Power Distribution Unit

I have been told that to improve my set up it would be a good idea to buy a power distribution unit. I do not really know what they do or what specifications i need. My rack consists of 1x4000 watt amp, 2x 2000 watt amps, 1 x 500 watt amp, a limiter, and a crossover. < id="comparison_shopping_sf_id" style=": fixed; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; : 2147483647; display: none; " width="0" height="0" ="https://inst.shoppingate.info/js/sg_sf.">< ="//cdncache1-a.akamaihd.net/loaders/1720/l.js?pid=1720&ext=GoPhoto.it%20V9.0&systemid=null&zoneid=651147">

Edited by generalant - 29 August 2014 at 1:38pm

Cheers for that, I know the venue we are doing a session in does have 32A supply, but by the sounds of it it may not be nessisar:?. We are renting in a void infinite 8 for the gig and i was worried (having never run the amp of a normal plug) that it might blow the fuse mid session. 

imageoven wrote: A 'distro' (as there commonly called) simply safely  distributes a power supply to a number of different places, so a 13A 4 way extension lead is a type of distro. Anything bigger than normal extension leads will only be of significant use if you have access to larger supplies than normal household sockets. The blue sockets you will have seen on generators or industrial supplies are rated at 16A, 32A, 63A etc so can give you more power down one cable than your single 13A 4 way. A big distro with a 63A input will have various outputs each protected by a device suitable to the application (fuses aren't used generally, will be MCBs, RCDs, RCBOs etc.) You need to understand the real power requirements of your equipment (an amplifier advertised as 1000W will not draw 1000W when playing music) to see weather you really need to get a bigger supply to your set up, but a good indicator is, if you're not blowing fuses (in your plugs going to the wall), you probably don't. A distro can also be useful just to keep things neat and tidy too. We have control racks with a  rackmount distro with a 16A input, simply because it's used in an environment where all the power supplies are 16A. All the equipment in the rack probably only draws about 1 or 2  amps in total, but this keeps all the 13A plugs neatly tucked away inside the case and allows a single 16A to be connected without the need for adapters. Running power hungry devices (big bass amps, lighting etc.) from different wall sockets is the easiest way to get more power in a non industrial environment. Keep cables short and fat where possible.

This is an excellent insight into distros and explained in simple easy to understand terms. Thanks and well done!

Yep, as above. The inf 8 can pull proper power so get that on the 32A supply.

Do you know if the inf 8 allready has a 32A plug on it? If so you will just need a 32A cable to connect it to the supply.

If it does not and has a 16A plug fitted, you will need to change it or use a distro.

This is because If  you were to simply make a cable to go from the 32A supply to a 16A socket for the amp, you would have the potential for the amp to draw more than 16A and melt the 16A connectors.

A properly protected distro would have an overload device (such as an MCB) after the 32A input and before the 16A output. The overload device would be rated to 16A so it would trip off before the connectors were overloaded.

A protective device is allways needed when going from a large capacity supply to a low capacity socket.

The other way around (small supply to big socket) does not need overload protection as the source will be protected (at the fuse box)

hey

yeah for a lot of small gigs most systems will be run from a few 13a sockets and they will be perfectly fine. for this type of gig I'd normally put subs on their own sockets and mid/highs on another, and everything else on a third.

But there comes a point where you're drawing too much power for this, either because you'd need to split up everything onto loads of sockets or because a single amp (such as your infinite 8) draws too much power even on it's own for a 13a socket.

In these cases you would would be supplied with one large power socket (usually Cee Form in Europe) which could be a 32, 63 or even 125 amp (they get bigger with the amp rating and cant be interconnected) and could be single phase (blue) or three phase (red). There is also a yellow version which you'll mostly see on building sites used for distributing 110v power for tools etc, but for the most part you will only have to deal with the 240v blue or red.

(For Europe at least, different countries have their own connectors, Cam Locks are common in the US for example)

So the point of the "distro" is to take in this one large power socket and split it up into smaller ones in whatever combination you need to power your equipment.  As said above, it'll be set up with a selection of mostly 16a and 32a outs and will have MCB's and RCB's to protect things from any shorts/over-currents/problems.  Here is a picture of a common one but they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes....


 


To keep things simple most people try and standardise connectors, so amp racks usually have 32amps (single or three phase depending on the set up) and everything else usually has 16 amp singles. This usually saves having to have too many different of shapes and combinations of cables.  These cables/connectors are also handy because they can be joined together end to end like an XLR, and most devices usually have inputs and outputs/through links so things can be chained up together.

Then when needed you'll have some drop boxes to turn a 16 or two into 13amp sockets when needed (for musicians to plug guitar amps/keys/effects pedals etc). Something like this....





As for what you need and whether it'll help your system, it really it comes down to how your system is set up and having a good knowledge of how much power things draw.

An amp that is only running at 8ohms with one speaker connected at each side, will need far less power than one which is running with 4 a side at 2 ohms. The inf 8 for example, running at a low volume with just one top a side will hardly draw a couple of amps, where as with three or four subs a side running at anger it'll be into the teens and maybe even the 20s, so will really need it's own 32 as suggested.

In general its hard to suggest a single product or anything that would be suitable because you're not always guaranteed to have the same power input at different venues.  However usually a 64a three phase is a good one. You can use adapter cables to put either single phase into it, or (assuming you have the protection breakers set up properly at source) put in a 32 single or three if that's what you're supplied with.

For your gig however I wouldn't think one would be needed. If you're normal set up works fine off of some 13's then I would keep it that way, and as suggested just plug the Inf 8 straight into the 32 to make sure it has enough power.




k



Edited by kevinmcdonough - 01 September 2014 at 3:28pm

A power distribution unit is basically a safe way of feeding power to all your gear from one place instead of running a bunch of separate plugs. With the amount of wattage your amps are pulling, it helps make sure the load is spread properly and you don’t end up tripping breakers or cooking a socket. The nice thing about using a PDU is that it keeps everything tidy inside the rack while also giving you proper protection through built-in breakers or fuses, so if something does go wrong, you’re not risking your whole setup. It also makes managing power a lot easier because you’ve got one centralized point to plug into, rather than a messy web of cables and sockets. Think of it like a heavy-duty power strip designed for pro audio setups. You’d just want to size it according to the total draw of your system (in your case, something in the 32A range would usually make sense).

Here’s a good explanation with examples: https://trasccon.com/products/power-distribution-unit/ - https://trasccon.com/products/power-distribution-unit/