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Power Usage, and Electrical Plugs

Greatone123

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
1,293
Unfortunately I live in an apartment and not a house so I can't really rewire and set circuits as I please (my dad's an electrician so would be nice), but I have no idea what kind of loads I can put on a wall outlet, I'm sure I can't just plug 10 Pcs into it... but I want to build a small 3 Ft. Rackmount just for my folders to sit on and I dunno what the best way to power them is...


room.jpg



Main Comp:
My computer
3 LCD monitors
Cable Modem
Router
laptop


Guest Comp.
2 Computers
1 CRT Monitor


Roommates's:
1 PC
1 LCD monitor
1 Laser Printer


Rack:
nothing yet...



ALL PCs are Athlon X2's and have different video cards in each (main has 2)

I know there is a Amp rating on the breaker, but I wanna know is there is a limit on the plug it's self.


All the computers on the rack will be headless folders with 1 having windows and running TFTP and be controlled with Remote Admin from mine. So the power would be minimul for the most part. 3 Dual PIII computers, 1 FX-55, and a Celeron 2.6 for now... I don't know how much power each of these systems use... will upgrade eventually to lower the power usage... maybe some lower end C2Ds... those prolly use less power and put out more points...
 
My bedroom circuit has the 5 rigs in my sig and a subwoofer on 2 outlets running 24/7....i also have on a 3rd plug my tv, receiver, and consoles.....sooooo i dunno, it can take that much....i'd say spread it out over 2 seperate outlets if you can, but it's been a while since i blew out a plug (subwoofer + tv + 360 + receiver on one plug = bad idea in an apt)

 
In an apartment, I am going to venture a guess that the plugs are 15amp and possibly shared. I doubt they spent the extra money on cabling and 20amp outlets.

Can you have your dad give you some advice on this? Lend you an outlet tester?

If you decide to load one up, definatly put an UPS in the middle...
 
Using a circuit tester (or an old lamp for cheapness) to determine where your circuits are would be helpful. Each circuit should be 15 Amp. Easiest way I would think to tell is by the plug or the breaker. A 15 Amp plug looks like this:

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/serverrack/nema-plug-5-15p.jpg

While a 20 Amp plug looks like this:

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/serverrack/nema-receptacle-5-20r.jpg

My concern on the project is the laser printer. I hear those can draw a large amount of power quickly.

Traditionally I go with the assumption that each gaming setup uses 4 Amps. Folding setups that are streamlined, 2 Amps.
 
your X2's draw about 1.1amp (130W) if they have a low power video card. I have 3 O/Ced quads and an X2 4200+ with one monitor on a single 1300w UPS (they draw a total of ~620). You will have no problems wit all of that on a single circuit (along with your TV and Stereo). The laser draws a bit of power for a very short burst. you will not trip any breakers.
 
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