USBBlox - Reliable USB to Ethernet Conversion for Drones
BotBlox
$140.00
DOCUMENTATION AND CAD
USBBLOX REV A (BB-UBB-A-1) DATASHEET
USBBLOX REV A (BB-UBB-A-1) 3D CAD
USBBLOX REV A (BB-UBB-A-1) DEFAULT CONFIGURATION BINARY
Finally, an actually robust USB to ethernet converter for drones and robots
While USB is ubiquitous in commercial applications, it often behaves unreliably for industrial applications, specifically when coupled with motors and radio transceivers. Unlike Ethernet which tends to be more reliably. This makes it difficult to integrate USB based hardware into embedded platforms without encountering myriad connection and reliability problems (colloquially reffered to as integration hell).
USBBlox is our solution to this problem, and it does this in three ways.
1) Unlike nearly all of the USB to Ethernet converters on the market, we use the LAN7800, an industrially rated chipset from Microchip, rather than the RTL8153 which is a commercial grade chip.
2) Standard USB connectors are non-locking and are thus a nightmare for anything that vibrates. USBBlox uses Molex PicoClasp positive locking connectors to prevent contact issues due to vibration.
3) USB is highly sensitive to EMI, and behaves poorly when unshielded. To solve this we have designed a USB to Molex PicoClasp cable that integrates a shield, along with a grounding scheme on the board that encapsulates the USB circuitry inside the cable shield, both on the board and using a custom EMI shield on the board.
With these features, USBBlox is the world's most compact, rugged USB 3.0 to 10/100/1000M Ethernet Converter, designed for conversion between USB devices and Ethernet networks inside drones, robots and other space limited applications.
Cable Pinout
