Efficient, intelligent and cost-effective balancing of powered device (PD) loads is a critical design consideration for multi-port PoE equipment. Complementing Silicon Labs’ popular Si3452 PSE controllers, Silicon Labs’ PoE power management ICs provide an easy-to-use, energy-efficient and small-footprint solution for streamlining power delivery in managed and unmanaged switches and routers, iPBXs, IP-based security systems, set-top boxes and power injectors.
Silicon Labs’ Si348x power management ICs take advantage of the real-time voltage and current monitoring capabilities of the Si3452 PoE controller to apply active power management based on actual consumption, enhancing the efficient use of switch ports beyond simple classification schemes.
Silicon Labs offers a complete suite of development tools including a graphical user interface (GUI)-based software development tool to enable quick evaluation and design with the Si348x ICs and companion Si3452 devices. The Si3480MS8-KIT development kit implements an 8-port midspan power injector with an intelligent power management LED display, enabling detailed evaluation of the Si3452 in conjunction with the Si3480 8-port power manager. The 24-port SmartPSE24-KIT power management evaluation kit supports SPI or UART-based interfaces and includes comprehensive power management functions to simplify designing with the Si3482 IC.