MXP Ethernet Switch

[marshall]

Originally Posted by Richard.Varone

So a post in the new Radio thread got me thinking ( and designing ), and I have a few questions.

How much interest would there be for a MXP 4 Port Ethernet Switch?

How much interest would there be for a MXP 4 Port Ethernet Switch with additional processing power ( CPU/FPGA )?

How much interest would there be for a MXP 4 Port Ethernet Switch with additional features ( please list wanted features )?

Thanks

I actually don't think this is a worthwhile endeavor but don't let that stop anyone from trying. If it works out and makes sense then we might be interested in it. That being said, here are my reasons why I don't think this makes a lot of sense:

There are ethernet switches available already that run off of 5v and 12v and draw less than 1A of current: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HH0W5W

The MXP boards are typically screwed down to the roboRIO, which is then typically firmly attached to the chassis. People yank on ethernet cables. They have tabs to stop them from being pulled out. If someone were to accidentally yank on a cable coming off of an MXP board on the RoboRIO then that would be not so good for a lot of reasons.

The weight savings is minimal for this compared to just using a more common switch.

You can't pass ethernet traffic over the MXP port without some serious voodoo.

There is likely a very small market for this product. My guess is less than 2% of all FRC teams. That's less than 80 teams.

There's no real gain from drawing power from the MXP port instead of just pulling from the chassis directly.

Any additional features have to fit within an already crowded footprint space.

Extra sensors and things like CPUs might require shielding from the magnetic couples on the ethernet jacks and just draw more power on the RoboRIO.

Again, don't let me deter you. Prove me wrong. Make this and make it work somehow. Someone tell me why it will work.