Comprehensive Report by Electronic Enthusiasts , EtherCAT slave control chips are specialized chips for implementing the EtherCAT data link layer protocol, primarily used for processing EtherCAT data frames and providing data interfaces for slave control devices. In industrial automation scenarios such as servo control, variable frequency drives, industrial PLCs, and industrial robots, EtherCAT offers real-time control communication capabilities and is one of the most widely used protocols in industrial communication applications.
In the past, there were few domestic chips in the field of EtherCAT slave control chips. However, in recent years, with the continuous development of domestic chip manufacturers in the industrial sector, several manufacturers have launched domestic EtherCAT slave control chips.
Fangxin Semiconductor recently launched the FCE1353/1354 slave control chips, which compete with Microchip’s LAN9252/9253/9254 series classic products and achieve Pin to Pin full compatibility, supporting seamless replacement.
Among them, the FCE1353 is a Pin to Pin compatible 3-port ESC chip with Microchip’s LAN9253/LAN9252. This chip features dual integrated Ethernet PHYs, each providing full-duplex 100base-TX support with HP Auto-MDIX, 8KB of dual-port memory (DPRAM), 8 Sync Managers, 8 Fieldbus Memory Management Units (FMMUs), and a 64-bit distributed clock. It supports multiple process data interfaces such as SPI/SQI, HBI, and meets customer requirements for cycle time, integration, and system-level costs.
Compared to the LAN9252, the FCE1353’s DPRAM (dual-port RAM) capacity has doubled from 4KB in the LAN9252 to 8KB, meeting the needs for more complex data processing.
The FCE1354 can directly replace the Microchip LAN9254, sharing the same functions and features as the FCE1353, and additionally provides 32-bit digital I/O, capable of independent operation without an external controller, suitable for complex logic scenarios such as valve control and multi-sensor acquisition. It also supports various process data interfaces including SPI/SQI, HBI (8/16 bit), and digital I/O, compatible with mainstream MCUs/DSPs (such as STM32F407).
Previously, domestic manufacturers such as Xianji Semiconductor, GigaDevice, and Maling Semiconductor have also launched industrial EtherCAT slave control chips.
Xianji Semiconductor launched the high-performance MCU product HPM6E00 series in December last year, which has been officially authorized by Beckhoff for EtherCAT slave controllers. This MCU uses a RISC-V architecture CPU with a clock speed of up to 600MHz, providing up to 3-port gigabit Ethernet routing modules, supporting various industrial Ethernet protocols and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), and offering 32 channels of high-resolution PWM output, 16-bit ADC, Σ∆ digital filtering, along with a professional encoder management module, flexible external bus, and agile hardware current loop functions.
GigaDevice announced the official launch of the EtherCAT slave control chip GDSCN832 series in November last year, which has also received official authorization from Beckhoff.
The GDSCN832 product is a 2/3-port EtherCAT® slave controller, integrating 2 internal PHYs and 1 MII expansion interface, with dual-channel integrated Ethernet physical layer devices, each channel providing full-duplex 100BASE-TX transceivers, supporting 100Mbps operation. This series supports 8 Fieldbus Memory Management Units (FMMUs), enhancing data processing performance and security, effectively reducing memory access latency, and further improving system response speed and real-time performance, providing users with high flexibility in data mapping. It also supports 8 Sync Manager Entities for efficient memory management. The GDSCN832 series is equipped with up to 8KB of dual-port memory (DPRAM), capable of providing a foundation for large data processing in complex control systems. It features a built-in 64-bit distributed clock, with the host bus interface achieving the same functionality through high-speed synchronous/asynchronous slave interfaces, with precision below 1μs. This product series supports 8/16-bit serial/parallel communication, supporting SPI/QSPI/OSPI slave interfaces with communication speeds up to 100MHz, and also supports EXMC synchronous mode, providing users with a more flexible interface configuration scheme. It integrates a 1.1V core voltage regulator, supporting single 3.3V power operation; it also supports variable voltage I/O from 1.8V to 3.3V. The GDSCN832 supports HP Auto-MDIX, enabling direct or crossover LAN cable connections. It offers four low-power modes, achieving an excellent balance between energy efficiency and power consumption.
Maling Semiconductor has launched the CF110x series ESC chips, which operate using an external 25 MHz crystal oscillator and interact with microprocessors via a parallel bus. EEPROM is used to store slave configuration information, and when the CF110x series is powered on or reset, it automatically reads the configuration data from the EEPROM and loads it into the corresponding registers. The CF110x series and EEPROM communicate via the I2C serial bus. The CF110x series provides a multi-layer programmable interrupt structure, and when an interrupt occurs, the microprocessor enters the interrupt routine to read the interrupt register of the CF110x series to determine the source of the interrupt event for appropriate handling. The CF110x series has built-in PHY0 and PHY1, which connect to the standard RJ45 interface with built-in network transformers. A single chip supports up to 3 EtherCAT interfaces, with one interface configurable as a system internal bus interface and the other two as Ethernet external bus interfaces.
With the deepening of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, the advantages of the EtherCAT protocol in real-time performance and topological flexibility will become more pronounced, and domestic industrial EtherCAT chips will encounter more opportunities.
Disclaimer: This article is a comprehensive report by Electronic Enthusiasts , please indicate the source when reprinting. For group discussions, please add WeChat elecfans999, for submission and interview requests, please email [email protected].
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