Hardware Considerations for powering a Wii with PoE++

[Mixtape]

I was having some conversations with a coworker this afternoon about how we're each trying to get as many things in our lives onto PoE as possible. That got me onto a line of thinking: with the Wii rated for around (3.7A * 12V =) 44.4 watts of power, its maximum draw falls well within the nominal 60W that PoE++ can provide. It just so happens that I have a switch capable of PoE++, a Wii, and a distinct shortage of outlets near my desk, so you can imagine where my head went.

Unfortunately, 60W PoE++ to DC splitters (with, specifically, 12V output) are a bit too expensive for me to pick up on impulse alone, but they do exist. Cheap aftermarket power bricks that can be harvested for the Wii's proprietary power plug are abundant as well. Combine those with five seconds of multimeter testing, some wire, and a bit of splicing and, by golly, you might just have a Wii that's powered off of a switch.

To be fully transparent, I understand that this is obviously a silly, niche idea, and all that you get out of it is a Wii with a mess of cables and adapters sticking out of the back. That being said, it seems weird that I can't find *any* record of someone trying this before. The most comparable examples I can find are a previous discussion about connecting a Wii to 12v DC in a car and somebody on Reddit that MacGyvered a supply using the 12v rail of a PC PSU.

All of this leads to the question: Is this one of those projects where I'm destined to huff magic smoke if I dare try it? Am I failing to consider anything that would obviously cause issues?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bendevnull]

By golly I'm actually posting! Jokes aside:

In theory this is absolutely possible and I feel like I've seen it done before, even if over USB C. If you have the know-how and want to attempt this, I by all means encourage it. And an aftermarket power brick would be the best option to sacrifice here for the proprietary plug alone, and then you should be able to just wire it up like normal if the PoE++ switch is already outputting DC. If not, then a simple full bridge rectifier will do the trick to convert AC to DC and then power the Wii.

If you end up doing this, please let me know how it goes!

 

[tech3475]

You need to first check your companies IT policy and your IT department.

Pointless looking into all of this if they say no or worse you lose your job when they find out.

Then check for why you have a POE++ switch, for example, they may be connected to other devices which means there's no spare capacity for the Wii.

Finally I would check the spec sheet for anything noticeable, e.g. warnings about constant high consumption.

POE traditionally is used for things like CCTV or WAPs, granted hats exist for things like the RPi.

Also consider alternative options such as an extension cord or maybe a splitter for the PC's power cable and an IEC to Mains adapter, with proper authorisation of course.

 

[Mixtape]

need to first check your companies IT policy and your IT department.

Pointless looking into all of this if they say no or worse you lose your job when they find out.

I guess I should have clarified: This wouldn't be at my work desk. I have a USW Pro 24 PoE at home that would be providing the upstream power.

Then check for why you have a POE++ switch, for example, they may be connected to other devices which means there's no spare capacity for the Wii.

For what it's worth, my current PoE usage is trivial. I've got a Ubiquiti Nano HD WAP and a Raspberry Pi 3b+ running off of a splitter. Doing some math, the Raspberry Pi pulls 5V * 2.5A = 12W at peak consumption, while the WAP pulls 10.5W max. I have a second Pi that will be deployed shortly here as well, so call it 34.5W of allocation. With 400W available across the switch, I've got plenty of headroom, even if over provisioned for any weird behavior from the splitter(s).

Finally I would check the spec sheet for anything noticeable, e.g. warnings about constant high consumption.

Noted. Overheating would be my big concern there, but I'll need to do some research to see if it's a known issue with either the switch model or the splitter.

Also consider alternative options such as an extension cord or maybe a splitter for the PC's power cable and an IEC to Mains adapter, with proper authorisation of course.

Now why on earth would I spend $15 at Home Depot to solve a problem (that, frankly, is hardly even a problem) when I could spend $80 and a weekend maybe-not-solving-it instead?

 

[Fishaman P]

It's worth noting the Wii got more and more efficient as it was revised. Original Wii without peripherals pulls about 20W, the die shrunk boards only pull about 11W!

 

[Mixtape]

Original Wii without peripherals pulls about 20W, the die shrunk boards only pull about 11W!

Interesting, thanks for the heads-up. Are those peak draw numbers? My original math was based on the information that I could find about the OEM PSU, but I'd be curious to know how overbuilt those are.

I found this guide for identifying board revisions and took a peek at my system. It's an RVL-CPU-01, so a 6-layer board with the highest power consumption of the whole lineup.

(Incidentally, this is also how I learned that component output, which I use, apparently got significantly better starting with RVL-CPU-40. Bummer!)

 

[Extrems]

(Incidentally, this is also how I learned that component output, which I use, apparently got significantly better starting with RVL-CPU-40. Bummer!)

This turned out to be entirely false.

 

[Mixtape]

Citation for the above, which describes Extrems' own work, in case anyone comes looking for it in the future.

Thanks for letting me know. There's always something to catch up on with this system.