Based on Microchip's LAN9252 EtherCAT slave control chip, the easy-to-use node development starter kit offers Pmod™ and Arduino-compatible interfaces, including SPI/QSPI, plus a header with all LAN9252 I/O that allows direct connection to a wide selection of microcontrollers or microprocessor kits for rapid prototyping.
Target applications for the kit include motor-based motion control, robotics, communication modules and I/O interface cards in factory and process automation, rotary encoders and sensors, and control of devices such as actuators, valves, and drives in hydraulic and pneumatic valve systems. Additionally, the new EtherCAT starter kit can be integrated into the Avnet Silica Visible Things™ platform for developing Internet of Things (IoT) projects and applications.
A key component of the new EtherCAT kit is Microchip's LAN9252, a 2/3-port EtherCAT slave controller with dual integrated Ethernet PHYs, each including a 100Base-TX full-duplex transceiver to support 100 Mbps operation. The chip also supports auto-MDIX, allowing the use of straight-through or crossover LAN cables, and provides support for an external 100Base-FX fiber transceiver. Other features of the LAN9252 include dual-port 4K-byte DPRAM, four SyncManagers, three Fieldbus MMUs, a 64-bit distributed clock, and an extended operating temperature range of -40°C to 105°C.
The LAN9252 slave controller offers three operating modes: microcontroller, digital I/O, and expansion modes. In microcontroller mode, the LAN9252 communicates with the host MCU via a flexible 8/16-bit host bus interface or an SPI or quad-SPI interface. In digital I/O mode, the LAN9252 controls 16 digital I/O signals without requiring a host MCU. In expansion mode, using the LAN9252's third external Ethernet PHY interface allows for a star or tree network topology, or even the construction of a four-port solution with additional LAN9252s, enabling a high level of deployment flexibility.
The starter kit also offers two RJ45 Ethernet interfaces and single-supply 3.3V operation. Power supply options include USB or the PMOD and Arduino interfaces. Finally, the starter kit works with the Beckhoff EtherCAT protocol stack, which is free for ETG (EtherCAT Technology Group) members, as well as many other EtherCAT stacks. Avnet Silica is also currently developing sample software solutions for customers for use with PIC32 and ARM-Cortex based host microcontrollers.
