OPEN Alliance TC6 Protocol Support

Automotive

OPEN Alliance TC6 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY

What is OPEN Alliance TC6?

OPEN Alliance TC6 defines the SPI-based interface between a host controller and a 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY device. Instead of implementing the Ethernet MAC in the host, TC6 MAC-PHY devices integrate both MAC and PHY functions, exposing a simple SPI interface for the host to send and receive Ethernet frames. The TC6 protocol defines the SPI frame format, header structure, data chunk transfer, and control commands for configuration, status polling, and frame transfer. Engineers developing automotive Ethernet nodes using TC6 MAC-PHY chips need to debug the SPI-level communication to verify frame transfer, configuration register access, and interrupt handling between the host microcontroller and the MAC-PHY device.

OPEN Alliance TC6 Quick Reference

type	SPI-based MAC-PHY interface
signals	SPI + interrupt
max Speed	10 Mbps Ethernet via SPI
standard	OPEN Alliance TC6

Acute Instruments Supporting OPEN Alliance TC6

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Protocol Decode

Hardware Trigger

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How to Analyze OPEN Alliance TC6 with Acute Instruments

Connect your Acute logic analyzer to the SPI interface between the host controller and the TC6 MAC-PHY: CLK, CS#, MOSI, MISO, and optionally the interrupt line.

Attach a ground lead to the target board's ground reference.

In the Acute software, select the OPEN Alliance TC6 protocol decoder and assign each SPI signal to the correct input channel.

Configure the SPI mode and the TC6 chunk size setting matching your MAC-PHY configuration.

Capture and view decoded TC6 transactions showing data headers, control commands, Ethernet frame payloads, and status information.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sample rate do I need for TC6 analysis?

TC6 uses a standard SPI interface, typically running at 15-30 MHz. Sample at a minimum of 4x the SPI clock frequency. For a 25 MHz SPI clock, use at least 100 MHz sampling. Higher sample rates provide better timing margin for decoding the SPI data and the TC6 header/footer fields within each SPI transaction.

Why is my TC6 host driver not receiving Ethernet frames from the MAC-PHY?

TC6 frame reception requires the host to poll the MAC-PHY by initiating SPI transactions. If the host is not polling frequently enough or is not reading the data valid flag in the TC6 footer, received frames may be dropped. Capture the SPI bus to verify that the host is sending sufficient read transactions and that the TC6 footer fields indicate data is available. Also check that the MAC-PHY's interrupt output is correctly wired and handled, as it signals when received frames are pending.

How many channels are needed for TC6 analysis?

TC6 SPI analysis requires 4 channels: CLK, CS#, MOSI, and MISO. Adding the interrupt line (INT#) from the MAC-PHY to the host brings the total to 5 channels. If you also need to monitor the RESET# line or a GPIO used for MAC-PHY configuration, add 1-2 more channels. Most TC6 debugging requires 4-5 channels.

Related Protocols

10BASE-T1S SPI

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