Introduce Several Ethernet Sub-systems
These sub-systems can fully meet requirements of various systems.
1. Ethernet controller module
This includes TCP / IP hardwired chip, transformer and RJ45 controller module, enabling greatly simplifying connectivity. Complete vendors eco-systems offer a variety of available modules, which not only accelerates products’ time to market, but also providing an attractive price point.
The solution is suitable for those engineers who want to quickly develop Internet systems. For instance, choose Wiznet-based WIZ550io, W5100 shield and Ethernet Modules of RCM6760 MiniCore from Rabbit Semiconductor. With the growing popularity of Arduino platform, there are many modules in the market which can be compatible with official Arduino development board.
Second. TCP / IP IC plus an MCU
Designers can connect TCP / IP controller with their embedded microcontroller. For instance, Microchip’s ENC28J60 Ethernet module connects directly to most microcontrollers via SPI interface. These modules usually use separate Ethernet controller ICs, for they has many features and can handle most of the network protocol requirements. Such infrastructure can help designers to build and share their own Ethernet projects.
For example, a project in Github can support the Internet connection between Cypress Programmable System on Chip (PSoC) and ENC28J60-based devices. The same project based on PSoC 3 also can be transplanted into the PSoC 5. The advantage of the solution is to release resources on microcontroller core and other chips to meet need of other systems. On the hardware side, we only need one RJ45 connector, magnetic components, a 25 MHz crystal or oscillator, and a few passive components.
Third. LwIP-supportive single -chip microcontroller
Lightweight IP (lwIP) is a widely-used open source TCP / IP protocol stack, specifically designed for embedded systems, and gained the support of the Global Development Network. For many applications, lwIP provides Ethernet functionality while dramatically reducing the resource utilization of the MCU. Physically, MCU needs MAC and PHY to achieve protocol stack. lwIP is an ideal choice for designers who want to implement a low-cost connectivity.
However, since it is more similar to a DIY type of implementation, so developers must put effort to solve the protocol stack problem. The challenge of the solution is the usage of system resources and dynamically assigned MAC addresses. PSoC is a good way. PSoC digital side is composed of Universal Digital Blocks (UDB) composition, and can be used to balance configuration granularity and support efficient implementation. The basis of this method is to customize digital operation of devices and to meet application requirements.
Connectivity represents the future demand; the world is increasingly dependent on the Internet to promote and expand communications. With chip manufacturers launch more options and greater-flexibility mature products, designer can make a choice from available turnkey module and DIY embedded solutions.