Single Pair Ethernet on Raspberry Pi

Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) is a technology that enables the transmission of Ethernet data over a single twisted pair of wires, as opposed to the traditional Ethernet which typically uses four pairs of twisted wires. This technology was developed to address the growing demand for connectivity in various industries, especially in scenarios where traditional Ethernet cabling might be impractical due to space, weight, or cost constraints. SPE is designed to provide Ethernet connectivity for devices that don’t require the high bandwidth provided by traditional Ethernet cables and can operate over shorter distances. It’s particularly useful in industrial applications, building automation, automotive systems, and the Internet of Things (IoT) devices, where the data requirements are relatively modest but reliable connectivity is essential.

DISCLAIMER

This project is Open Source, you can able to download both source and production files.

Distributed as-is, no warranty is given.

Porting from Arduino to Raspberry

The first test was performed on official Sparkfun KIT-19628 with the procedure described in ADIN1110 Hookup Guide.

After the SparkFun ADIN1110 Arduino Libraryinstallation we have used the following two examples

• Artemis_BasicSendRecieve
• ESP32_BasicSendRecieve

The Sparkfun documentation is always perfect and the test has work without problem.

SW PORTING

The SW porting was started from Arduino library and ESP32_BasicSendRecieve sketch. The IDE selected is Code::Blocks, that is free and works on Raspberry. The main activity on porting phase is the substitution of SPI Arduino primitive with the SPI Broadcom.

To install the library bcm2835 use the following steps:

• wget http://www.airspayce.com/mikem/bcm2835/bcm2835-1.73.tar.gz
• tar xvfz bcm2835-1.73.tar.gz
• cd bcm2835-1.73
• ./configure
• make
• sudo make install

Download SG_ADIN_Workspace_Codeblock

SW PORTING TEST

The SW porting test was performed with a COM-19038 board wired to Raspberry connector 20X2 pins. The vias marked in the following figure are very useful for connecting the Raspberry, the result is shown in following image

Communication test with Sparkfun boards

HARDWARE TEST

Several components like ADIN1110 or SPE Jack are not available for small quantity production on our supplier. We have to solder them manually in our laboratory. After the communication check with logic analyzer we have connected the Sparkfun kit with MicroMod Artemis.

On Raspberry terminal is possible to see the same print of Arduino Terminal

Conclusion

The Single Pair Ethernet seems to be very interesting, but its diffusion may be limited by an absent of native kernel integration like mcp2515 or SC16IS752.