1GB SFP Opto interface for GIGASTAX?

BotBlox Hardware
1

Would like to add a 1GB fiber port via a SFP to the GigaStax RGMII port.
Any work done in this domain?
If I cant find anything else, I guess that I will look into develop a PCB with a RGMII-PHY and a SFP case, either as a addon to the StaxPico FCC port, or as a own StaxPico/SFP combo PCB.

I guess that the UbiSwitch could be an alternative, but feels overkill, and the power dissipation with the need for a heatsink is undesirable. No need for management and 10G. So the GS with its smaller footprint feels more suitable.

Is the TexasInstrument DP83869 PHY a good match for the GigaStax platform?
A first test is to use the TI evm for the 83869 ( DP83869EVM).

Any thoughts?

2

We wouldn’t recommend using the RGMII on GigaStax. The chip has some errata and may require a lot of trial and error on the firmware side to get working. It’s not something we can actively support.

UbiSwitch is a better solution because debugging is easier, especially once our management software will be released.

3

Ok, thanks for the input and for saving me quite some time going down that route into a probable failure . UbiSwitch it is….

Witch then spawns another question about baseboard connector replacement, but ill create another post about that one. :slight_smile:

4

No worries… adding a 1G SFP to a custom UbiSwitxh baseboard is very simple, and you can follow our baseboard design to achieve that, as well as pos your queries here to get support.

5

Thanks… yes a dedicated pcb with a few cu connectors and just one sfp, in the same formfactor as the ubiswich board is also on my mind.

6

If you want to add PHYs (10G or other) to that board, we can assist with design integration.

7

Does the same GMII isse relate to the SwitchBlox Rugged as well? or could my first idea work better with this platform? (Client ports only need 100MB, but uplink should be 1GB fiber)

8

SwitchBlox Rugged’s RGMII/RMII backplane works just fine. It’s the basis of how you can stack two SwitchBlox Rugged together to form a 10 port switch (using RGMII), and how SwitchBlox Rugged and Rugged SOM communicate (RMII).

To go from RMII to an 1000BASE-X (for your 1G fiber module), you could use something like the DP83869.

Incidently we do have a board coming out soon that will contains 4 Gigabit ethernet ports and 1 1G Fiber SFP port. If this is of interest I can share more information.

9

The new board is indeed very interesting…