LXA Tools

The LXA Tools are a lineup of simple tools, which facilitate the daily development of and with embedded hardware. LXA Tools products are often developed as small exercises or to solve rare issues. Products in the LXA Tools lineup do not go through our usual iterative development process and may look a bit prototype-ish or rough around the edges when they land in our store. If that does not scare you, you should check out the LXA Tools section on your next LXA shop order, there might just be the right tool that you did not know you needed.

RJ45-Matrix

The RJ45-Matrix is one of those products that you don't know you need until you have it in your collection of loose boards.

Did you ever mix up the pinout of your Ethernet connection? For example by reversing the pin numbering? We, being professionals, obviously never did such a thing, but we decided to design the RJ45-Matrix nevertheless, just in case.

By placing solder blobs or 0402 SMD components on a 9x9 grid, the RJ45-Matrix allows you to create arbitrary connections between the pins of one RJ45-Jack to the pins on another RJ45-Jack. The Matrix also exposes all pins on easy to use 2.54mm pin headers, allowing you to use it as a breakout board.

Solutions
  • Ethernet
  • Separation of Ethernet data lines
  • Swapping of Ethernet data lines

What did we use the RJ45-Matrix for yet?

  • As a breakout board for RJ45 connectors
  • To swap Ethernet pairs between two devices
  • To AC-couple an Ethernet connection between two devices by using 0402 capacitors, allowing us to directly inject voltages into a device.

Which further use-cases for the RJ45-Matrix did we think of yet?

  • Create loopback connections between pairs, allowing you to test very long single-pair scenarios over much shorter four-pair cables.
  • Create defined cross-talk between pairs by coupling them using resistors or capacitors.
  • Adding resistive losses to a connection.

Which use-cases could you come up with?

Well we can not know, and you may also not know it yet, but you can find out by adding an RJ45-Matrix to your next order in our shop.

Please note that our LXA Tools product line does not undergo the same strict product test our other product lines undergo, so we are, for example, not guaranteeing a specific Cat-rating. What you see is what you get