Cover story
Bringing Ethernet to the Edge of Industrial Networks
By Henry Muyshondt, Senior Manager, Microchip Technology M
icrochip has introduced new industrial-grade Single Pair Ethernet devices that implement the 10BASE-
T1S and 100BASE-T1 physical layer. These products bring Ethernet all the way to the edge of industrial networks. Single Pair Ethernet, or SPE, defines the transceiver part of an Ethernet system. All the higher software layers remain unchanged, regardless of the speed grade. SPE is also referred to as T1, which means one balanced pair of wires. Some applications use a twisted pair of wires, but others use just two wires running alongside each other. The IEEE standard defines a channel in terms of its electrical characteristics and not the specific physical wires. Multiple bandwidths are defined for
SPE. The first part of the name specifies the Mbit/s: 10BASE means 10Mbit/s. There are standards for 10BASE-T1S (S
06 March 2023
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
for short reach), 10BASE-T1L (L for long reach), 100BASE-T1, 1000BASE-T1 and even higher data rates are defined for 2.5, 5 and 10Gbit/s. SPE reduces system cost by reducing weight and wiring complexity. The megatrend in networking is to
move from distributed systems defined primarily by the hardware involved, to more centralised, software-defined systems. The trend is to connect everything with Ethernet: • Domain-specific hardware architectures give way to zones connected to each other and to a centralised compute platform.
• Multiple application-specific buses are replaced by an IP-based and ubiquitous Ethernet network.
• Gateways or controllers required to translate between different hardware approaches and which require complex wiring are eliminated. Low- cost, single-pair cabling then brings
Ethernet all the way to the edge of the network. All this results in a more powerful,
more flexible network to meet industrial challenges. Ethernet enables connected Cloud-
to-Edge infrastructures. Traditional IT networks at the top enable communications at the highest levels. Operational Technology (OT) networks are used within buildings to control processes and assembly lines. As you get closer to the edge of the enterprise network, you find sensors, actuators and other low-level devices. Ethernet allows a common way
to connect and communicate with all these elements, to make their data available to higher levels of the organisation so Big Data can use it to better run the enterprise. It also makes it easier to configure and control systems. Established Ethernet mechanisms can secure
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