Are you securing power cords on your mission critical equipment or leaving it to chance?
Securing power cords on mission critical IT and other equipment should be a primary concern to IT managers or facilities managers. With most IT equipment and PDUs using either IEC C13 / C14 or IEC C19 / C20 connectors these connectors offer great flexibility and easy connection. Unfortunately, the fit of a C14 connector to a C13 outlet or C20 connector to a C19 outlet can vary greatly due to slight variations in the connectors from one manufacturer to another. This variation can mean that the mating between the connectors can sometimes be slightly loose, increasing the risk of accidental removal of the connectors through physical means or even through vibration, resulting in power loss to equipment and potential downtime until the situation has been rectified.
To solve this issue some installers will bend the pins slightly to get a tighter connection (not recommended), whilst others will use a securing sleeve over the plug part that makes the connection tighter when the plug is inserted into the socket. However, even with the use of securing sleeves power cables can still be accidentally removed during maintenance work.
There are now better solutions, IEC-Lock and Zonit zLock. These provide a locking power cord with a locking IEC C13 or C19 connector, and in the case of the Zonit zLock a fully locking power cord as these also provide a locking C14 or C20 connector as well.
The locking C13 and C19 connector works through a specially designed plate in the connector that when mated grips to the pins of the plug. Once inserted the connector cannot be pulled apart until the plate is released by moving the release mechanism built into the connector.
On the Zonit zLock cables the C14 and C20 connectors lock into the corresponding receptacle through a unique twist mechanism that locks the connector in place. The cable can then only be removed once the twist mechanism is released.
In conclusion the best way of securing power cords to IT equipment, in particularly mission critical equipment, is through the use of specially designed locking power cords.
If you’re interested in learning more about securing the power to your IT equipment please contact our sales department on +44 (0)1376 510337 or email [email protected].
