USB extender having POE on CAT-6

@propeller-head-nerd Not sure what you are trying to do.

@zander <==confused, I thought this was Ron.

Ultimate i want to use a USB endoscope for much more than normal USB length. (about 16 fft.).  I bought a USB extender that uses CAT-6, and that worked, even at 100 ft.  However, it needs +5 VDC at the far end(for the endoscope), and I am needing that to be quite compact.  I bought what I thought would add POE, but that exercise ended in frustration.  

Units sold for that length are QUITE expensive.  A stack of coin cells might not last very long, and would be expensive in the long run.

Add in my desire to work with the ESP-32 and this is where I land.  If this is impossible I need to grieve the time lost and move on.  Not my preference to do that.

Thanks!

P.s., It looks like there might be something on GITHUB that could be a key piece of the USB code.  

@propeller-head-nerd I don't think you have told us your power requirements yet so it's pretty hard to make any recommendations. How small do the batteries have to be? There will likely be a chart on the net listing various battery chemistries and their watts per kg and/or per cc. Now with your power requirements known, we can calculate the mass and or volume and when you tell us what your mass/volume target is we can make a simple go/no go decision.

@propeller-head-nerd Here is my info

Sorry for such a delayed response.  Life gets busy in many ways.

I couldn't find any specs for the endoscope unit's current needs. However, it is not likely to need much power.

The design I had evolved in such a way that a new approach would work better even just for physical reasons.  I now have Solidworks, so the redesign should be easier, as this is what I know best.  (And more fun for me)

I will try using AA or AAA batteries of a chemistry that gives approximately 5 VDC, and see how that works. That will at least be interesting, and hopefully successful!

However, either way, the idea of running a microprocessor at both ends of a CAT-6 cable, and being able to convert a USB signal at both ends remains interesting.  [think of a USB extender with POE between ends]  If anyone knows of projects I might extract ideas from, please let me know.  

Thanks

Mike

@propeller-head-nerd It would help if you described what you want to accomplish as opposed to asking for help for your 'solution' that might be miles off track.

I have looked at your OP and see a couple things. If all you need is a power solution for a remote esp32 (like I do with game cameras) then that is just batteries, possibly an RTC, possibly a power down and wake up scenario.

You mention 'USB stack' and how it wasn't written a year ago. First stack is not a word we apply to USB, second USB is and has been working for many years. Until very recent, the USB connector and cable is a Ground, +5VDC, and 2 data pins. USB-C and PD are very different, but the vast majority of devices connected to USB-C still only use the original 4 wires.

Try to tell us what your problem is, and what solutions you think might work. If all you tell us is the solutions, then we have no idea if it is the best solution or even if it is doable.

Do you need a remote esp32? Why, what will it be doing, why an esp32 vs an esp86 or Arduino NANO?

Here is my requirements for a project I want to do:

I mentioned I want to build my own game camera. I don't need good pictures, I have pro camera gear for that, what I need is to know if game is in a certain area and how prevalent. One thing I will need is power for the camera (it uses a lot more than the esp32) I will find non-fake 18650 batteries and employ a power off, wake periodically to see if any game is about strategy so I get a few days life out of the batteries. The RTC is also battery operated but will last for over 5 years.

Get the idea?