EM500 - Ethernet Module:

What is EM500 Ethenret module ?

The EM500 is a miniature stand-alone BASIC-programmable embedded module, designed to be used in combination with a standard LED/magnetics RJ45 jack. The combined footprint of the EM500 and a standard jack is only 28.5x18.5mm.

The module's hardware mix, which includes 10/100BaseT Ethernet, a serial port, and 8 I/O lines, has been carefully tailored to address the basic needs of lightweight network-enabled control devices.

Compact dimensions, space-saving "vertical slice" mechanical design, low power consumption, and innovative dual-function LED control lines make the module an excellent fit for miniature, cost-sensitive designs.

In the near future, the EM500 will also support Wi-Fi communications (using the GA1000 add-on board), as well as external LCD, keypad, and flash disk (via an SPI flash IC).

The EM500 can be ordered standalone or in combination with an industry-standard RJ45 jack and/or all discrete components required to complete the circuit.

What is the benefit of EM500 ethernet module ?

Cut the Jack Loose, and...

Save Cost

One US dollar. This is what it costs these days to get a pretty good RJ jack with LEDs and magnetics. The price is low because jack manufacturers churn out millions of them, day in and day out. Tibbo is in a different business. We can’t make jacks for a dollar apiece. So go ahead, buy jacks from folks who know how to make them cheap – and save.

Have Choice

Low-cost jacks. Ultra-reliable jacks. Waterproof jacks. ESD-protected jacks. PoE-optimized jacks. Jacks with and without LEDs. Shorter jacks. Lower jacks. The list of available RJ jacks goes on and on. By not forcing you to buy a jack (or jack module) of our own make, Tibbo gives you a freedom of choice. Pick the jack you like. MiniMo won’t mind.

Stands Up, Stands Out

Designed to be mounted vertically and fit behind a standard RJ connector jack, our MiniMo devices reduce the required board space to a miniscule 18.5x6.5mm. That's 0.72x0.62". The width and height of the EM500 –- the first member of the MiniMo family -- are very close to those of a standard jack. Just think of the EM500 as a 6.5mm-thick extension of the jack. A fully independent extension, that is.

All Essentials, None of The Excess

The EM500 has all the stuff you always need: an Ethernet port, one serial interface, eight I/O lines, a small EEPROM, and 320KB of space for your Tibbo BASIC application. Want some extras like a flash disk or an RTC? Add those externally when you need them; save cost when you don’t.

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Can you Handle 11 Wires?

One RJ jack of your choice; two resistors; one capacitor; eleven wire connections; a reset source. This is all it takes to complete the EM500 circuit. Surely you can handle this "complexity". Looking to minimize cost? Buy all the parts directly from suppliers. Want to simplify purchasing? Buy them as a kit from us.

An Enlightening Idea

How many LEDs does a typical RJ jack have? Two! How many LEDs existing Tibbo modules require? Four. That’s two LEDs too many. Minimalists to the bone, we have designed MiniMo to rely on just two LEDs instead of four: module states are displayed using flashing patterns, while LED brightness indicates the physical link state.

It's BASIC-Programmable, too

Enjoy our trademark programmability in a tiny, low-cost package. Not content with being dumb serial-to-Ethernet converters, MiniMo devices offer a truly programmable computing platform at a price and size that will fit virtually any design.

Hardware spec.

Specifications:

Based on a second-generation ASIC (T2000).
10/100BaseT auto-MDIX Ethernet port (no magnetics).
One serial port (CMOS-level):
- Baudrates of up to 460800bps;
- None/even/odd/mark/space parity modes;
- 7/8 bits/character modes;
- Full-duplex mode with optional flow control;
- Half-duplex mode with direction control;
- Encoding and decoding of Wiegand and clock/data streams.
512KB flash memory for firmware and application.
200 bytes of EEPROM space for data storage.
8 general-purpose I/O lines (including 2 interrupt lines).
Control lines for two external dual-function status LEDs.
Additional control line for a dedicated Ethernet link LED.
External reset source required.
Power: 260mA @ 3.3V (100BaseT mode).
"Vertical slice" construction; dimensions: 18.5x16.0x6.5mm.
Firmware is upgradeable through the serial port or network (including "cold upgrade" firmware uploads through the network).

To be available later:

Optional Wi-Fi interface (will require GA1000 add-on module).
Flash disk (will require an external SPI flash IC).
Support for external LCD and keypad.