Power Injector

The 1-Wire network consists of a single data wire, and a ground wire. The data line provides a small amount of power that is available to the 1-Wire devices. For some devices, on short 1-Wire networks, this is sufficient. Other devices, however, require more power than is available on the 1-Wire data line. In order to address this need, our Power Injector adds regulated (5 volts) and unregulated (15 volts if using our Power Adaptor, or the voltage supplied by your power adapter) supplemental power to unused wires on the Cat 5 cable. There are two LEDs on the board, to indicate whether each voltage is being provided. The board is clearly labeled to show which LED indicates which voltage. Please note that the Power Injector does not add power to the 1-Wire data line, and thus provides no benefit to devices that only draw power from this data line.

Some of our devices require supplemental power. Other devices are able to make use of supplemental power, but do not require it. The description of each device should clearly state which ones require supplemental power, and which ones are able to use it. In general, we recommend using supplemental power for any device that supports it, in order to reduce the load on the 1-Wire data line.

When deciding whether to use a Power Injector, please note that our hubs have built-in power injectors, so a supplemental power injector may be unnecessary. Even if you use a hub, however, if the sub-network is very long you may still want to use a power injector to provide power to devices at the end of the sub-network. There will be some drop in voltage on any length of wire. As a cable gets longer the voltage drop will become increasingly significant, and will begin to affect the performance of your devices.

To connect the Power Injector, simply connect the power injector to the 1-wire network using standard network cables. Our instructions on how to wire the cable connectors. show which wires provide power. Note that power is only put to the “Out” side of the power injector. Devices connected to the “In” side will not receive supplemental power. You should therefore place the power injector carefully on your network, to be sure you are providing the power to the devices that need it. Typically you would place it close to the ends of your network, so that the furthest devices gain the power boost.

The Power Injector requires power. It must be connected to a mains outlet through an AC Power Adaptor. that provides 12-24 volts DC, 500mA, through a 2.1mm center positive connector.