Aiming at industrial controllers and more specifically the IIoT, Renesas have developed an entire Profinet interface inside an RJ45 connector. Versions for EtherCAT and EtherNet/IP will follow pending the software developments.

The hardware now released comes with software to support the industrial Ethernet protocol stacks. The combination goes by the name I-RJ45 of which single and dual port versions are available aimed at industrial Ethernet applications like sensors and transmitters, gateways, operator terminals and remote I/O.

The first product I the new series includes a pre-certified class B version 2.3.4 Profinet implementation. An SPI interface provides the physical link between the module and host processor, with an API (application programmable interface) providing the software link.

In terms of chips used, the single-port version has a Renesas RX64M microcontroller, while the dual-port module includes an R-IN32M3 industrial Ethernet communicator.

A dev kit is available with a single or dual version of the product soldered on an adapter board which also sports standard Arduino and Pmod interfaces.
Samples of the I-RJ45 Ethernet modules are available now, with mass production scheduled for Q3. The dev kit is scheduled for this month.