Solid state relay or switch for ethernet

[[email protected]]

I'm looking at designing a small standalone unit which will allow me
to emulate faults in an ethernet cable.

I could do this with standard '351' type relays but was wondering if
there's a suitable electronic solution, a switch IC or solid state
relay that would be more elegant than a load of clicking relays.

 

[Ross Herbert]

I'm looking at designing a small standalone unit which will allow me
to emulate faults in an ethernet cable.

I could do this with standard '351' type relays but was wondering if
there's a suitable electronic solution, a switch IC or solid state
relay that would be more elegant than a load of clicking relays.

Don't knock the humble relay

For a one-off design they will save you a heap of time and you won't
have to worry about annoying problems often associated with fully
solid-state designs.

Also, I assume you are talking Ethernet 10BaseT or upwards using Cat5
(or better) twisted pair cable? (the original Ethernet was 10Base2
using coaxial cable but this is fairly rare these days).

 

[LVMarc]

I'm looking at designing a small standalone unit which will allow me
to emulate faults in an ethernet cable.

I could do this with standard '351' type relays but was wondering if
there's a suitable electronic solution, a switch IC or solid state
relay that would be more elegant than a load of clicking relays.

Kenny,

Absolutely simulate line faults with a relay, contactors, etc a
mechanical physical short. The electric "relays" and the like are not
at all the same as a fault between the wires, contacts and terminals in
a real -world communications test set. Please use the relays :-

Marc

PS if you need help sizing and procuring relays let me know, as I have
significant expericne in design and may have the perfect relay in stock
as well.

 

[whit3rd]

..the original Ethernet was 10Base2
using coaxial cable

That was 'thinwire'; the original was 'thickwire', a double-shielded
coax cable with insulation-piercing connector schemes, 10Base5.

Both thickwire, and the MAU connector, which went to equally
thick multiple-twisted-pair cable, were 'original' Ethernet wiring.

 

[Ross Herbert]

That was 'thinwire'; the original was 'thickwire', a double-shielded
coax cable with insulation-piercing connector schemes, 10Base5.

Both thickwire, and the MAU connector, which went to equally
thick multiple-twisted-pair cable, were 'original' Ethernet wiring.

Yep, you are quite right. I vaguely remember installing a "thickwire"
ethernet LAN for a SUN system running Daisy CAD way back in the late
80's. It was a bugger running that heavy and stiff coax and trying to
arrange for the correct AUI connector point to be as close to the
required workstation drop-off point as possible. You couldn't position
those things just anywhere on the cable, they had to be on the marked
points.

 

[Paul Hovnanian P.E.]

I'm looking at designing a small standalone unit which will allow me
to emulate faults in an ethernet cable.

I could do this with standard '351' type relays but was wondering if
there's a suitable electronic solution, a switch IC or solid state
relay that would be more elegant than a load of clicking relays.

I suppose it depends on whether you are emulating faults on a 10 MB/s
system or a gigabit Ethernet. The parasitics introduced by the solid
state components may have little effect on the former but appear as
their own kind of fault on the latter.