Eaton C39 Combines C13 and C19 PDU Outlets at OCP 2022

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Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 1 2
Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 1 2

Here is one we saw at OCP 2022. Eaton has what it calls the “Eaton C39” outlet. This effectively combines a C13 and a C19 receptacle into a single outlet. This was our first time seeing it and if you have ever run into an issue where you had the wrong outlet on a PDU when adding new gear, you can immediately understand the benefit.

Eaton C39 Combines C13 and C19 PDU Outlets at OCP 2022

On the OCP Summit 2022 show floor, there was the Eaton Rack PDU G4, more on that label in a moment. Here we saw that the company had an outlet that many of our readers may not have seen between standard C13 outlets, that is the C39 (labeled B9, B11, and B13 below.)

Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 1
Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 1

The idea with these outlets is that you can deploy a PDU and then change the type of cable you plug in later. This accepts either a C13 or a C19 plug. Many servers we are reviewing have transitioned to C19 as power has gone up over generations. We expect more servers to use C19 going forward.

On the Eaton Rack PDU G4 bit, that is what the label says. The PDU shown has the older G3 card installed.

Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 6
Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 6

Going through photos, here is another aspect of the Rack PDU G4 that you may not have seen before. The input cable can be swapped out.

Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 7
Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 7

Here is the locking connector. This is more common on higher-end PDUs, whereas lower-end PDUs tend to have fixed power inputs.

Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 8
Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 8

Eaton also had an ePDU with a larger array of C39 outlets. Here one can see six of these outlets.

Eaton Rack PDU G3 And G4 OCP Summit 2022 4
Eaton Rack ePDU C39 at OCP Summit 2022 4

This was a fun outlet to see at the show.

Final Words

Many of our readers will have seen this, but we also have readers that use lower-end PDUs or simply have not installed new PDUs in a few years and would not have seen this. This is probably not the most groundbreaking innovation, but it was something we often do not cover and thought it would be worth a quick post for OCP Summit 2022.

7 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you for the article. This is interesting. Our family business recently purchased an Eaton 5PX1500RTNG2 UPS and now I notice all articles relating to Eaton products. ha

  2. Sure hope they offer the PDUs with the input socket in a more sensible location as well. Either you need a really deep rack to install them as shown or waste a considerable amount of space when the ports face inward.

  3. What prevents a C39 outlet from delivering 20A to a C14 (15A) cable?
    The page at Eaton shed no light on this.

  4. @Bob Niland

    The end equipment won’t draw 20A from a 15A cable, since they’ll have and be designed for 15A cables and connectors. The outlet doesn’t need to worry about overdraw like that since anything that would overdraw a 15A cable would do it with a traditional C13 outlet as well

  5. Thanks Will.
    So it’s like a NEMA 5-15P device and 5-20R outlet; no NEC implications. Surprising that it took so long for this to turn up on the market.

  6. Server Technology has has this for a while. I have it myself in one of our locations and has definitely come in handy.

  7. We’re in the process of deploying these in our lab to replace all or traditional PDUs. Especially with the influx of dense accelerator servers we need more flexibility in PDU ports and this seems like a great solution.

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