Robust and cost-efficient automotive infotainment networks based on coax

Microchip has announced the industry's first MOST150 coaxial transceiver. Extending the usage of coaxial cabling to powerful automotive infotainment networks based on the latest MOST150 standard, the company's OS82150 device integrates a coaxial cable driver and coaxial cable receiver into a small-footprint, 4mm x 4mm QFN package. The OS82150 coaxial transceiver broadens Microchip's portfolio of MOST150 network solutions and offers users a new option to implement efficient infotainment networks. It also enables easy migration from optical to coaxial cabling while protecting the customer's existing investment in MOST150 technology. This simple solution reflects today's market demands for powerful automotive infotainment systems that include a navigation unit, antenna module, amplifier, tuner, Blu-ray player, rear-seat entertainment, instrument cluster, head-unit display, camera and more. MOST networking technology provides the means to distribute these multimedia entertainment functions among the various control devices inside the car. With an integrated coaxial-cable receiver featuring an equalizing function, the OS82150 coaxial transceiver assures robust and reliable network connectivity by providing automatic adaptation to various cable types and continuous compensation for initial and long-term cable-loss effects. Designed for automotive-grade electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), the device also integrates functions to minimise electromagnetic emissions and handle automotive electromagnetic interference (EMI) levels, facilitating smooth installations of MOST150 networks into vehicles. By seamlessly interfacing with MOST150 Intelligent Network Interface Controllers (INICs), such as Microchip's OS81110 and OS81118BF, the OS82150 can be easily integrated into existing designs. Additionally, the signal and timing specifications of the OS82150 are compliant with the MOST Physical Layer Specification, ensuring interoperability. Additional features of the OS82150 coaxial transceiver include a low-power sleep mode with activity detection for wake-on-signal functionality to reduce power consumption and facilitate the power management of electronic control units (ECUs) in the vehicle. Support for dual-simplex transmission allows for a ring topology that enables expandability and scalability of the network. A single, 3.3 volt power supply further eases design-in, as only a single voltage level is needed. To further enable development and speed time to market, the OS82150 is supported by K2L's OS81110 cPhy Evaluation Board and K2L's OptoLyzer MOCCA Bundles. The OS81110 cPhy Evaluation Board encapsulates an entire MOST150 network device. An integrated OS85650 I/O Companion Chip (IOC) provides I/O port expansion for additional application flexibility. The OptoLyzer MOCCA Bundle combines the capabilities of the popular OptoLyzer Suite graphical user interface with the advantages of the OptoLyzer MOCCA multi-bus hardware interface. The OS82150 is offered in a 4mm x 4mm QFN package and is available for sampling and volume production, says the company.