Our world is becoming smarter and more interconnected, with buildings and factories being automated in unprecedented ways. To ensure the effective operation of these new systems, reliable information communication is crucial - not only within industrial control panels, but also between various devices throughout the entire site.

Until recently, industrial networks were still complex and may require the use of various protocols and gateways. This may be both expensive and unreliable, making it difficult to ensure the necessary interconnectivity.

However, with the emergence of 10BASE-T1S Ethernet, a revolution is happening. This innovative standard replaces traditional fieldbus technology, providing multiple advantages for modern network environments and eliminating the need for gateways.

A series of devices that support the new standard, such as Anson's industrial 10BASE-T1S Ethernet controller, provide a reliable and effective single-chip solution for connecting twisted pair (TP) cables.

Reliable connections in industrial applications

Although the distance inside industrial cabinets is relatively short, providing reliable connections in industrial applications is extremely challenging, especially due to the presence of a large amount of electrical noise. Large distribution boards, motors, and many other high current/high voltage devices can generate a certain degree of electromagnetic interference, thereby disrupting network communication.

In office applications, slow data transmission caused by interruptions can be frustrating or inconvenient. However, in industrial applications, timely transmission of data is crucial, especially remote sensor data from controlling machine operation. If the data is delayed or incorrect, it may violate process parameters and even damage production equipment.

For the same reason, timely transmission of data has become particularly important. This does not apply to protocols that negotiate bus access permissions based on random timeouts.

How does 10BASE-T1S cope with the latest industrial connectivity challenges

Network infrastructure is often described as a 'stack', with physical implementation (cabling/media) at the bottom and increasingly complex software on top. In the application of Factory 4.0, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), planning, execution, automation, tracking, inventory control, supervisory control, etc. are located at the top level. The bottom layer (physical layer) is the factory workshop, where edge nodes including robots, actuators, motion sensors, and valves perform physical manufacturing work, typically covering multiple assembly lines.

The communication at the top of the stack is usually conducted through multi gigabit Ethernet local area networks. However, communication in factory workshops is often a fragmented network composed of multi-point network fieldbus protocols (including HART, RS-485, Mod bus, DeviceNet, Profi Bus, and CAN), running at megabits or lower speeds through a pair of twisted pair cables (possibly shielded or unshielded).

In order to make it work as a unified network, it is necessary to install gateways between the Ethernet section and other protocols, which can lead to communication fragmentation, increased cost, and complexity. A new type of Ethernet will significantly enhance edge connectivity in smart building and factory applications.

The approval of the IEEE 802.3gg specification in 2019 brought about 10BASE-T1S. This standard is based on standard Ethernet, but has several important differences, providing a throughput of 10Mb/s and multi-point operation with deterministic conflict handling mechanism. This standard can operate on unshielded twisted pair (SPE) cables, greatly simplifying the installation process and reducing costs.

Deterministic operations are crucial for real-time systems as they must transmit information within a known time frame. The CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection) used in traditional Ethernet adopts random time periods, so it cannot guarantee the certainty of communication time.

10BASE-T1S uses a new system called PLCA (Physical Layer Collision Avoidance) to avoid data conflicts on the bus. Under PLCA, node 0 (coordinator) sends a 2.0 μ s beacon to synchronize all nodes in the network. Then, node 0 obtains a transmission opportunity. If no data is transmitted, the opportunity will be passed to node 1 within the default standard of 3.2 microseconds. This cycle repeats, with each node receiving one sending opportunity in turn. After the cycle ends, the coordinator sends out a beacon signal, and a new cycle begins. If a node attempts to transmit data exceeding the allowed frame size, the 'jabber' function will interrupt the transmission and pass the transmission opportunity to the next node, ensuring that the bus is not blocked.

By using PLCA, the worst-case media access delay can be calculated by multiplying the current number of nodes by the maximum network frame size, which can be adjusted.

Many industrial applications are located in harsh electromagnetic environments, where switchgear, motors, and other large equipment generate radiation and conducted noise. Despite using unshielded twisted pair cables, 10BASE-T1S provides excellent electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance compared to existing Ethernet protocols.

This is partly attributed to the application of PLCA. Since the bus is known to be conflict free, the physical layer receiver can use complex algorithms to detect or recover signals when there is high-level noise in the environment.

