We are looking to network a few custom-designed computers together over ethernet, and we are looking for an IC that can act as a switch. We can't use a router because these are custom-designed miniature computers and we need to keep the footprint small. Designing a switch is new for us.
I was looking at the part above which could be used to network two computers together, but we are going to be connecting several computers together therefore, we need a switch.
My first question is: are there any ICs that you could recommend from TI that I could take a look at as a starting point? I'm having trouble finding them.
If we have a switch IC, do we still need a PYTHER transceiver?
My initial thought is that you would have the transceiver connected to each computer, then a switch in the middle to route the data. One thing to note is our computers do already have ethernet built in so I feel like we could just route the Ethernet pins directly to a switch.
Are there any articles from TI for switches that are similar to this one for transceivers? SimpliPHY your Ethernet design, part 1: Ethernet PHY basics and selection process - Analog - Technical articles - TI E2E support forums
Any thoughts on the above would be appreciated.
Thank you.
