Silicon Laboratories Inc. (Austin, TX) has introduced the Si348x family of power management ICs, enabling reduced system cost and improved efficiency in power over Ethernet (PoE) power sourcing equipment (PSE).
The new PoE power management ICs provide an 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. The Si348x power management ICs use 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 classification schemes.
For compact systems of eight ports or less, the Si3480 power manager provides a pin-programmable, stand-alone solution that does not require an interface to an intelligent host, making it ideal for unmanaged switches or other applications in which the user wants full-featured active power management without having to write or integrate system software. For larger PoE systems, the Si3482 power manager leverages the real-time voltage and current monitoring capability of the Si3452 controller to manage up to 48 ports with as many as three power sources.