Microchip — LAN8650 and LAN8651 Ethernet Controllers

Microchip has introduced the LAN8650 and LAN8651 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY single-pair Ethernet (SPE) controllers, which simplify the implementation of zonal networking architectures.

By using the LAN8650 or LAN8651, designers can implement systems with basic microcontrollers, rather than higher-end MCUs that have an on-chip media access controller (MAC), when creating sensors, actuators and other devices for the edge of operational and information technology networks. These low-speed devices do not need their own communication system; Microchip’s MAC-PHY devices connect them to a standard Ethernet system all the way to the cloud over simple twisted-pair wiring.

For industrial applications that require higher bandwidth, designers can use MCUs with an integrated Ethernet MAC. For these applications, Microchip now offers an industrial-grade version of its LAN8770 100BASE-T1 Ethernet PHY transceiver that supports a transmit and receive data rate of up to 100 Mbits/s over a single unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable.

In addition, Microchip has built on its SPE portfolio with industrial-grade versions of its LAN937x and LAN938x Gigabit Ethernet time-sensitive networking (TSN) switches with integrated 100BASE-T1 PHYs. These scalable, secure and compact SPE switches include hardware time-stamping features for supporting IEEE 802.1AS (gPTP) and IEEE 1588v2 (PTP) time synchronization, as well as other TSN functionality. Energy-efficiency features include an ultra-deep sleep mode with remote wake-up.

The Microchip industrial-grade SPE offerings withstand harsh environmental conditions across a broad temperature range. They provide features such as safety, security and extended cable reach that are required in industrial applications.

Tool support for these Ethernet devices includes MPLAB® Harmony v3 for configuring, debugging and programming designs. The MPLAB Network Creator provides a quick and intuitive graphical interface for switch configuration.