Texas Instruments expands industrial networking hardware

Texas Instruments has introduced two industrial communications devices designed to simplify connectivity between factory controllers, machines, sensors, and actuators, combining a configurable Industrial Ethernet module with a dual-channel IO-Link master.

The TICS100MOD system-on-module supports EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, and PROFINET using a common hardware platform. The accompanying TIOM2212 provides two independent IO-Link interfaces for connecting industrial field devices, with integrated communications processing, diagnostics, and electrical protection.

Both products address the engineering complexity associated with factory networks containing equipment from different manufacturers. Although Industrial Ethernet technologies share elements of conventional Ethernet infrastructure, their communications protocols and timing requirements differ according to the automation system being used.

EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, and PROFINET are established technologies for transferring control and diagnostic information between industrial devices. Each has its own protocol implementation, configuration arrangements, and interoperability requirements, meaning an equipment manufacturer cannot assume that supporting one provides compatibility with the others.

Developing separate communications electronics for individual network standards can increase the number of hardware variants required for a product family. Each version may need its own firmware configuration, electrical verification, interoperability testing, and supporting documentation.

The TICS100MOD is intended to reduce this duplication by allowing the required protocol to be selected through firmware during system boot. A manufacturer can therefore develop equipment around a shared communications module and configure it for the network required by a particular installation.

The arrangement does not mean that EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, and PROFINET operate simultaneously through the module. Instead, the device uses the selected firmware configuration to provide the required communication function.

TI has built the module around its AM2612 real-time microcontroller and DP83826AI Ethernet physical layer device. The module integrates two Arm Cortex-R5F processing cores and external memory to support industrial protocol software and associated communication functions.

The Ethernet physical layer converts between the digital data used by the processing hardware and the electrical signals transmitted across the network connection. Protocol processing then determines how information is structured, exchanged, and handled according to the requirements of the selected Industrial Ethernet system.

Real-time networking introduces constraints beyond the transfer of large amounts of data. Industrial control systems may require predictable communication intervals so that connected drives, controllers, and other equipment receive commands and return status information within defined operating periods.

A network that provides sufficient average bandwidth can still be unsuitable if individual transactions experience excessive or inconsistent delays. Industrial communications hardware must therefore manage data processing, transmission timing, and the behaviour of competing tasks within the controller.

The TICS100MOD uses dedicated processing resources and TI’s industrial software development environment to support these requirements. TI describes the module as a pre-certified communications platform, with production-oriented protocol stacks and development resources intended to reduce the work required to integrate the supported network standards.

Pre-certification does not eliminate the need to verify the completed equipment. Its communications behaviour, electrical design, firmware configuration, and applicable product-level certification requirements must still be established within the manufacturer’s final implementation.

TI’s second device, the TIOM2212, addresses connectivity at the sensor and actuator level. It implements two independent IO-Link master interfaces, enabling communication with two connected field devices through their respective point-to-point connections.

IO-Link supports the exchange of process data, configuration parameters, and diagnostic information between compatible industrial devices. Unlike a conventional discrete sensor interface that communicates through a simple switching signal, an IO-Link connection can transfer structured information describing both the measured process and the device itself.

The TIOM2212 supports the communication modes defined by IO-Link 1.1.5, including COM1, COM2, and COM3. Each channel incorporates the physical interface needed to drive and receive signals through its associated field connection.

Its integrated frame handler manages part of the protocol processing that would otherwise need to be implemented in the host controller. TI provides a high-speed SPI interface operating at up to 25MHz, allowing the host processor to communicate with the device without requiring separate UART hardware for normal frame handling.

An optional UART interface remains available for legacy arrangements and applications requiring non-standard frame sizes. The device can therefore be integrated into different controller architectures while retaining its principal IO-Link functions.

Industrial field connections must also withstand electrical conditions that are not normally encountered by low-voltage digital logic. Incorrect wiring, supply disturbances, switching transients, and faults in connected equipment can expose interface circuitry to conditions outside its ordinary signalling range.

The TIOM2212 incorporates current limiting, reverse polarity protection, overtemperature monitoring, and supply diagnostics. Its IO-Link drivers support configurable operating modes, while integrated gate drivers allow external power transistors to be used where higher-current actuator functions are required.

The device also includes twelve register-controlled PWM LED drivers, divided between its two channels, allowing status indication functions to be implemented without adding separate LED control circuitry for every output.

TI supplies the TIOM2212 in a 48-pin VQFN package measuring 7mm square. Integrating two IO-Link channels, the frame handler, and supporting interface functions within one device can reduce the number of components needed for compact industrial communication boards.

The TICS100MOD and TIOM2212 occupy different levels of the automation architecture. The Ethernet module provides connectivity to the wider industrial control network, while the IO-Link master handles the communication requirements of individual sensors and actuators.

Integrating both technologies requires an appropriate host controller, software, electrical interfaces, and power arrangements. TI’s wider industrial networking portfolio includes Sitara processors, real-time microcontrollers, and software supporting these connections, with evaluation resources available for development and testing.

Preproduction quantities of the TIOM2212 are currently available. TI expects the TICS100MOD to become available by the end of 2026 and will demonstrate its industrial communications technology at electronica in Munich from 10 to 13 November.