Quoted from TreyBo69:It's pretty neat. The CAT-6 cable carries the data line between the node boards and a 48V rail that the node boards step down to the voltages they need for different applications (solenoids, LEDs, motors, LCD screens, etc). Reduces a lot of wiring and they can use one 48V switching power supply, instead of a collection of them providing different voltages or a bulkier transformer.
One thing that I recently read is that power over ethernet (POE) should be limited to one amp.
Anything over one amp exceeds the current rating of an RJ45 connector normally used on these cables, which can cause it to get hot.
There have been cases where exceeding this rating caused a fire.
People are now using power over ethernet to power things like exterior lights, cameras, etc, etc.
Exceeding one amp on such a cable is not a good idea, so be careful.
Most loads on a pinball machine like LEDs is probably not a problem.
But if you power some motors and solenoids, you could have an issue if you exceed one amp.