I have 1 3-module and 3 4-module Avalons ordered in Batch 3 and am trying to make sure I have everything set up properly before they arrive. I've read through many of the posts here and am just looking for feedback from those with first-hand experience with Avalons to see if I missed anything.
For the PSUs, I'll be using an 850W, Gold certified, single rail for the 3-module unit and 1000W, Gold certified, single rail for the the 4-module units.
The power management is the part I've had the most trouble understanding. I'm going to check the outlets in my apartment to find out which are on different wires (pardon my layman terminology, I'm sure I'm not getting it right). It sounds like I should be safe plugging in at most 2 Avalons per wire, assuming no other appliances are sharing that wire, is that right?
I was originally looking at getting a UPS for each Avalon, but a few posts here convinced me that they shouldn't be necessary, especially since I live in an area with infrequent black/brown outs (Seattle). I'd still like to be able to remotely restart the Avalons in case of any hangups, and of course protect them against power fluctuations, so I've settled on using "Web Power Switch 7" from
http://digital-loggers.com/lpc.html. Would these be able to adequately protect 2 Avalons plugged in to each, or should I get 1 per Avalon? Am I correct in understanding that I would be able to remotely reboot the Avalons with these, even after a power outage?
Thanks in advance!
Sounds like you are off to a reasonable start with your power goals by checking the outlets in your apartment to find out which are fed by which
breakers. However, it sounds like you are lacking the formula you need to be safe.
Watts/Volts=Amps. That's watts divided by volts = amps. Amperage is what you need to concern yourself with foremost. If you live in the U.S.A., you will have "120v" current, but because of voltage drop you may actually have more like 110v, so it is safer to use that figure for calculations. If in Europe, verify for yourself, but more likely 240v (also with a voltage drop to 220~).
To be 100% safe you don't want to exceed 75% of a device's (power strip, extension cord, circuit breaker) rated amperage capacity. So a 20A circuit that you plan to run 24/7 should not be loaded with more than 15A continuously. Depending on how recently your house was built and other factors, many of the circuits in your house are likely only 15A. 75% of 15A is only 11.25. And as we remember from our prior formula (Watts/Volts=Amps), we can multiply 110v by 11.25amps to get the maximum wattage suitable to run on a 15A circuit continuously. 1,237 watts.
In short, running both units on a single circuit is doable, but be careful
