Wiznet makers

[Ecosystem Report] Parallax Inc.: The Pride of US Engineering & The WIZnet Ecosystem

1. Target Platform Analysis: Parallax Inc. (Who are they?)

① Corporate Identity: "The Classic of Embedded Systems"

Establishment/Location: 1987, Rocklin, California, USA.

Status: Known as "The Original Maker." They pioneered the open-source hardware concept before Arduino. Many senior engineers at NASA, Google, and Tesla started their coding journey with Parallax products (BASIC Stamp).

Market Position: Rather than mass consumer goods, they hold a dominant position in US STEM Education and the Specialized Industrial Control (High-End Niche) markets.

② Core Technology: Propeller 2 (P2) Chip

The Propeller 2, the subject of this project, features a unique architecture completely different from standard MCUs (like STM32).

Structure: Contains 8 independent 32-bit Cores (Cogs) within a single chip.

Key Feature: "No Interrupts."

Because 8 brains work physically in parallel, it can handle network communication and motor control simultaneously with 0% timing lag (Deterministic Timing).

Primary Applications: Timing-critical fields such as CNC Machines, High-Precision Robotics, and High-Speed Instrumentation.

2. Establishing the Standard: W5500 Official Driver (OBEX Listed)

Currently, the 'WIZnet 5500 Driver' is listed as a standard in Parallax's official library repository, OBEX (Object Exchange). (Developer: Chris Gadd)

[Code Analysis] W5500 Configuration & Initialization

• https://obex.parallax.com/obex/wiznet-5500io-driver/

This driver code is technical proof of the overwhelming usability of WIZnet chips. Please focus on "how simple the configuration is" rather than the complex operational logic.

① Hardware Pin Configuration

Thanks to the flexible I/O of the Parallax P2 chip, you can connect SPI to any 5 pins.

CON
  _CLKFREQ = 120_000_000       ' System Clock
  ' Simply modify pin numbers to match the user board
  WIZ_MOSI       = 31
  WIZ_MISO       = 30
  WIZ_SCK        = 29
  WIZ_SCS        = 28
  WIZ_RST        = 24

② Network Configuration

Network information such as IP, Port, and Gateway is entered in an intuitive decimal array format.

DAT   '' LAN settings
  local_IP       byte      192,168,1,200    ' IP Address
  local_port     word      80               ' Port Number
  subnet         byte      255,255,255,0    ' Subnet Mask

③ Initialization & Memory Allocation

Chip reset and memory optimization are completed with just 4 function calls.

PUB main()
  ' 1. Apply Pin Settings (Hardware Init)
  wiz.init(WIZ_SCS,WIZ_SCK,WIZ_MOSI,WIZ_MISO,WIZ_RST)

  ' 2. Chip Reset & Inject Network Info
  wiz.reset()
  wiz.writeIPAddress(@local_IP)

  ' 3. Socket Memory Optimization (Critical Point)
  ' Allocate a large 8KB buffer to Socket 0 to maximize transmission efficiency
  wiz.writeSocket(socket, wiz._Sn_TXBUF_SIZE, 8)

Insight: Hardware setup and memory tuning are possible via simple function calls without complex register bit operations. This is the powerful benefit of Abstraction provided by Hardwired TCP/IP.

3. Ecosystem Evolution: W6100 & W6300 (Future Proof)

The community is not staying with the W5500 (Standard) but is self-evolving towards cutting-edge technologies.

① Expansion to IPv6 (W6100)

• https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/177801/wiznet-w6100-spin2-driver-usage#latest

Users are voluntarily developing and sharing W6100-specific drivers on the forum. They have implemented IPv6 functions based solely on the datasheet, without direct manufacturer support.

② Expansion to High-Speed Ethernet (W6300 QSPI)

• https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/comment/1571097#Comment_1571097

Status: To maximize the fast processing speed of the Parallax P2 chip, active research is being conducted on high-speed communication using the W6300's QSPI (Quad SPI) interface.

Evidence: Key contributors have been sharing timing tuning results and test logs as recently as 7 days ago, optimizing functions through collective intelligence. This is strong evidence of a "Living Ecosystem."

4. Strategic Value (Why WIZnet?)

Extreme Compatibility: From the most popular chips (STM32) to the most unique architectures (Parallax P2), WIZnet chips are proven to work instantly in any environment.

Penetrating the US High-End Niche: WIZnet solutions have infiltrated the high-precision industrial equipment market dominated by Parallax. This represents a lucrative market for high-value components (like W6300).

Self-Sustaining Ecosystem: Even without corporate marketing, skilled users actively seek out, research, and diffuse the latest chips on their own, creating an ideal virtuous cycle.