that enable applications to run at higher speeds across a wide range of Ethernet networks.

Microchip's new LAN8650 and LAN8651 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY Ethernet controllers feature a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), simplifying the implementation of zoning architectures by using a base MCU instead of a higher-level MCU with a Media Access Controller (MAC) when creating sensors, actuators and other devices at the edge of OT and IT networks.

These low-speed devices don't need their own communications system, so Microchip's MAC-PHY connects to standard Ethernet systems all the way to the cloud via simple twisted-pair wiring.>
For industrial applications that require higher bandwidth, developers can use MCUs with integrated Ethernet MACs; Microchip offers an industrial version of its LAN8770 100BASE-T1 Ethernet PHY transceiver, which provides 100 Mbps transmit and receive capability over a single unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable.

Microchip has enhanced its SPE family portfolio with the industrial-grade LAN937x and LAN938x Gigabit Ethernet TSN switches, which integrate a 100BASE-T1 PHY. Scalable, secure, and compact, the new SPE switches include hardware time stamping to support time synchronization for IEEE 802.1AS (gPTP: Generalized Precision Time Protocol) and IEEE 1588v2 (PTP: Precision Time Protocol), among other TSN features.

Energy efficiency features also include remote wake and ultra-deep-sleep power down for implementing battery applications.

To support the design of these products, a set of network analysis tools and evaluation boards, including the LAN8651 EVB and EVB-LAN9383, are available. Microchip's MPLAB® Harmony v3 provides the software support needed to configure, debug, and program designs, while MPLAB Network Creator provides a fast, intuitive graphical interface for switch configuration.

Microchip's LAN8650 and LAN8651 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHYs, LAN937x and LAN938x 100BASE-T1 Ethernet switches, and LAN8770 100BASE-T1 Ethernet PHY are available now through the Microchip purchasing portal.