News and New Products

Ethernet device gets small

By Robert Cravotta -- EDN, 5/12/2005

Microchip’s IEEE802.3-compliant ENC28J60 delivers Ethernet capability in a small, 28-pin, 6×6-mm QFN package that enables designers to add Ethernet capability to space-constrained applications (Picture). The Ethernet controller needs only four lines to connect, through an SPI serial interface, and communicate with a host microcontroller. This approach allows designers to network-enable applications using 8-bit microcontrollers with as few as 18 pins. The stand-alone Ethernet controller includes on-chip 10BaseT MAC (media-access-controller) and PHY (physical) layers; a 10-Mbps SPI serial interface; and an 8-kbyte, dual-port SRAM buffer. The chip’s programmable pattern-matching filter supports Magic Packet, unicast, multicast, or broadcast packets.

The ENC28J60 is currently available in production volumes. The PICtail Ethernet-interface board is also available and provides development support with the controller by plugging into Microchip’s standard PICdem demonstration boards. Microchip offers a royalty-free, free license, TCP/IP stack, through download, for all PIC18 host 8-bit microcontrollers; the stack has a 25-kbyte footprint.

Microchip,1-480-792-7200, www.microchip.com.