Wired interface systems from Microchip Technology's offering
Wired interface systems from Microchip Technology's offeringDate of publication: 03-11-2026 🕒 5 min read
Wired communication is characterized by high speed, predictability, and resistance to interference, and thus remains the foundation of information systems, automotive, industrial automation, and many other installations. Microchip Technology offers numerous interface chips that enable the implementation of such applications using the latest technologies.
Microchip Technology offers a wide range of chips supporting popular Ethernet, CAN, and USB standards, as well as other interfaces used in digital circuits. These products are intended for embedded systems (embedded), industrial automation, automotive electronics and other devices requiring high reliability. The manufacturer's portfolio includes controllers, transceivers, switches, hubs, bridges, and advanced chips integrating additional functions such as power management, time synchronization, or mechanisms increasing communication resilience to failures. Below we present an overview of these solutions highlighting their distinguishing functionalities.
Microchip Technology Interface Chips
Ethernet Chips
Ethernet communication chips are an extensive and diverse group of solutions from Microchip Technology. The assortment includes, among others, Ethernet switches (with speeds of up to gigabit), industrial controllers tailored to the needs of automation systems, and network interfaces (including PHY, which implements the physical layer of the connection), or USB-Ethernet bridges.
Time Precision
Selected Microchip Technology chips are adapted for operation in TSN networks, which support Time-Sensitive Networking technology. They offer time synchronization, low latency, and communication prioritization: temporarily halting the transmission of a lower-priority frame when a higher-priority frame appears. The dedicated chip family is LAN969x, primarily intended for industrial TSN switches and supporting functions such as:
- SyncE (Synchronous Ethernet), which synchronizes clocks using a network signal;
- HSR/PRP (High-availability Seamless Redundancy and Parallel Redundancy Protocol), i.e., techniques for parallel data transmission;
- MRP, DLR (Media Redundancy Protocol, Device Level Ring) – enhancements for ring topology networks;
- cut-through forwarding (an Ethernet frame reaches the switch output before it is fully received, speeding up data flow).
Selected Microchip Technology chips allow for high time accuracy. An example of a chip with such capabilities is LAN8840 – a product optimized for precise synchronization of processes required in motor control, valves, actuators, and sensors.
Advanced Solutions for Embedded System Developers
Microchip Technology offers a diverse portfolio of SPE chips (Single-Pair Ethernet, Single-Pair Ethernet), including solutions for 10BASE-T1S, 100BASE-T1, and 1000BASE-T1. Among them are compact and energy-efficient SPE transceivers.
It should be noted that Microchip Technology's Ethernet chips belong to a broad ecosystem, within which the manufacturer provides software drivers, support for the MPLAB Harmony environment, compatibility with Linux/Windows/macOS, evaluation boards, a rich collection of reference designs and examples, significantly facilitating designers and programmers in optimizing circuits and programs for the needs of the target application.
Industrial, Automotive, and Other Solutions
It is worth noting that selected Microchip Technology chips have advanced security and packet handling features, thus meeting the requirements not only of industrial applications but also automotive and aerospace. This is confirmed by the compliance of selected chips with international standards: IEEE 802.3 (industrial Ethernet standard), AEC-Q100 (qualification for automotive applications), and ISO 26262 (functional safety FuSa in road vehicles).
CAN Chips
The CAN interface (Controller Area Network) is used for communication between microcontrollers, controllers, and actuators via a simple and interference-resistant, 2-wire bus. It was developed with automotive in mind but is now widely used in industrial automation, machinery, etc. Microchip Technology's CAN chips are characterized by high integration and complex functionality. They have been designed, among other things, to support CAN FD (Flexible Data-Rate, an extended version of the standard allowing for the transmission of more data by changing the transmission speed during the transmission of a single data frame). Overall, Microchip Technology's portfolio includes all components needed to build a modern CAN node: from microcontrollers and controllers to transceivers, and advanced SBC chips (System Basis Chip) combining CAN communication with power and system supervision functions.
Key advantages of Microchip Technology's interface chips include energy-saving features such as Partial Networking and wake-up, as well as characteristics related to the needs of the automotive segment, including EMC/EMI resistance, a wide operating temperature range (-40…150°C), and compliance with key industry standards. The whole is complemented by diagnostic functions.
USB Chips
With its USB interface offerings, Microchip Technology stands out from other suppliers as it includes a diverse selection of multifunctional chips with capabilities that go beyond the standard USB port. Such functions include, for example, compliance with the power standard Power Delivery, protocol bridging options, or simple integration with an embedded system.
The supplier's offerings include hub chips, USB Power Delivery controllers (with negotiation of voltage and current values supplied to the powered device), bridge controllers (converting data from the USB bus to Ethernet, I2C, SPI, UART, and others). The manufacturer's portfolio also includes USB switches and transceivers. The wide range of products allows for their application in IoT, industrial, automotive, communication, and multifunctional RTV devices.
An important feature mentioned is compliance with the Power Delivery standard (version 3.1), on which modern devices requiring DC power supply are based. Such compliance allows for the delivery of high power using relatively high voltage (up to 48V DC). The combination of the USB communication interface with the ability to deliver power through this port allows selected Microchip Technology solutions to be used for battery-powered devices, but also those requiring fast communication, e.g., when connected to a computer via the same port.
Microchip Technology also offers reclocker/redriver solutions, which aim to ensure signal integrity in high-speed transmission systems where connections are made over long distances – referring to both long PCB traces and cables reaching several meters. Reclockers ensure proper signal synchronization, while redrivers maintain optimal voltages on communication lines.
Other Communication Interfaces
In conclusion, it should be noted that Microchip Technology's portfolio includes many other interface chips intended for applications in industrial electronics, automotive, and telecommunications. The assortment includes digital I/O expanders (GPIO) with I2C and SPI interfaces, LIN communication chips, as well as those operating in many popular serial standards (RS232, RS422, RS485). Optical interface components, PCIe, and chips for data transmission over coaxial cables (CoaXPress technology) are also available. The manufacturer also offers numerous evaluation kits for the produced chips.
Other Communication Interfaces
Transfer Multisort Elektronik (TME) is one of the world’s largest global distributors of electronic components, electrotechnical parts, workshop equipment, and industrial automation. The catalog includes over 1,500,000 products from 1,300 leading manufacturers. TME’s modern logistics centers in Łódź and Rzgów (Poland), with a combined area of over 40,000 m², ship nearly 6,000 packages daily to customers in more than 150 countries.
TME also invests in the development of knowledge and skills of young engineers and electronics enthusiasts through the TME Education project, and supports the tech community by organizing the TechMasterEvent series, promoting innovation and experience exchange.
