Recently, we had the opportunity to take a new Panduit PDU for a spin. The Panduit E36G18L PDU includes per-outlet monitoring and switching, management, and more. We even got to take the temperature monitor for a spin. We have a ton of photos for a PDU review, so we are going to organize this to take you through the device a little differently from how we would show you a server, a network switch, or even a low-cost PDU.
Panduit E36G18L Plugs and Outlets Overview
One of the biggest challenges with reviewing a Zero U PDU is simply how to photograph it. The unit is 2″ x 3″ but then it is 70″ long. Here is what the full unit looks like on the STH studio’s 2nd set.
Starting off, the PDU that Panduit sent has a NEMA L6-30P plug, which is for a 30A 208V circuit. This is a plug we have been using in some of our data center lab racks for over a decade at this point.
A 3m/10-foot cable connects the plug to the PDU, and we get a Panduit logo.
Pandiut’s design has two banks with magnetic breakers. Here is one of the breakers.
Here is the second. You can see these banks are labeled as teal and grey just to make it clear which downstream outlet is on each breaker.
If we wanted to find the corresponding outlets, here we can see that outlets 31-36 correspond to the B2 bank.
There are a total of 36 outlets, but you may think they look different. That is because there are 18 “4-in-1” combination outlets that can accept C13, C15, C19, or C21 power plugs interchangeably. There are also 18 “2-in-1” combination outlets accepting both C13 and C15 plugs.
Another feature is that each outlet has an individual status LED. Here they are lit up:
Another feature is that you can use locking cables in these. Here we have a Panduit LPCA08 installed.
This cable, aside from being blue to match STH colors, is dual-locking compatible with standard C14/C13 connections as well as W-Lock and V-Lock PDU outlets.
Here is a close-up of the C14 side.
Here is the C13 side of the cable.
While the plugs and outlets are undoubtedly important, this is not just a simple power strip. Instead, we have management features built-in.
Let us get to the smarts of the PDU next.
