Nat Semi's intros first Ethernet transceiver with IEEE 1588 PTP hardware

HONG KONG: National Semiconductor Corp. has introduced the industry's first Ethernet transceiver with integrated hardware support for the IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP). For applications in motion control, instrumentation, data acquisition and telecom, the DP83640 precision PHYTER transceiver synchronizes the distributed network nodes to a master clock with 8-nanosecond accuracy. This precision synchronization is critical to high-performance factory automation, test and measurement, and wireless infrastructure systems.

National's DP83640 precision PHYTER transceiver integrates hardware time stamping of receive and transmit packets, a high-accuracy IEEE 1588 clock and 12 general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins that handle simultaneous real-time events or multiple triggers. The DP83640 interfaces with any microcontroller, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with an Ethernet media access controller (MAC).

Unlike existing software or customized hardware implementations, National's DP83640 integrates the IEEE 1588 PTP functionality in the physical layer. It records the timestamps as close to the wire as possible, with an 8 ns resolution, to yield the highest accuracy for precision control and the lowest jitter for data acquisition. By using one of four clock update algorithms the user adjusts the on-board PTP clock to 1-part-per-billion (ppb) accuracy. In addition, a high-precision frequency-controlled oscillator generates a low-jitter, selectable-frequency clock output from the PTP clock. The transceiver also synchronizes the GPIOs directly with the timestamp engine and the PTP clock to extend this accuracy throughout the real-time system.

The first reference board to implement the DP83640 precision PHYTER transceiver with an MCF5234 ColdFire microcontroller may be ordered from Freescale as M5234BCCKIT. The DP83640 is the newest addition to the PHYTER family, which also includes the DP83848 commercial, industrial and extreme-environment transceivers, and the DP83849, the industry's first dual-port transceivers with flex-port switching and advanced cable diagnostics.

With a broad range of high-performance, low-power industrial connectivity products, the PHYTER family offers enhanced performance and reliability in a range of temperature ranges to meet the requirements of harsh operating environments.