Fused connectors to increase system availability for data centres

Author: Simon Rowley

Large buildings like data centres require a Building Automation System (BAS) to control Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), lighting, power supply, core IT and security systems.

The control cabinets for those subsystems are built with fused terminal blocks or circuit breakers to protect against short-circuits or overcurrent. In the event of a short circuit, fixing the fault and finding the broken fuse is a time-consuming task. The fault may be in the switch cabinet or the device itself and several control cabinets may need to be examined before the fault can be isolated.

With Han Protect, HARTING has developed a new connector that simplifies protection and reduces installation space in the control cabinet. Inside the connector, there is an insulation body that adapts an M12A-coded five-pole connector and integrates a 5 x 20mm miniature fuse. In the event of a short circuit, the fuse ensures that the supply to the connected units is quickly interrupted.

A red LED on the Han Protect clearly identifies the blown fuse and enables quick, tool-less replacement without opening the cabinet. Due to the external mounting of the housings, up to 30% of installation space can be saved inside the cabinet. The main advantage of Han Protect is that extensive fuse terminal blocks are no longer required. The control units remain protected, Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) is reduced, and system availability is increased.

To learn more about HARTING’s connectivity technology and pre-assembled cabling systems for data centres, visit the company on stand DC-536 at Data Centre World at London Excel, taking place on 12-13 March.

As well as Han Protect, HARTING will be demonstrating its Han-Eco connectors, which improve energy efficiency by up to 50% by minimising the power lost in connections. The company will also be showing the ORV3 OCP Input Power Connector, which was developed alongside the Open Compute Project. It enables a more compact design for data centre infrastructure thanks to its shallower rack system.

– To learn more about Han Protect and request a free sample, click here.

For more from HARTING, click here.