Wiznet makers

Overview

ArchiNet is a connectivity board from Newsan Lab, the design and development lab of Argentine electronics manufacturer Newsan. It gives the company's ARCHI RP2040 board wired Ethernet through a WIZnet W5500, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy through an ESP32-S3.

ARCHI is not a hobby prototype. In April 2024, Newsan began producing the first 5,000 ARCHI boards at its industrial complex in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, as the hardware half of an education platform for electronics, programming, robotics, home automation, IoT, and AI. ArchiNet, published in October 2024, is the add-on that connects those projects to a real network.

The design choice that matters for WIZnet readers is simple: the student's code runs on ARCHI, and ArchiNet handles the network. For wired links, ARCHI talks to the W5500 over SPI, and the W5500 runs the TCP/IP stack in hardware, so a classroom RP2040 program can open network sockets without carrying a full software network stack.

Who Is Behind It

Newsan is an Argentine electronics manufacturer with an industrial complex in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Its design and development lab, set up in 2022, has three stated goals: explore new technology in circuits and embedded software, educate the community through technology projects and olympiads, and automate processes inside Newsan's own plants.

The NewsanLab GitHub organization shows ARCHI as a growing product family, not a single board:

• ArchiNet: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and BLE connectivity (this post)
• ArchiBot: a shield for DC motors and servos
• ArchiRFID: an RFID reader add-on
• ArchiFarm: an indoor lettuce-growing system controlled by ARCHI
• K9-Trainner: an ARCHI-controlled ball launcher

Hardware at a Glance

• ARCHI (RP2040): Main controller; runs the user's CircuitPython code
• WIZnet W5500: 10/100 Ethernet with hardware TCP/IP, RJ45 jack, SPI to ARCHI
• ESP32-S3: Wireless coprocessor: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (station, AP, Wi-Fi Direct) and BLE 5.0
• Power: 5 to 12 V input, on-board regulation to 3.3 V for the W5500, ESP32-S3, and sensors
• I/O: 4 analog and 8 digital input/output lines
• Debug: Built-in USB JTAG for programming and debugging the ESP32-S3

The repository publishes the complete KiCad project: separate schematic sheets for power, the ARCHI interface, Ethernet, and the MCU/Wi-Fi section, plus the PCB layout, a PDF schematic, and Gerber files.

How the Two Network Paths Work

ArchiNet gives ARCHI two independent ways onto a network:

1. Wired path (W5500). ARCHI drives the W5500 directly over SPI (SCK GP10, MOSI GP11, MISO GP12, CS GP9) using the Adafruit Wiznet5k library in CircuitPython. The example connects, prints the chip version, MAC, and DHCP-assigned IP, and then makes HTTP requests through adafruit_requests.
2. Wireless path (ESP32-S3). ARCHI sends short JSON commands to the ESP32-S3 over UART, for example {"cmd": "CONNECT", "ssid": "...", "pass": "..."}, and reads JSON replies. The command set covers Wi-Fi scan, connect, access point, ping, HTTP GET and POST, a small embedded web server, custom HTML, and BLE init, transmit, and receive.

One detail explains the board's operating model: the ESP32 UART uses GP12 for TX, the same pin that serves as SPI MISO for the W5500. The firmware therefore includes a UART_OFF command that releases the UART so the Ethernet path can run. Wired and wireless are two modes a lesson switches between, not two links running at once.

Role of the WIZnet W5500

The W5500 is what makes the wired path simple enough for an education board:

• Hardware TCP/IP. TCP, UDP, IPv4, ARP, and ICMP run inside the chip, so the RP2040 only reads and writes socket buffers over SPI.
• Eight hardware sockets. A lesson can run an HTTP client and a small server without juggling a software stack's memory.
• Mature CircuitPython support. The Adafruit Wiznet5k driver is widely used, so students and teachers can follow existing tutorials.
• Deterministic classroom networking. A cable to a switch avoids crowded classroom Wi-Fi and shared-password problems.

Where It Fits

ArchiNet is best read as an education and prototyping connectivity board from an industrial manufacturer. It suits schools and training programs that already use ARCHI and want to teach IoT, HTTP, and client/server basics on both wired and wireless networks, and makers who want an openly documented RP2040 + W5500 + ESP32-S3 reference design.

Availability

Newsan's mass production is confirmed for the ARCHI base board. For ArchiNet itself, the repository provides the full hardware design and firmware, but no public price or shop listing was found. Contact Newsan Lab through the NewsanLab GitHub organization for availability or quotes, or build it from the published KiCad and Gerber files.

Related Reading on WIZnet Maker

If you want to go deeper on the same software path, How Does Pico 2W Use W5500 Ethernet for CircuitPython MQTT? shows the Wiznet5k CircuitPython driver carrying MQTT traffic on another RP2 board. For the ESP32-S3 side of CircuitPython networking, How to Initialize W5500 Ethernet with CircuitPython on ESP32-S3? walks through bring-up step by step. And to see where the same RP2 + W5500 idea goes in an industrial enclosure, compare the Cytron IRIV IO Controller.

FAQ

What microcontroller runs the user's program?
The ARCHI board, which is based on the Raspberry Pi RP2040. The ESP32-S3 on ArchiNet acts only as a wireless coprocessor that ARCHI controls with JSON commands.

Can Ethernet and Wi-Fi run at the same time?
Not in the published firmware. The ESP32 UART and the W5500 SPI share GP12, so the UART_OFF command frees that pin before the Ethernet path is used.

Which language is used on ARCHI?
CircuitPython, with the Adafruit Wiznet5k, Requests, and Connection Manager libraries for Ethernet.

Is the hardware open?
The complete KiCad project, PDF schematic, and Gerber files are published in the repository. No license file is included, so ask Newsan Lab before reusing the design commercially.

Where can I buy it?
No public listing was found for ArchiNet. Contact Newsan Lab for availability, or build it from the published files.