Microsemi:VSC8531BB1G/Specifications and Resources

This is the official Microsemi BeagleBone Black Gigabit VSC8531BB1G Specifications & Resources Wiki maintained and supported by Brian Jaroszewski of Microsemi Corporation.

Credit for generation and maintenance of the original page Beagleboard:BeagleBoneBlack from which this page was developed goes to [mailto:gerald@beagleboard.org Gerald Coley] a founding member of BeagleBoard.org, a non-profit 501(C) organization.

If you have any questions or issues with the content on this Wiki, please contact [mailto:brian.jaroszewski@microsemi.com Brian Jaroszewski]

VSC8531BB1G Description
The VSC8531BB1G is the latest design to join the licensed "BeagleBoard Compatible" family. It is similar to the Beaglebone Black (Rev C) but with some additional features added.


 * Upgraded memory to 1GB of DDR3
 * Upgraded eMMC to 4GB
 * Replaced FE PHY with the Microsemi VSC8531XMW RGMII/RMII Single Port Gigabit Copper Ethernet PHY (and supporting LDOs for the required 1.0V and 2.5V rails)
 * Replaced off-the-shelf integrated magnetics RJ-45 jack with the specially designed for Microsemi line of SimpliPHYTM, VeriTimeTM, and IntellisecTM PHYs, Open-Source Hardware compliant HALO Electronics TG111-MSC13LF 8-core transformer, and a quality RJ-45 jack with dual LEDs.

In addition to being FCC Class B, CE, RoHS & REACH certified just like the BeagleBone Black is, this 6-layer development board & evaluation tool, is capable of passing UNH IOL GbE, Fast Ethernet, as well as 10Base-T/Te certification. For anyone out that has attempted to take their end-product through this compliance testing, they will be the first to tell you that it is not straight forward. The layout and magnetic selection is critical to ensuring success.

The VSC8531BB1G can help to reduce the customer's TTM as well as their development costs.

VSC8531BB1G Features
The following table lists the key features of the VSC8531BB1G.



In the VSC8531BB1G shipping box is (1)VSC8531BB1G board, (1)micro USB cable, and (1)Quick Start card that should be read. Note: The customer is responsible for supplying a proper 5V, 2A power adapter. More details about the mechanical requirements, along with a recommend solution, can be found below.

VSC8531BB1G Picture
Here is a picture of the VSC8531BB1G (Rev A) prototype board.



VSC8531BB1G Key Component Locations
Here are the locations of the key components on the top side of the VSC8531BB1G.



Here are the locations of the key components on the bottom side of the VSC8531BB1G.



VSC8531BB1G Connector and Switch Locations
Below is the location of the connectors and switches on the Rev A board.



Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the BeagleBone Black, the VSC8531BB1G BeagleBone Black 1G & other BeagleBone Black derivative designs

 * BeagleBone Black FAQ

FAQs related to the Microsemi GbE PHY (VSC8531XMW) will be posted at a later time.

Terms of Use
You may use the VSC8531BB1G design materials as you choose. There are no licences involved in the usage of the VSC8531BB1G design materials. Microsemi does not encourage the use of the board that is manufactured under the BeagleBoard compatible licensed logo or the Microsemi logo in commercial products. When used in a product, the end customer is responsible for its use in their product. Microsemi Corporation does not guarantee that it will work in any particular application or use case. Changes in components used on the production of these boards such as memory devices (based on availability), may affect operation of the board, either positively or negatively.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit creativecommons.org or send a letter to: Creative Commons 171 Second Street, Suite 300 San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

All derivative works released back into the public domain are to be attributed as based on the work created by Gerald Coley of BeagleBoard.org.

For more information, see Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

ALL design materials are Open-Source and easily accessible. Everything is provided to enable you to build your own board. You can make changes as needed or use it as-is. It is your product when you use these materials. Feel free to build the board yourself at your local contract manufacturer of choice.

If you have questions on any of this, you can contact [mailto:brian.jaroszewski@microsemi.com Brian Jaroszewski]

Accessories
For a list of the confirmed working accessories please go to the Accessories Page

Covered there are cables, power supplies, displays,etc. Anything that can be added to the VSC8531BB1G.

Other Features & Related Links
Please refer to for all other content including: Cape Support, Wi-Fi Adpater Support, Expansion Header Pin Usage, Serial Header Usage, & other Extremely Useful Links to valuable resources as well as DOs and DON'Ts that must be observed.

Revision A (Currently Proposed Production Version)
This board design is essentially a revision of the BeagleBone Black (Rev C) Design with some design modifications made to it by Embedded Product Design LLC

Software Resources
Please refer to for the latest Software images information.

LATEST PRODUCTION FILES (A)
The links below are static links that always point to the latest version of the listed documents. These links can be used by distributors or users to point to the latest documentation. As documents are updated, the links will remain the same, but the actual file will be updated. This insures that you always have the latest documents and your links will always work.

If you have any questions on these files (once made available in the July time frame), please contact [mailto:brian.jaroszewski@microsemi.com Brian Jaroszewski]

The below links do not work at this time as the Rev A design files associated the the prototype boards that are built up are still pending FCC Class B & CE certification. Once the Rev A board is proven to pass FCC Class B and CE, the design files will be posted. If the Rev A design files need to be modified, the below links will indicate the appropriate Rev letter that has passed FCC Class B and CE.


 * VSC8531BB1G System Reference Manual Rev A.1(PDF)
 * VSC8531BB1G Schematic (PDF)
 * VSC8531BB1G Schematic (OrCAD)
 * VSC8531BB1G BOM (xls)
 * VSC8531BB1G PCB Files Rev A (Allegro and Gerbers)
 * MD5 Checksum for all files (md5)
 * All Hardware Documents

Regulatory Compliance Documents
If you have any questions on these files (once made available in the November time frame), please contact [mailto:brian.jaroszewski@microsemi.com Brian Jaroszewski]

These links do not work at this time.


 * FCC Class B Certification
 * CE Certification
 * REACH

Export Information
ECCN: 5A002A1

CCATS: TBD


 * Export Information Documents

RMA Support
If you feel the board is defective and you want to get it looked at please send an e-mail to [mailto:VSC8531BB1G_RMA@microsemi.com VSC8531BB1G RMA Request] with the same requested information as is on this site:

You will need the serial number. It is located on one of the expansion headers in the form of a white label.

Microsemi Corporation will only accept RMA requests for those boards purchased through authorized Microsemi Corporation distributors that carry the VSC8531BB1G. You can find a list of authorized distributors on the buy pages at http://www.microsemi.com/salescontacts If you purchased a VSC8531BB1G from an unauthorized distributor, you need to return the board to them for replacement or repair.