Tupavco 4 Outlet 10in Rack Power Strip Mini Review

2

Inside the Power Strip

The two rack ear end caps are held in place by two screws. Then the components like the switch and outlets are on a track along the metal enclosure.

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Open 3
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Open 3

There is also a grounding point inside.

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Internal Ground
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Internal Ground

Here is the back of the outlets. Each of the four outlets seems to be an individual outlet that are joined at the rear along three bars. Then this entire assembly is mounted on the enclosure’s track.

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Internal Power
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Internal Power

Here is a look at the switch and plug wiring.

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Open 2
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Open 2

Next, let us install this into a rack.

Installation

Our units all came with M6 cage nuts. A nice touch since sometimes rackmount equipment does not come with this hardware.

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Rack Nuts
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Rack Nuts

Here is one mounted in a generic 10″ 6U rack.

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Installed
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Installed

A small, but useful feature is that the rack ears have large grooves. We have found that some 10″ racks vary in their actual widths. That variance can be from design and manufacturing on particular units. We even found a case where the front and rear of a popular rack were not the same widths.

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Installed Angle
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Installed Angle

Having the large channels for mounting means that the PDU can be installed easily. Here is a DeskPi with this installed.

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Installed 2
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Installed 2

You can see that the shelf atop the power strip has a different rack ear width, which is why those large channels help with variability.

Flipping the Rack Ears

Some folks strongly dislike the look of the power strip with the rack ears on the outlet side, and thus flipping the rack ears is a “thing.”

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Rack Ears Flipped
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Rack Ears Flipped

Two screws at either end allow one to remove and replace the rack ears to the rear side away from the outlets.

Final Words

If you were to read some of the reviews on Amazon, there are people who were sent the this rack PDU and are using it to cook with. To be clear, the only place we would think of using this four outlet power strip is in a 10″ rack. For other applications, there are other less expensive options with safety and regulatory markings.

Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Outlets
Tupavco 4 Outlet 10 In Rack PDU Outlets

Still, this power strip has become popular because it is one of the easiest to get. We have several of these, and they work, but we really wish there was a better option at a similar price out there.

Again, if you want to find current pricing, we purchased ours on Amazon (Affiliate Link.)

2 COMMENTS

  1. The sticker says “Overload” but I see a busbar inline with a switch wired straight to mains. There doesn’t seem to be any overcurrent or overvolt protection.

  2. @Brad You should notice on the switch that there is an Off and a Reset position. Typically, this means there is some sort of current limit in the switch. I am not stating that this switch has the appropriate ratings for this application, just that this function may be contained in the switch.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.