Thank you for purchasing an UpTone Audio EtherREGEN!
Introduction and Design
This revolutionary and sophisticated Ethernet switch is capable of
producing surprisingly audible sonic improvements in fine music systems.
The goals and architecture of the EtherREGEN are
completely different than any other Ethernet switch on the
planet.
Other “audiophile” Ethernet switches typically apply clock and power
supply modifications to cheap off-the-shelf switches, or simply add passive
filter parts to standard magnetics and augment with a separate fancy clock
board.
EtherREGEN is an all-new from the ground-up design,
built on a costly 6-layer circuit board. Its components and
topology are unmatched by any other Ethernet switch.
The heart of what makes our switch so unique is use of ACTIVE, HIGH-
SPEED, LOW-JITTER DIFFERENTIAL DIGITAL ISOLATOR chips in
conjunction with ULTRA-LOW JITTER DIFFERENTIAL RE-CLOCKING
FLIP-FLOPS. No other Ethernet switch on the market does this.
Implementing this architecture correctly is difficult and costly!
Going from port-to-port on the ‘A’ side of EtherREGEN is already better
than most any other switch, but crossing our
A
ctive
D
ifferential
I
solation
M
oat (“
ADIM
™”)—to its ‘B’ side—brings an unmatched level of
Ethernet performance for audio. The dark-grey line in the lower third of
the circuit board image on this Guide’s cover is the EtherREGEN’s
“moat,” across which sit the differential digital isolators.
The design methods and innovative ADIM
™
of the
EtherREGEN results in dual, isolated clock/data/power
domains, blockage of all external leakage currents, a
significant reduction in upstream phase-noise fingerprint,
and maximal signal integrity.
During manufacturing, each unit has been carefully tested to assure reliable
performance. Your EtherREGEN is covered by a 3-year warranty. Do
contact us if you ever have difficulty or need advice or service.
Please read this entire instruction booklet to learn important
information about installation and operation of
the EtherREGEN.
Technical Highlights
•
EtherREGEN has two isolated data/power/clock domains. Each
isolated domain is re-clocked using 10GHz-capable ultra-low-jitter
(less than 0.8 picoseconds) differential flip-flops.
•
The clocking system runs from an advanced, programmable, jitter-
attenuating clock synthesizer with four differential outputs. It is
referenced to an ultra-low-jitter/phase-noise Crystek CCHD-575
oscillator. Importantly, the clock distribution system (for the switch
chip, the special Ethernet format conversion chips, and the high-
speed flip-flops) is run differentially throughout. Special conversion
buffers are positioned just millimeters from chips that require single-
ended clocks.
•
Even the magnetics of the four Gigabit ‘A’-side ports are special. We
chose an RJ45 module that utilizes 12 transformer cores in each
port (most Ethernet ports have 2~6 cores), and ground their center-
taps through capacitors in a way that blocks port-to-port AC
leakage currents.
•
To support its performance, the power networks of the
EtherREGEN are as sophisticated and costly as the rest of the
design. We use 12 of the world’s lowest-noise, lowest-impedance
integrated voltage regulators—the famous Linear Technology
LT3045 and LT3042. Supporting both the voltage regulators and the
data chips are 195 low-inductance, X7R and X5R capacitors sized
and selected by their derating curves.
•
The EtherREGEN incorporates two newly introduced Ethernet
transceiver chips—one on each side of the ADIM™. These advanced
chips were very new at the time of design; UpTone was among the
first OEM manufacturers in the world to engineer a product using
them.
•
The main processor is an advanced, flexible, and fully managed
switch processor—with integrated high quality PHYs and support
for all current IEEE network protocols.
•
If required, the start-up programming and extensive register settings
of the EtherREGEN’s processor can be updated by the end-user via
a microUSB port located on its circuit board. Downloading a small
file from UpTone and copying it to the virtual drive that appears
upon attachment of a microUSB cable will easily accomplish this.
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