Silicognition's ManT1S Is a MicroPython-Powered Gadget for Easy Single-Pair Ethernet Projects
Optional ManT1S-Bridge accessory serves as a way to wire it to multi-pair Ethernet, too — and provides Power-over-Ethernet.
Colorado-based Silicognition is preparing to launch a crowdfunding campaign for an Espressif ESP32-powered MicroPython-based "core" for 10BASE-T1S single-pair Ethernet — with a bridge accessory for ease of expansion.
"ManT1S provides a well-designed core for creating large systems that benefit from a distributed architecture," Silicognition's Patrick Van Oosterwijck explains. "It leverages the power of industrial IEEE 802.3cg 10BASE-T1S networking to easily network and distribute power to up to eight nodes on a T1S multi-drop mixing segment. With the reliable performance of the ESP32 microcontroller and the preloaded MicroPython firmware, developing code for your application is a breeze."
The board is built around an Espressif ESP32 chip with 2MB of pseudo-static RAM (PSRAM) and 8MB of flash storage, and is capable of distribution up to 60V at 700mA (42W) of power. There's a Qwiic connector, UFL connector for external Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antenna, 0.1" breadboard-friendly pins with castellation for surface mounting, and a four-hole screw terminal for the all-important two-pair Ethernet connection — the other two being for daisy-chaining purposes.
Unlike traditional Ethernet, single-pair Ethernet, as the name implies, runs on a just a single two-wire pair. Originally developed for industrial and automotive communications, the 10BASE-T1L variant allows for wired connections to reach well over a kilometer (around 0.6 miles), while the 10BASE-T1S version picked for the ManT1S is a shorter-range version that aims to offer competition to the CAN XL standard.
In addition to the ManT1S, Van Oosterwijck has also announced the ManT1S-Bridge — a transparent network switch that connects a 10BASE-T1S single-pair Ethernet network to a multi-pair Ethernet network on an RJ45 connector, while also doubling as a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) adapter delivering up to 30W of power.
A pre-launch campaign page is available on Crowd Supply, where interested parties can sign up to be notified when the campaign goes live; Van Oosterwijck has pledged to release schematics for the hardware "after the campaign closes," and also to upstream the board's MicroPython port.