KSZ8721SLA4-TR Application Field and Working Principle

The KSZ8721SLA4-TR is an Integrated 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX Ethernet Physical Layer Transceiver with MII (Media Independent Interface). Manufactured by Micrel Incorporated, the KSZ8721SLA4-TR is a single-chip transceiver designed to simultaneously transmit and receive data across standard twisted pair cables in Ethernet network systems up to 100Mbps.

Features

The Features of the KSZ8721SLA4-TR include:

• Very low power consumption
• High-performance auto-MDIX crossover
• Integrated 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX physical layer transceiver
• LED driver output
• 100 Mbps low-power operation
• Media Independent Interface (MII)
• Integrated peer-to-peer link support

Application Areas

The KSZ8721SLA4-TR is best suited for applications such as:

• Network Interface Cards (NICs)
• Ethernet Hubs
• Ethernet Switches
• Ethernet Routers
• Ethernet Cables
• Data Acquisition systems
• Intranets
• Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
• Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Working Principle

The KSZ8721SLA4-TR works by enabling data transfer between two Ethernet devices through a physical layer connection built on electrical signals. The integrated MII (Media Independent Interface) allows the KSZ8721SLA4-TR to communicate with the Media Access Controller (MAC) to provide the necessary processing and link management services for Ethernet applications. The integrated EthernetPhysical Transceiver (PHY) supports full-duplex Ethernet frames of up to 100 Mbps transmission rate over twisted pair cables. The integrated LEDs scattered across the ports of the KSZ8721SLA4-TR enable the user to view the network connection along with any different link speeds the device is operating on.

Furthermore, the KSZ8721SLA4-TR supports standard Ethernet interface connectors like AUI, MDI and MDIX. In addition, it includes a separate MDI/MDIX port to help configure the speed and duplex modes at each port. The built-in auto-MDIX feature detects and automatically enables the crossover connection when cable connection is twisted in the wronglan (MDI-x or MDIX-x) connections. This help in avoiding the need of extra crossover cables and saves a lot of time.