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Tri-Mode Ethernet Interface
The Pico E-15 features the Marvell Alaska series 88E1111 tri-mode Ethernet transceiver. Combined with the on-FPGA MAC (Middle access controller) a complete Ethernet solution is offered. Communication between the MAC and PHY takes place over an industry standard MII/GMII interface.
The Ethernet transceiver features 10/100/1000 full/half duplex operation. It will automatically configure the physical interface on the fly for crossover or straight through operation. The PHY can even automatically correct for common wiring mistakes. The PHY has a built in Time Domain Reflectometer which can diagnose cable problems and pinpoint their distance away from the transceiver.
The Ethernet interface on the Pico is magnetic-less allowing high speed, low power digital interconnect directly to Ethernet backplanes. DO NOT directly connect the Ethernet interface to a hub or switch without a magnetic isolation module.
The Marvell 88E1111 is the only user-accessible chip on the Pico E-15 that requires an NDA for access to the datasheets. If you are interested in some of the advanced features not supported by the native driver, contact Pico Computing for assistance in obtaining an NDA from Marvell. Users are advised not to contact Marvell directly.
Ethernet Resources:
http://www.marvell.com/products/transceivers/singleport/88e1111.jsp
Pico E-15 Hardware Reference | www.picocomputing.com | Pico Computing |
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| | Seattle, WA 98109 |