Bryant Unlimited power distribution unit addresses need to reduce energy

Broadcast racks, IT Racks, and Server farms get hot in use and will usually have adjacent aircon to cool them down to a reliable operating temperature. In these days of high-energy costs and 24/7 operation, this inefficiency will raise operating costs over time.

Bryant Unlimited’s new Power Distribution Unit PDU 114PEA has a micro-controller-based design to reduce energy otherwise wasted within the PDU. The new product is a fully UK-manufactured power distribution unit.

The PDU 114PEA features 14 IEC outlets, each with an associated bi-colour LED to show outlet status. In the Bryant PDU 114PEA, a dedicated bespoke power supply intends to reduce the power consumption of the LED circuit to less than 0.5W, whereas typical products fitted with mains LEDS consume 10W.

“Just about every 19 inch rack in broadcast, OB, or general IT setups will have at least 1 PDU in it to distribute mains power,” said Simon Quill, Bryant’s Technical Manager. “Our new PDU gives so much more ‘bang for your buck’ as it sells at only around 10% more than bog standard PDUs/MDUs which do not even offer bi-colour LEDS and audible alerts, let alone the power efficient internal design we have included.

“It includes a custom micro-controller to measure the presence of mains voltage on each outlet and only then is the corresponding LED set to green,” he continued. “Each unit is fitted with a piezo sounder which can be enabled to give an audible warning when a fuse fails. The sound generated, its irritation factor and the length of time it will sound are all programmable from the front panel pre installation.”

A Neutrik powerCON inlet connector is used to give an overall current capacity of 20 Amps. A mating inlet plug is supplied. Each outlet is rated to a maximum of 10 amps, fitted with a 3.15 Amp anti-surge HRC ceramic fuses as standard.

To avoid damage caused by high fault currents, these units are fully wired internally and do not put power across cheap PCBs. The new PDUs are available in two versions, the PDU 114PEA fitted with an on-off switch, or NDU 114PEA fitted with a neon indicator, for secure applications.

The PDUs are UK made and available from stock at pretty much the price of the PDUs you may be currently buying.