Microcontroller Includes On-Chip Ethernet

Microchip Technology Inc. has rolled out an 8-bit microcontroller family that could deliver Ethernet connectivity to a broader array of lower-end embedded applications, ranging from hotel mini-bars to point-of-sale terminals.

Known as the PIC18F97J60, the new device family incorporates a Medium Access Controller (MAC) chip and a physical layer interface (PHY) chip, both of which serve as backbone devices for Ethernet control.

"We're bringing the whole product solution together so that embedded designers can do whatever is necessary to network-enable their designs," notes Nate Smith, product marketing manager for Microchip Technology Inc. "In the past, 8-bit Ethernet devices were not designed this way for the embedded space. It was much more clunky and expensive to Ethernet-enable your 8-bit application."

Indeed, the new device family is expected to simplify design of 8-bit, Internet-connected systems because it reduces the necessary board space and cuts cost. Today, most such systems employ a separate and external "PHY" chip to enable connection to networking hardware, thus taking up more board space and adding $1-$2 of cost to each system. By employing an on-board "PHY" to allow for encoding and decoding of packets coming over the network, Microchip engineers estimate they can cut developer costs by as much as 51 percent, and reduce printed circuit board space by 68 percent.

The new family of devices includes nine members, with pin counts ranging from 64 to 100 pins, and with memory densities ranging from 64 to 128 Kbytes.

Microchip is targeting the new device family at industrial power supply monitoring, fire and safety control, lighting control, kitchen appliances, hotel mini-bars, point-of-sale terminals and home security networks.

"Ethernet can be a daunting task if you've never done it before," Smith says. "Having a single-chip solution makes the experience of getting up to speed much more simple."