Ansenmei's Ethernet Controller: Enhancing Connectivity

With the launch of the 10BASE-T1S protocol, new devices have been optimized for 10BASE-T1S, enabling designers to fully utilize the new features. For example, Anson's NCN26010 is an Ethernet transceiver that complies with the IEEE 802.3gg standard, integrating a media access controller (MAC), PLCA harmonic sublayer (PLCA-RS), and a 10BASE-T1S physical layer suitable for industrial multi-point Ethernet. This device has all the physical layer functions required for transmitting and receiving data through a single unshielded twisted pair cable.

Despite integrating MAC, PLCA, and PHY (including TX+RX), the device can be packaged in a compact 4mm x 4mm QFN32 package and only requires a single 3.3V power supply. Its timing is driven by an external 25MHz crystal oscillator or an external 25MHz clock source. Communication with the host is conducted through the OA SPI interface defined by the Open Alliance.

In addition, NCN26010 also has Enhanced Noise (ENI) capability, which can improve its noise resistance to a level higher than the requirements of the 10BASE-T1S specification. This greatly improves network performance in noisy industrial environments.

Anson Mei released the NCN26000 10BASE-T1S Ethernet transceiver (PHY) specifically designed for industrial Ethernet in April 2024. It has many similarities with the early NCN26010, including compliance with the IEEE802.3kg standard and the ability to achieve multi-point, half duplex 10 Mb/s data transmission rates through SPE.

The main difference between these two devices is that the NCN26000 only includes PLCA-RS and PHY (TX+RX) in a 5mm x 5mm QFN package. The NCN26000 also requires a 3.3V power supply and a 25MHz external clock.

The NCN26000 has a Media Independent Interface (MII) that complies with the IEEE802.3 standard and can be connected to any CSMA/CD half duplex MAC with CRS and COL pins. MII can also be used for configuration and monitoring devices (known as MDIO).

Both devices integrate Anson's ENI function, which significantly improves the performance of 10BASE-T1S multi-point applications in electrical noise environments. When tested in the laboratory, these two devices easily exceeded the minimum requirement of 8 nodes within 25 meters. In fact, further testing shows that ENI can support approximately 40 nodes at 25 meters, 16 nodes at 50 meters, and 6 nodes at 60 meters, easily exceeding the requirements of IEEE specifications.

Application and deployment scenarios

10BASE-T1S not only has the characteristic of deterministic operation, but also is based on unshielded single pair Ethernet (SPE) cables, with relatively low deployment costs. The lower cost and simpler integration of 10BASE-T1S help bring a wide range of possibilities for applications that were previously limited by budget or packaging constraints. One example is in complex industrial automation, where previously independent sensor nodes are upgraded and connected to a centralized network system. Previously available connection methods may have been too expensive or difficult to integrate, but 10BASE-T1S overcomes these obstacles. In the design process of new robots or automation solutions, similar cost and packaging challenges may also be encountered. 10BASE-T1S can once again help achieve higher interconnectivity without affecting performance or increasing budget.

With the continuous development of building automation, 10BASE-T1S can be used for applications such as control panels, human-machine interfaces (HMI), sensors, actuators, and lighting, providing a high-speed and reliable backbone network for the entire building.

In industrial applications, performance and cost are important, and noise resistance is particularly important. Here, 10BASE-T1S can be used to connect devices from control cabinets to programmable logic controllers (PLCs), sensors, contactors, and any other appropriate device equipped with a 10BASE-T1S interface.

conclusion

Until recently, due to the incompatibility of various protocols commonly used by edge devices, the network of automated factories required the installation of many gateways between edge devices and the main Ethernet network. Typically, these fieldbus protocols include HART, RS-485, Mod bus, DeviceNet, Profi Bus, and CAN, each requiring its own gateway. This increases costs and complexity, especially as each gateway requires software updates and maintenance.

With the emergence of 10BASE-T1S, industrial networks have been simplified and performance has been improved. The existence of gateways is no longer needed, and edge connections have shifted from fieldbus protocols below 1Mb/s to deterministic Ethernet at 10Mb/s.

Ansenmei has a range of products suitable for the new protocol, including two controllers that comply with the IEEE 802.3gg standard. With its unique ENI functionality, they can be successfully deployed in the most noisy environments, and can even connect up to 40 nodes on a 25 meter line, which is four times the standard requirement.

This is reported by Top Components, a leading supplier of electronic components in the semiconductor industry

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Media Relations

Name: John Chen

Email: salesdept@topcomponents.ru