Electronic – Double ethernet magnetics for a passive medical application

ethernetmagneticsmedical

I am designing medical data acquisition equipment that requires moderately fast data transfer. As part of the design we are using a custom 100BASE-T PoE architecture (and cabling) to the data acquisition headstage, together with an intermediate "dumb" device to (1) provide medical-level isolation, (2) inject PoE power, (3) connect ethernet to the computer, (4) connect additional non-isolated equipment (via two extra ethernet pairs from the headstage, that's why we are limiting to 100BASE-T).

The only medical-grade isolated magnetics I can find are the HXU6200NL by Pulse, which will serve to connect to the computer and will reside inside the dumb device isolating the headstage itself.

The question is: Would it be ok to use two sets of ethernet magnetics back-to-back inside the dumb device?

That is, to use a second set of PoE magnetics to inject power and connect to the headstage with no intermediate circuitry (besides, perhaps, some common mode terminations for both cables).


Edits:

  • There will be a standard set of magnetics in the headstage bringing the total count in the link to 4 (the absolute minimum to provide the needed isolation would be 3)

  • The total cabling length (headstage-box-computer) would be less than 10m, very likely less than 5m.

  • One reason to want to use a second set of magnetics is to provide "standard" common-mode termination (i.e., Bob Smith termination) to each cable segment.

  • Another reason is that ethernet magnetics are not symmetrical, as common-mode chokes and autotransformers are commonly present.

Best Answer

You should be able to get away with two sets of magnetics, that is effectively what happens in POE midspan injectors (one transformer at each end plus one for the midspan injector).

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