Saelig introduces W5300 Embedded-Internet IC

Tag : IC Socket


July 11, 2008 - W5300 is a new, full-featured 10/100 Ethernetcontroller IC from WIZnet, three times as fast and with double thechannels of its predecessor W5100. W5300, with built-in MAC andPHY, offers stable speeds up to 50 Mbps - enough to watch movies inreal-time rather than buffered. W5300 supports eight independent,simultaneous sockets, with a 16- or 8- bit data bus. W5300 is assimple to control as a memory IC and is capable of even supporting,for instance, simultaneous broadband access, VoIP, and digitalbroadcasting.

Supporting most Ethernet Protocols (TCP, UDP, ICMP, IPv4, ARP,IGMP, PPPoE) with internal hardware, W5300 also supports hybrid(software and hardware) TCP/IP stacks. Using an internal 150MHzcore, W5300 dynamically allocates its internal 128Kbyte Tx/Rxmemory according to socket throughput.

W5300 includes a fully hardwired TCP/IP core as well as a PHYinterface layer and is designed for embedded applications whereease of integration, stability, high performance, size, and lowsystem cost are important considerations. W5300 is a memory-mappedhardware TCP/IP solution that allows even low-end microcontrollersready-made Internet capabilities at full speed with no need foradditional PHY layer ICs.

W5300 allows engineers to off-load the burden of the TCP/IP stackinto a second peripheral chip (complete with Ethernet MAC and PHY)with few peripheral components. This reduces product debug issuesand speeds time-to-market with the design of the TCP/IP stackavoided, and the additional benefit of a more stable product.Simple 8-bit micros immediately have much more power since they nolonger have the burden of TCP/IP protocols. TCP- offload improvesoverall system performance, reduces cost, power and size, increasesrobustness. Engineers no longer need to have detailed knowledge ofTCP/IP since this is all accomplished within the W5300.

W5300's fully hardwired TCP/IP algorithm guarantees line speed withon-the-fly processing architecture that is independent of the mainprocessor. It also eliminates a main processor's overhead byoffloading network tasks, thus enhancing overall system performance- vital in multimedia streaming applications. Direct and indirectbus addressing is provided, as well as an SPI interface, for simpleinterfacing.

Designed by Korea's Ethernet specialists WIZnet, this hardwiredTCP/IP chip technology has been adopted worldwide both in OS-lessdevices (e.g. DVR, Remote Control) and OS-based (e.g. set- topBoxes, DTV, media controllers). It provides higher performance andstability than any software Internet connectivity solution.Advantages of incorporating the TCP/IP stack in an IC include:system robustness, faster time-to-market, up to 25Mbps for evenlow-end microcontrollers or even non-OS systems. W5300 is aimed atapplications that include media- streaming, home networking,serial-to-Ethernet, parallel-to-Ethernet, USB-to-Ethernet, securitysystems, factory automation, medical equipment, etc.

W5300 will be available in May, 2008 from WIZnet's USA distributorSaelig Company at $5.99 (1K qty).