Microchip Expands Automotive Ethernet Lineup With New Transceivers for Zonal Vehicle Networks

Microchip Technology has broadened its 10BASE-T1S single-pair Ethernet catalog, introducing two physical medium dependent transceivers — the LAN8679 and LAN8680 — alongside the LAN8660X/1X/2X endpoint family that builds integrated transceivers directly into edge devices. The rollout targets zonal vehicle electrical/electronic architectures, but the company also positions the silicon for industrial automation, robotics and aerospace use cases, where lightweight single-pair cabling is equally attractive.

The LAN8679 relies on the standardized OPEN Alliance 3-Pin (OA3P) interface and ships in a compact 8-pin VDFN measuring just 3 x 3 mm. The LAN8680 steps up in integration, layering in system basis chip functions such as power management, wake/sleep control and watchdog supervision. It also carries low-dropout regulators for internal power and two switchable supply outputs, full rail monitoring, and an ultra-low-power sleep mode, all in a 16-pin, 3 x 4.5 mm VDFN package. Both parts are engineered toward AEC-Q100 qualification and ISO 26262 functional safety requirements, with an operating window spanning -40° C to 125° C.

The endpoint family takes a different tack: the LAN8660X/1X/2X folds a PMD transceiver into a single-chip Remote Control Protocol device, meaning control, lighting and audio edge nodes no longer need an external PHY to get onto the bus. Each endpoint offers up to four serial interfaces for sensors and actuators and keeps its configuration in on-chip non-volatile memory, with configuration, control and diagnostics handled across the network. Microchip frames this as a software-less architecture — no additional programming work is required for the node to function. The LAN8660X control endpoint additionally supports time synchronization via generalized Precision Time Protocol and comes in a 32-pin, 5 x 5 mm TQFN with wettable flanks.

In a 10BASE-T1S multidrop topology, several nodes — typically eight or more, per Microchip — share a single bus line. That arrangement trims wiring weight and system cost while removing the need for gateways, simplifying how sensors and actuators attach to the network edge. The same physical layer has already been specified for charging communication in the Megawatt Charging System, where chargebyte’s CCL MCS charge controller uses it in place of power line communication — a signal that 10BASE-T1S is gaining traction beyond in-vehicle networking.

Microchip previously brought its LAN866x 10BASE-T1S endpoints to market, and the new devices build on that foundation. The LAN8679, LAN8680 and LAN8660X/1X/2X are now available in limited sampling, with broader availability expected to follow as automotive and industrial customers evaluate them for zonal and edge designs.