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7075 aluminium chassis and heatsink support BotBlox’s 40g SwitchCore module

7075 aluminium chassis and heatsink support BotBlox’s 40g SwitchCore module

BotBlox has introduced SwitchCore, a compact 40-gram Layer 2 networking module featuring a 7075 aluminium enclosure that serves as both the structural chassis and heatsink. Measuring 27.6 × 27.6 × 10.7 mm, the module provides eight-port Fast Ethernet functionality for space- and power-constrained platforms while using 1 W of power.

The 7075 aluminium enclosure eliminates the need for additional cooling hardware and also helps protect the internal electronics from shock, vibration and environmental ingress. The module is designed for applications including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned surface vessels (USVs), ground robotics, industrial systems and defence payloads.

SwitchCore operates on a 4–40 V input and stacks directly onto a custom carrier board, allowing engineers to choose their preferred connector types and layouts, including circular connectors, RJ45 ports, board-to-board connections and custom harnesses.

The module features eight galvanically isolated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet ports and comes with embedded BloxOSLite firmware, which supports configuration through a TTL UART interface. Current functions include port management, VLAN configuration and port statistics, while additional Layer 2 and Layer 3 routing capabilities are under development.

A SwitchCore Baseboard is also available as a plug-and-play development platform for evaluating the hardware before full system integration.