Microcontroller Based Ethernet Embedded Systems

Abstract

Ethernet has traditionally been a quite complex interface. Until today, the Ethernet chips were difficult to use with a small microcontroller with little memory. The new ENC28J60 Ethernet chip, which is a small chip with only 28 pins, was developed by Microchip to be used as an Ethernet network interface for any microcontroller equipped with SPI. So, Microchip opens a whole world of completely new applications. It is easy to build small devices which can be spread all over the house and are simply connected via Ethernet, so there is no need anymore for a separate serial connection or other bus. Everything can be easily connected via Ethernet. Distance is no longer a limiting factor. Even WIFI connectivity is possible because the devices can be connected to a wireless bridge.