MXP Ethernet Switch

[GeeTwo]

Some of the questions appear to indicate a poor understanding of the valid vs invalid uses of MXP, so I'm just going to throw out a calibration here:

Assuming the rules for 2016 match the rules for 2015 (usual caveats, but I'd put the odds at 75%+% for this point this year), MXP boards that only interface to sensors, data feeds, computing resources, or decorative lighting are good to go, without certification. Likewise, any MXP board that is entirely passive (has no electronics or computer function, but consist of conductors designed to faithfully replicate signals sent from the 'RIO) is probably good to go. Anything that actuates or similarly interfaces with a motor controller or other actuator that is not equivalent to a bundle of wires needs to be vetted and approved through FIRST to be approved for use. Last year, I was aware of no a device which interfaced "intelligently" with sensors while interfacing "passively" with actuators, but I expect that such a hybrid device would have been put through the active device approval process.

There is a serious potential weirdness in the use of MXP to host an ethernet switch. A network camera is obviously a sensor. A network raspberry pi that does vision processing but touches no manipulators is also demonstrably acceptable. Unfortunately, there are a great number of network devices that perform communications illegal for FRC, or actuate real-world devices. Exactly where the GDC will come down on this is completely up for grabs. Based on past performance, I'd put the likelihood that the GDC will allow network-through-MXP communication with other CPUs, even if it just consists of data processing, at a bit under 50%. That is, they seem to prefer to err on the side of being too cautious rather than being too permissive. That's just the sort of stuff happens when you put a bunch of engineers on a committee. (Not a complaint, but an observation.)

[nuclearnerd]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

MXP boards that only interface to sensors, data feeds, computing resources, or decorative lighting are good to go, without certification. Likewise, any MXP board that is entirely passive (has no electronics or computer function, but consist of conductors designed to faithfully replicate signals sent from the 'RIO) is probably good to go.

The proposed switch would not use any of the MXP pins except power. As such, I would not expect it to be subject to RIO regulations (although I've been surprised by rulings before.)

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by nuclearnerd

The proposed switch would not use any of the MXP pins except power.

That's not how I read some of the posts above (emphasis mine):

Originally Posted by Richard.Varone

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)?

Originally Posted by Richard.Varone

How I imagine my team using this product would be RoboRIO Ethernet -> OM5P-AN -> MXP Ethernet switch, our camera(s) and tether would connect to the the MXP Ethernet, our vision processing would take place on the integrated processing power ( CPU/FPGA ) and then talk to the RobotRIO through either/both the SPI/DIO on the MXP and Ethernet.

Originally Posted by TheHolyHades1

Speaking of which, maybe an arduino MXP board?

[AustinSchuh]

Originally Posted by nuclearnerd

The proposed switch would not use any of the MXP pins except power. As such, I would not expect it to be subject to RIO regulations (although I've been surprised by rulings before.)

Be aware that the MXP power isn't very good power. It browns out soon after the motors brown out. I would expect to see it go much more often next year.

[FrankJ]

Obviously this is going by 2015 rules. A minor assumption that 2016 rules in area will be similar. An Ethernet switch would considered an active device. Completely legal if you are not controlling motors or servos via the MXP port. If you wanted to use the MXP for motors & servos the board would have to be "approved" even if the outputs pins were a simple pass-thru or even on a different header.

[Alan Anderson]

Depending on the 2016 power rules, it might be worthwhile to include support for either 802.3af-compliant Power Over Ethernet or the less expensive (and less officially standard) simple voltage POE accepted by the OM5P-AN.

[Richard.Varone]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

Depending on the 2016 power rules, it might be worthwhile to include support for either 802.3af-compliant Power Over Ethernet or the less expensive (and less officially standard) simple voltage POE accepted by the OM5P-AN.

After looking for small/cheap POE powered switches, this is exactly where this project might head.

Edit: or maybe not because I found this http://www.amazon.com/BV-TECH-BV-RP1...powered+switch. The question I guess I have for myself now is would I be able to make something smaller/lighter, and I'd like to see if it would be possible to make sometime like this into a dongle that hangs securely off of the OM5P perhaps.