Sorry, the only PDUs I’ve encountered had ordinary NEMA 5-15R or 5-20R 
receptacles.

 

Lots of equipment with IEC connectors but at the other end of the power cord.  
Like HP servers or Mikrotik routers, often with the wire bail that you can flip 
over the plug to lock it in place.  I don’t think I have a single power cord 
that’s IEC on both ends.  Are IEC connectors like metric rack screws now, 
standard unless you’re a dinosaur?  Or are those PDUs a space saving approach 
in datacenter cabinets?  One thing’s for sure, you’re not going to plug any 
wall warts into them unless you have a shorty power cable.

 

From: AF <[email protected]> On Behalf Of [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 11:57 AM
To: 'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group' <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [AFMUG] APC PDU and V-Lock

 

Thanks.

Maybe nobody here has had V-Lock PDU’s?  I don’t know if it’s the general case 
that they’re looser, or is it just this particular PDU (or the cord).

 

 

From: AF <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > On Behalf 
Of Bill Prince
Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 10:41 AM
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> 
Subject: Re: [AFMUG] APC PDU and V-Lock

 

We had some cords that could get pulled out in a couple of data centers, and we 
ended up rigging a "holder" of sorts with zip-ties. Made it a PITA to pull the 
occasional cord, but we never had one fall out, and we didn't have to resort to 
someones proprietary cord lock.

 

bp
<part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com>

On 1/30/2024 5:24 PM, [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>  wrote:

I’m guessing this group has collectively seen everything.  Equipment was 
installed in leased cabinet space in a data center just about 18 months ago.  
The data center has APC PDU’s installed in the racks.  Visual aid: 



My colleague went there today because two servers were both intermittently 
reporting loss of AC input on one power supply.  Both were in the same PDU and 
both were loose.  He checked all the other cords while he was there and found a 
few other loose ones.  He mentioned it to one of the data center employees who 
said we should get “V-Lock” cords.  

I’ve never seen one of those IEC power connectors fall out by itself, so it’s 
bizarre that multiples did simultaneously.  I looked up V-Lock and it’s 
apparently a proprietary locking mechanism by Schurter.  Apparently V-Lock 
receptacles have a cutout on the inside of the wider flat side of the 
connector….the side which is usually up on a PC.  A V-Lock cord has a tab that 
clicks into that cutout, and you have to press a button to release the tab.  I 
don’t have the APC model number, but the cluster of six C13 receptacles on the 
APC PDU does look exactly like this item from the Schurter catalog: 
https://www.schurter.com/en/datasheet/4751.  So it probably is a V-Lock.

So locking cords sounds great, but I’ve never needed one before.   Do the 
locking receptacles have less holding power than the normal IEC ones? I’m 
thinking maybe that cutout could let the plastic socket spread out more than 
normal.  

 

 

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