Apple has implemented strict software limitations in place to ensure that without the use of some ingenious modding, one cannot alter the way the company’s hardware works. A systems engineer and a hardware hacker decided to challenge himself and modded an M1 Mac mini to be able to run on the Power over Ethernet (PoE) protocol.
The modding process required removing the Ethernet port from the M1 Mac mini and altering it
To get started, Ivan Kuleshov had to de-solder the Ethernet port on the M1 Mac mini and modify it so that the compact machine could support power delivery. To make this possible, Ivan states on Twitter that you will require a few components and a magjack connector. Next, he used an ‘off-the-shelf module’ as he mentions that the components can communicate with the PoE switch and convert the power supply to 12V.
Ivan has said on his Twitter account that he plans to write the entire modding process in an article and upload it, but as AppleInsider has noted, it is possible that the M1 Mac mini running on Power over Ethernet has some limitations. This might be one reason why the hardware hacker has not disabled power delivery through the regular AC adapter, meaning PoE will likely be used as a secondary power source.
Demo of Mac mini with PoE and power redundancy.
The project has gotten a serious response, 7 times higher than I expected.
I think it's better to put everything on the site, I'm working on the article, and after that, I'll do the video.
I promised more details, and I'll drop… pic.twitter.com/JSxB71TvF2— Ivan Kuleshov (@Merocle) July 31, 2023
Thanks to the power efficiency of Apple Silicon, 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 and that too over varying voltages, which are details that Ivan had left out when showing off his findings on Twitter.
Thankfully, we will learn more about this modding process in the future. Hopefully, we will learn the limitations of PoE and see what other Macs with Ethernet ports can support this level of alteration.
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