Intelligent mains units

NEW for IBC 2010 ~ the Bryant Unlimited eyePower Range of 14 Outlet Mains Distribution Units with OLED Display. These new intelligent mains distribution units arguably represent the pinnacle of UK mains unit design for IT, A/V and server racks. At IBC 2009 Bryant displayed a unit that monitored individual current outlets and displayed power consumption in 0.1W steps!

~ Why? Well, in an intensive research programme Bryant identified that whilst power consumed by equipment can be surprisingly constant, the current waveform can vary dramatically due to faulty power supply components. With this unit connected to Bryant's Winpower software, the unit's technology highlights an outlet's unusual current waveform due to failing power supply components so that engineer's can be forearmed to see failures coming and take early action to avoid downtime. Their innovative current signature analysis to achieve this earned recognition in TVB Europe's list of top fifty products at IBC last year.

Unlike systems integrators who develop equipment to suit their own projects; Bryant has such a variety of customers world-wide that they have to provide the most flexible units on the market: so they took a very busy year of further development to respond to customer's wishlists. For those who wanted local display of unit voltage and current, individual outlet current, various power and power factor measurements these new units incorporate an added OLED display with push button driven menus. At the other extreme for those who did not want to connect RS422 data, Bryant now offer an Ethernet data connection allowing rapid deployment and SNMP reporting of change to unit fuse status, voltage and current measurements.

Connecting Bryant Winpower software over RS422 or Ethernet provides our ground breaking current signature analysis for those units fitted with individual output current measurement. The long list of product codes breaks down quite simply. Each of the options can be optionally specified with changeover for two mains inputs, using our design that has been the reliable market leader for ten years. Units with RS422 can be fitted with an Ethernet control option. The most basic unit BFU measures input current and live/neutral voltage, earth/neutral voltage and live/neutral imbalance (aka earth leakage). These are displayed on the full colour OLED display, with buttons to select parameters such as power factor, real kW and apparent kVA power. Min/max audible/visible alarms can be set using the front panel buttons. All units offer this minimum functionality.

The next unit adds BSU output relays with a basic sequence on and sequence off operated by the front panel (soft) power switch. RFU does not have output relays but gains an external Dallas 1-Wire™ connection for environmental sensors such as temperature and humidity. This connection allows for a large numbers of sensors, allowing temperature measurements throughout an equipment rack and beyond, for example to check air conditioning or temperatures outside an OB truck. 1-Wire™ allows for GPI expansion too. Alarms for minimum and maximum voltage/current and temperatures/humidity can be set, with the user alerted via the full colour OLED display or the RS422 port using Bryant Winpower or your own control system. RPU has everything so far with output relays, RS422, 1-Wire™.

Relay sequences and timings are fully programmable like our successful SMS units. We suggest you read about those earlier in this section. RFI does not have output relays, but does offer individual current measurement on its outputs. Setting alarms is simplified using Winpower over RS422, with output current alarms joining alarms for unit voltage/current and 1-Wire™ measurements. RPI is fully loaded. The standard unit measurements and OLED display, fully programmable output relays, serial control, 1-Wire™ and individual output current. Compatible 1-Wire™ modules are listed together with a cost effective infra-red receiver module that, plugged into the RS422 port, gives GPI trigger from any IR remote control. Bryant eyepower ~ the mains units with vision!