Mouser Electronics

I’m excited to share detailed insights into the projects I’ve worked on. If you’re as curious about technology as I am, I enjoy sharing knowledge and explaining how these solutions come together in practice.

My Work at mouser

Helped the implementation of a POE lighting system at Mouser Electronics, utilizing a headend rack to connect multiple mini-IDFs located in the ceiling. Each mini-IDF contains two 24-port POE Lantronix switches connected to a VoltServer connection, providing DC POE directly from the headend. Each port supplies up to 90W of power, supporting two daisy-chained lights connected to a device node. The network spans approximately 48 IDFs and supports up to 3,000 device nodes, requiring a robust and sustainable network infrastructure to ensure seamless communication between all lights and devices.

24-port Lantronix Switch

In each mini IDF (Bits) There are 2-24port switches which lead back to the head end and has a Cisco AP connected. Wiring done by Polarity. Each Device node runs off a MHT server that gets an IP address from a pool on a router in the headend. Some issues with having one centralized DHCP pool is when the whole warehouse which included 3000 Devices, they all search for an IP address at the same time which blocks some requests to some devices. I've implemented a secondary DHCP server for issues regarding overflow requests.

The headend consists of three 24-port Lantronix switches using fiber SFPs to distribute the network to the mini-IDF locations. Fiber was employed to provide high-speed, reliable connectivity between the lighting systems and the server. Beneath the switches, VoltServer Class 4 transmitters deliver 57V DC power to each mini-IDF switch via VoltServer receivers, ensuring consistent PoE delivery throughout the system.

One major challenge was the sheer number of devices communicating simultaneously, which initially caused broadcast storms that overwhelmed the network. The issue was resolved by implementing storm-control levels, stabilizing the network and allowing all devices to operate reliably.

The following commands were in acted to help with Storms

storm-control broadcast level 50
storm-control multicast level 50
storm-control unicast level 50

After full implementation, the network is stable and robust, capable of handling the majority of operational demands. The only remaining challenge arises when individual device nodes fail and require replacement, which is handled by the low-voltage team.

Mouser Electronics

My Work at mouser

Thomas Ramirez

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