Data Center Power

Power measurement and monitoring is critical to the performance of data centers. Besides helping data center personnel to efficiently utilize the available power and balance the load, it also prevents overloaded circuits in the center. Consequently, more and more data centers managers are opting for these tools to efficiently and effectively manage the power consumption in this environment.

Interestingly, when buying power distribution, measurement and monitoring equipments, the performance and features of the on board current display is the last thing on the minds of the buyers or the IT mangers. So, typically it is not a top priority when choosing such units for the data center. However, one manufacturer that takes this component seriously is Server Technology (News - Alert), a maker of power distribution, measurement and monitoring tools.

Thus, taking a few important specifications into consideration, Server Technology designers have preferred LED displays for their intelligent cabinet power distribution units (CDUs). Hence, all Server Technology CDUs with onboard current monitoring use LED digital displays on the CDU enclosure to report the input current (in Amps) for each phase or branch circuit. Over 25 years of data center power distribution research has shown Server Technology that LED displays offer maximum benefits when it comes to displaying power readings locally. According to the maker, the pros of the LED display vastly outweight the specs of the LCD display.

After evaluating various makes and models of CDUs, Server Technology concluded that LED displays offer wider operating temperature range, more resilience, higher longevity, and better brightness compared to LCD displays. For instance, LEDs operate over -40 °C to +85 °C, while industrial grade LCDs operate from -20 °C to +70 °C. Likewise, LEDs are rated for 100,000 hours of operation as against LCD’s only 50,000 hours. And viewing distance for LEDs is up to 23 feet (7 m), whereas LCDs can be viewed from a distance of up to 10 feet (3 m) only using backlight. By the way, LCD backlights consume a lot of power, another factor favoring LEDs.

Similarly, the viewing angle for LEDs is 60 degrees as opposed to 45 degrees for LCDs. Additionaly, the manufacturer uses high intensity, low current draw LEDs for CDU applications.