Page 12 - Power & Data Connectivity Expand Electronic Capabilities eBook

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Important Factors to Consider When Selecting High-Power Connectors for Data Centers
Terry Wu, Product Manager, BizConn International Corp. (A BizLink Group Company)
High-power connectors play a significant role in the delivery of high-reliability performance and connectivity across an extensive range of applications. Among those are data centers, which are responsible for managing and storing a wealth of information and data that help drive operations globally each day. Because these types of connectors are designed to meet specific application needs, multiple factors must be considered when selecting high-power connectors for data centers. Here are the most important.
Electrical requirements
When choosing a high-power connector, carefully review whether its electrical and technical specifications meet the requirements necessary for the data center to perform optimally. One crucial specification to pay close attention to is the connector’s power rating, including the maximum voltage and amperage that it is designed to handle. Another critical factor is the connector’s maximum operating temperature since an increase in temperature above the maximum will reduce the rated power for the connector. This derating factor will help determine how to specify the proper power rating for a given application in the data center.
In general, connectors should be specified so that their maximum power rating is higher than the environmental and electrical characteristics they are likely to be subjected to when installed in the data center equipment. This is known as the design margin or the safety margin. In effect, reliability and performance will increase if the connector is not subjected to electrical overstress. For example, if an engineer needs to select a connector for an application rated at 380Vac/25A – peak rating of 380Vrms is about 538Vpeak and at least 125% of 25A according to NEC (National Electrical Code) – the recommended connector specification would be greater than 600V and 32A (125% of the peak power rating).
» The BzKlip300 Series High-Power DC Busbar Connector is designed for power distribution in data center servers, hyperscale computing architectures, modular power supplies, rack-mounted high-power systems, and industrial applications.