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I recently purchased an IBM enclosed, rolling rack that had a 6 drive server, huge battery backup, and this strange item called a "Power Control Compartment"

I cannot find any good documentation online about just what purpose this serves.

The model is: MAGNETEK 3368-05-001

It has a 220 volt AC male(O.o?) port, and a bunch of female ports for what looks like the standard pentagonal PC power cables also outputting AC. Is this just a weird power supply/power strip? Where can I find cables that'd match this thing? (Basically I need reverse 3-prong PC power cables that are pentagonal on both ends, one male one female.) As well as a female 220 to male 220.

Zoredache
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Hydra
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1 Answers1

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It sounds like you are describing a PDU, or Power Distribution Unit. It's a very fancy power bar. Some have additional management features like measuring current and switched outlets controlled by a web interface.

These have one input, and several outputs, usually using the female version of the standard computer power cables.

The male socket is where power comes in. Depending on the amperage it's rated for, it might be a regular computer power cable, or a C19 (similar looking, but with 2 pins rotated so they are all parallel), or something else entirely.

The cables you want for it look like this: enter image description here

They are C13 to C14 cables. Searching "C13 to C14" at any decent hardware supplier in your area should turn them up. They are very common. One of the reasons this type of connection is popular is because it works worldwide - then don't have to customize each PDU to match local power sockets. All that changes is the cord for incoming power.

Some of them require 3 phase input, others work on regular 110 or 220v power, depending on country.

Grant
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  • Those seem like the cables I would need, yes. Though from what I'm seeing here it looks like it's not all that variable. Output is 200-240 on all the receptacles. Here's the pictures: http://imgur.com/hoNh8xK,MbAVeOX,y9W2tFn,akKjuNx#1 – Hydra Sep 06 '13 at 17:51
  • The voltages depend on the country it was designed for. Do you have a model number for the rack itself? The manual for the entire rack is likely where you'd find information about that module. I'm particularly curious what the serial-looking ports are for. – Grant Sep 06 '13 at 18:05
  • The model on the rack is "IBM 9309 2". – Hydra Sep 12 '13 at 16:32
  • Then the document you are looking for is "IBM 9309 Rack Enclosure Setup and Operation Guide"...though I can find many other manuals referencing it, I can't seem to find it on the internet. – Grant Sep 12 '13 at 17:04