The Industrial Communication Solution

Texas Instruments’Industrial Communication Solution centers around the AM3359 Industrial Communication Engine (ICE), a development platform specifically aimed at systems that incorporate the Sitara™ AM335x ARM® Cortex™-A8 processor family. The solution uses minimal external components to achieve best-in-class low-power performance with low-footprint designs. 

Central to the design is the support of all major industrial protocols; the included ICE hardware and software merge the communication interfaces used in a wide range of industrial systems such as a programmable logic controller (PLC), industrial communication modules, interfaces for sensors and I/O systems, communication gateways, drives with integrated communications, and motor drive feedback systems.

For this reason, the AM3359 processor is supplemented by the TLK110 industrial PHY transceiver for 10/100 Ethernet, the ISO1176T isolated PROFIBUS RS-485 transceiver, the ISO1050 isolated CAN transceiver, and the TPS65910A integrated power management IC. Additional connectivity options include digital input/output (I/O), SPI, UART, and JTAG (via USB) for debugging.

Sitara AM3359 processor
The AM3359 processor is enhanced with a Programmable Real-time Unit (PRU) subsystem to implement the EtherCAT industrial interface.
EtherCAT represents the latest standard in Ethernet systems specifically optimized for an industrial setting. Short for “Ethernet for Control Automation Technology,” EtherCAT alleviates the challenge caused by an Ethernet's lack of efficiency for handling the small amount of data exchange typical of an industrial automation network. This type of industrial automation network uses a payload below the minimum Ethernet frame requirement, which in turn forces the use of one frame per node per cycle; thus, lowering the bandwidth and creating an inefficient network communication.

Incorporating EtherCAT technology eliminates this bottleneck as certain features and configurations are forced upon the Ethernet, making it notably more effective for handling the data exchange of automation networks, while maintaining Ethernet requirements.

Fundamentally, TI is the first semiconductor company in the world to license EtherCAT technology and integrate it into a processor. The unique combination of ARM and PRU architecture results in a high performing, power efficient core, at a very low system cost.

TLK110
The TLK110 is a single-port Ethernet PHY transceiver built for 10BASE-T and 100BASE TX signaling. It blends all the physical-layer functions needed to transmit and receive data on standard twisted-pair cables. Additionally, TLK110 supports both the standard Media Independent Interface (MII) and Reduced Media Independent Interface (RMII) for direct MAC address connection.

One of TLK's chief characteristics is its low-power operation. The device operates with a combination of 3.3- and 1.55-V power supplies or with a single 3.3-V power supply. A second claim worth mentioning is the device's use of mixed-signal processing to perform equalization, data recovery, and error correction to achieve robust operation over CAT 5 twisted-pair wiring.

ISO1176T
ISO1176T is an Isolated RS-485 differential line transceiver that's ideal for long transmission lines since the ground loop is broken, allowing the device to operate with a much larger common-mode voltage range. The transceiver combines a galvanically isolated differential line driver and differential input line receiver and facilitates direct control due to an active-high enable with isolated enable-state output on the ISODE pin.

Furthermore, ISO1176T provides a PROFIBUS, a Fieldbus protocol used in connecting to remote I/O units, sensors, actuators, and inter-networking components, to the AM3359. This in turn reduces complexity and investment cost by joining a number of nodes through a single connection to increase communication effectiveness; as such, dedicated wiring to each node is no longer necessary.

ISO1050
The ISO1050 is a galvanically isolated CAN transceiver that meets the ISO11898-2 specifications. The component uses a silicon oxide insulation barrier to separate the logic input and output buffers, and to provide galvanic isolation of up to 5,000 VRMS for ISO1050DW and 2,500 VRMS for ISO1050DU. Moreover, ISO1050 is used with isolated power supplies to prevent noise currents on a data bus or other circuits from entering the local ground and interfering with or damaging sensitive circuitry.

ISO1050 is optimized for high performance in harsh environments; to that end, the device features cross-wire, overvoltage, and loss-of-ground protection from –27 to 40 V and over-temperature shut-down, plus –12 to 12-V common-mode range. The model operating temperature ranges from –55° to 105°C.

TPS65910A
TPS65910A is the final component in the TI's ICE solution suite; the device is a power-management IC with four DC/DC converters, eight LDOs, and an RTC in a 6 x 6-mm QFN. It's available in a 48-QFN package and dedicated to applications powered by one Li-ion or Li-ion polymer battery cell or three -series NiMH cells, or by a 5-V input. TPS65910A was designed to be extremely flexible; thereby featuring three step-down converters, one step-up converter, and eight LDOs. These eight LDOs are completely controllable by the I2C interface and provide an extensive range of voltage and current capabilities.

Orderable part numbers, in stock at Mouser:

AM3359
TLK110
ISO1176T
ISO1050
TPS65910A

Visit Texas Instruments’ Industrial Communication Solution page for additional information.