Hello,
I’m using a Colibri T20 module with a Viola Plus V1.2 board. Is there any way to send the ETH_LINK_ACT and ETH_SPEED signals off-board to connect to a downstream Ethernet port?
The Viola Plus onboard Ethernet port will not be externally accessible in my application, and I’d like to have active lights on the panel-mount Ethernet port to which I plan to connect X5.
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Hello!
Yes, you can access the Ethernet status signals on the Viola carrier board. The Ethernet connector (X5) provides access to both the ETH_LINK_ACT and ETH_SPEED signals:
Both signals operate at +3.3V and can be used to drive LED indicators on your external Ethernet port. The Ethernet connector type used is RJ-45, Pulse J00-0065NL.
I hope this helps with your project!
Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.
Please, also check if these links can help you solve your problem:
ETH_LINK_ACT and ETH_SPEED are signals used to drive the LEDs embedded in the RJ45 jack, indicating Ethernet link activity and a 100 Mbit/s connection. These signals are also available on the Colibri module’s X1 edge connector. Unfortunately, the Viola board does not provide an easy way to route these signals externally.
Thank you Alex. That was my assumption, that there was no nice way to access those signals.
There’s no ability to map them to any alternate Colibri pins, is there?
Unfortunately, no. These signals originate from the Ethernet PHY and cannot be remapped to other pins. Our suggestion would be to use the Viola board design files as a reference and create your own custom carrier board, where you can route these signals from the X1 module connector to any location needed on your design.
On the other hand, if you only need this for a limited number of devices, you can solder couple wires directly to R12 and R13 and connect them to your panel-mount Ethernet port.
Got it. I appreciate the insight.
