Eaton MEDC Ltd. recently used a modified version of Contemporary Controls’ Skorpion PoE Mid-Span Injector to provide a compact power source in their CCTV camera housings.

Power over Ethernet solution

Power over Ethernet (PoE) equipment adds power along with data to Ethernet wiring, so devices such as VoIP phones, surveillance and card access machines can be powered via standard Ethernet cabling.

This provides flexibility by allowing the device installation irrespective of the location of an electrical outlet. The use of PoE also saves time and cost by eliminating the need to run separate power wires.

PoE applications require a 48 VDC power source, but most automation systems operate from 24 VAC/VDC power. For Eaton’s application, only one Ethernet Powered Device (PD) needed power, and Contemporary Controls Skorpion PoE injector met this criteria. In addition, Eaton was looking to customize the injector for use in a CCTV camera and reached out to Contemporary Controls for original design manufacturing (ODM).

“The speed of response with which Contemporary Controls modified and then certified the product to fit our needs enabled us to secure more business with our customer,” said Brian Taylor, Product Line and Support Manager CCTV Hazardous Area Communications at Eaton MEDC.

Eaton’s CCTV cameras and housings are made from 316L corrosion-resistant stainless steel and are designed for use in harsh environmental conditions and hazardous areas where there is a risk of explosion due to the presence of flammable atmospheres. They are suitable for a variety of applications both onshore and offshore for the oil and gas, marine, wind, and chemical industries.

PoE injector

The PoE injector is inserted mid-span between a standard Ethernet switch and Ethernet powered device. The injector operates from 24 VAC/VDC and internally generates the 48 VDC PoE power for the powered device — eliminating grounded primary power concerns while providing isolated 15.4 W power output.

Contemporary Controls’ injector is inserted mid-span between a standard Ethernet switch and Ethernet powered device. The injector operates from 24 VAC/VDC and internally generates the 48 VDC PoE power for the powered device — eliminating grounded primary power concerns while providing isolated 15.4 W power output. It injects 48 VDC into the Ethernet cable to provide both power and data to the powered device.

Contemporary Controls’ standard PoE Injector is IEEE 802.3af compliant, UL 508 listed and c-UL certified and comes in its own rugged metal enclosure and metal DIN-rail clip for control panel mounting. While most customers depend on the rugged metal enclosure to meet the demands of the industrial automation industry, for Eaton, the metal enclosure presented a challenge. Eaton required the completed product to be enclosed in the explosion-proof camera housing without the Skorpion’s metal enclosure.

Eaton tested the standard Skorpion PoE Injector for its operation with the CCTV camera. Next, the team at Contemporary Controls worked with Underwriter Laboratories (UL) to obtain the necessary approvals for the PoE Injector without its enclosure. This new, compact design fits easily inside the camera housing, and comes certified and application-ready. “We design, develop and manufacture our products in-house, which gives us a huge advantage for ODM projects,” said Bennet Levine, R & D Manager at Contemporary Controls.

“When a customer contacts us about modifying one of our products, we have the resources on hand to deliver a solution, from design to the regulatory approval process.”

Application article by Contemporary Controls