SwitchBlox is a small ethernet switch with five 10/100MB ports, specifically designed for space constrained and noisy environments.

With an overall size of 44.5mm (1.75 inches) by 44.5mm (1.75 inches), SwitchBlox is the smallest network switch in the world, making it perfect for robots, drones or any space limited networking application.

Plug and play network switch

As an unmanaged network switch it works straight out the box, all you need to do is…

1. Apply a 5 to 51V DC supply.
2. Connect your devices using the included cable set.
3. It will automatically begin forwarding packets, no coding or setup needed.

Dimensions

We’ve squeezed all necessary Ethernet circuitry into SwitchBlox without making performance compromises. We use magnetics for improved signal integrity and electrical isolation between each ethernet bus.

Cabling

We use Molex Picoblade connectors on all our boards to keep them tiny, and we include all the cables needed to get started, which are…

1 x SwitchBlox to SwitchBlox Coupler (Molex male to Molex male)

Use this cable to connect two SwitchBlox together to form a larger network.

5 x SwitchBlox RJ-45 Network Cables (Molex male to RJ-45)

Use this cable to connect any external ethernet device with a RJ-45 port.

2 x SwitchBlox Power Cables (Molex male to tinned wires)

Use this cable to connect a 5 – 51V DC power supply to power SwitchBlox.

Also use this cable to get a clean 5V, 2A supply from SwitchBlox to power external devices like Embedded Computers, Motor drivers or IP Cameras.

Ethernet Pinout

Below is a handy graphic that shows how we transition from a Molex Picoblade pinout to the standard RJ-45 ethernet cables. For 10/100 Mbps ethernet we use two differential channels, transmit and receive, for a total of four conductors.

PoE injection onboard

We’ve added circuitry to SwitchBlox that allows you to inject voltage onto any combination of the ports, simply by toggling a DIP switch on the back.

In the off position, the ethernet port functions as a standard, AC coupled ethernet signal.

In the on position the ethernet signal is shifted up by whatever the input voltage is to the board. Using an input voltage of 44-48V makes this IEEE 802.3af PoE compatible, allowing you to power downstream devices directly from SwitchBlox with up to 330mA of current (around 15W of power delivery).

PoE Pinout

• TX+/TX- DC Voltage = 0V
• RX+RX- DC Voltage = Vin

PoE Selective Port Injection

Firmware for advanced switch behavior (BETA FEATURE!)

We’ve embedded an STM32 onto SwitchBlox Rev D and above. It doesn’t do anything yet, but stay tuned; we’re developed a whole suite of managed switch features.

Resources and links

Github Repo

Step file

Schematic PDF