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Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

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Re: Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

#61

Post by robertoandred »

rfgmendoza wrote: post #28
ravetcofx wrote: post #6

" the M1 Mac mini was the perfect hardware to test out PoE, as on idle, the device only consumes 6W. When some load is applied to the internals, that power draw can go up to 40W. After some thorough research, we found out that the maximum throughput of Power over Ethernet was 15.4W " They'll have to bump it up to 802.3bt (Poe ++) which can support 60W. Cool Project though, I've been wanting to mod my Mac Mini m1 to r…

i would actually like being able to power my mac mini with just a usb-c dock like a macbook

Might be too easy to disconnect compared to a regular power cable.

Re: Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

#62

Post by dylan604 »

NavinF wrote: post #55
dylan604 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This would be fun for when LEOs come in to take your computer, they can easily keep it powered so all of the decrypted keys stay in memory. Killing power means going back to an encrypted state. In high profile cases for desktops, there's techniques for splicing the power cable to switch to a battery pack. This would make it much easier for the unskilled LEO to take your shit. Cause we all know you're the one they're…

That's why pretty much all desktop and server mobos have a "chassis intrusion" header that you can connect to a sensor/switch. Your machine should wipe keys or reboot if it's opened or moved.

how does that work if the case is never opened?

Re: Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

#63

Post by xxkylexx »

mikequinlan wrote: post #60

>power over Ethernet instead of AC Did they used to get air conditioning over Ethernet? This doesn't make any sense to me.

AC, or alternating current, is a type of power. Usually available as a wall plug in your house.

DC, or direct current, is another type. For example a battery. Or in this case, PoE.

Re: Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

#64

Post by omni »

mikequinlan wrote: post #60

>power over Ethernet instead of AC Did they used to get air conditioning over Ethernet? This doesn't make any sense to me.

AC in the context of electricity has meant "alternating current" for literally more than a hundred years. This is a you problem, not OP's, so turn down the snark. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternating_current

Re: Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

#65

Post by [deleted] »

OJFord wrote: post #37
r00fus wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the goal of having a MacMini running off an external battery? I mean, it seems less cost effective than just getting a MB Air and not using the screen...

I could see it making sense in a 'van life' context to use a smaller local battery rather than plug everything in to your main leisure battery. Use the latter to charge Makita packs say and then run most other stuff off those (there's a decent amount of open 3D printable adapters for them, as well as third-party/AliExpress stuff).

[deleted]

Re: Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

#67

Post by wolrah »

dheera wrote: post #49
CameronNemo wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You sure you want to blame poe as a whole instead of the RPI hat?

Sure it could be the RPi hat, but it just means the standard is so complicated that people don't implement it correctly. I wouldn't trust the hat or whatever you call it for Mac Mini.

> Sure it could be the RPi hat, but it just means the standard is so complicated that people don't implement it correctly.

Or there are ways to cheap out on a PoE device that may work in some cases but don't fully and properly implement the standard.

The standard is widely used in VoIP phones, wireless access points, security cameras, and all sorts of other networked devices that get installed in places that may not have nearby power outlets or where a single wire solution is beneficial.

Personally I have three Pis that have been on PoE their entire lives and have had no problem, but I used a name brand PoE hat (the Waveshare hat with the OLED display) and am powering them from a mainstream PoE switch. If you're using some random AliExpress hat with janky injectors you get what you pay for.

> I wouldn't trust the hat or whatever you call it for Mac Mini.

Almost any large commercial building has had hardware running on PoE that costs more than the average Mac Mini for years. Most PTZ cameras for example, high-end directional wireless bridges, even some nicer wireless access points.

Re: Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

#68

Post by jtriangle »

OJFord wrote: post #36
bitbckt wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Minor correction: 802.3bt added 51W (Type 3) or 71W (Type 4). 60W isn't a standard power level. Some switches support up to 95W per port with PoH.

Surely they're all ' up to '? It's not 'you must sink this much current or else not compliant'? It seems like a weird thing for TFA to say anyway - my PoE[+] switch was the cheapest 8 port I could get a few years ago on Amazon, and does 30W per port. I don't really understand how you could look into it at all, be willing to attempt the hack, but not use a switch (or injector or whatever) that's capable of powering it…

Depends. Within the standard, you can do 51w at the full 100m on standard cat6, which is 300ma/pair. If your runs are shorter, you should be good to go at the full type4 current, or, 960ma.

This is a good reference for this: https://www.5gtechnologyworld.com/what-every-engineer-should... which goes into how to calc your total bundle dissipation and whatnot.

Re: Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

#69

Post by Alupis »

dheera wrote: post #35
ravetcofx wrote: post #6

" the M1 Mac mini was the perfect hardware to test out PoE, as on idle, the device only consumes 6W. When some load is applied to the internals, that power draw can go up to 40W. After some thorough research, we found out that the maximum throughput of Power over Ethernet was 15.4W " They'll have to bump it up to 802.3bt (Poe ++) which can support 60W. Cool Project though, I've been wanting to mod my Mac Mini m1 to r…

I'm very skeptical of PoE now after 3 PoE adapters killed 3 Raspberry Pis I have. I wouldn't want to risk something more expensive to that shit. At this point I'd rather just have straight up 19V + and - cables bundled together with the Ethernet with some heatshrink around the whole thing to make it look like 1 cable.

What kind of PoE Adapter/Hat did you use?

From memory, and it's been a few years/models... but the GPIO pins, including the 5V input pin bypassed all of the circuit protection fuses and what-not the normal barrel jack had.

It wasn't uncommon for people to roast their RPi with incorrectly done, or poor quality GPIO powering devices.

Re: Hacker mods an M1 Mac mini to receive power over Ethernet instead of AC

#70

Post by wslh »

ravetcofx wrote: post #6

" the M1 Mac mini was the perfect hardware to test out PoE, as on idle, the device only consumes 6W. When some load is applied to the internals, that power draw can go up to 40W. After some thorough research, we found out that the maximum throughput of Power over Ethernet was 15.4W " They'll have to bump it up to 802.3bt (Poe ++) which can support 60W. Cool Project though, I've been wanting to mod my Mac Mini m1 to r…

When it is off you can charge it with a simple mobile phone charger.
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