Micro Linear's 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Media Converter

While it's pretty unlikely that service providers will run fiber optic lines directly into all of our homes, there's been talk lately of the advantages of bringing fiber optic closer to residential users. This idea, sometimes called "fiber to the curb" could, for example, run fiber optic cables into a given neighborhood, then use the copper wire in your hovel to distribute it. The idea is that if providers can pump more bandwidth from the source, they can provide better service and higher bandwidth to more people (and probably make buckets more money in the process). Micro Linear's new ML6652 is a new 10/100 Ethernet fiber to copper media converter that could be used in devices built to bring about such a scenario. The device supports signal conversion between 10Mbps Ethernet copper and fiber standards and all 100Mbps Fast Ethernet copper and fiber standards, as well as the new 100BASE-SX standard. The ML6652 supports 10BASE-FL, 100BASE-SX, and 100BASE-FX Ethernet standards on the fiber side and 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX Ethernet standards on the copper side. Its operating modes are programmable through a serial management interface to internal configuration registers or selected by control input pins.

The ML6652 is typically configured as a twisted pair interface on one side and a fiber optic interface on the other side. The twisted pair copper interface includes an integrated 10BASE-T input filter and a 100BASE-TX equalizer with base line wander correction circuitry. The fiber optic interface includes an optical quantizer on the input and direct drive LED at the output to support small form factor miniature components for 850nm 10BASE-FL and 100BASE-SX designs or 1300nm 100BASE-FX fiber implementations. The ML6652 is packaged in 44-pin TQFP configuration and typically dissipates less than 650 mwatt while transmitting 100 Mbps packets. The device is available in both commercial and extended temperature ranges. The ML6652 operates over the commercial 0 degrees C to 70 degrees C temperature range and the ML6652E operates over a -20 degrees C to +85 degrees C temperature range. Production quantities of the ML6652 are now available for $8.60 in 10,000 unit quantities and the ML6652E for $10.50 in 10,000 unit quantities.