Extron Enclosure Includes Power Management Features
Extron Electronics announced it is shipping its new PowerCage 1600, a rack-mountable, 16-slot enclosure that supports a wide range of Extron fiber-optic and twisted-pair AV transmitter and receiver boards, providing an efficient way to power and mount multiple transmitters and receivers, according to the company.
Extron-PowerCage 1600
Extron Electronics announced it is shipping its new PowerCage 1600, a rack-mountable, 16-slot enclosure that supports a wide range of Extron fiber-optic and twisted-pair AV transmitter and receiver boards, providing an efficient way to power and mount multiple transmitters and receivers, according to the company.The PowerCage 1600 simplifies integration for large, rack-mounted systems, Extron officials said. It features an optional redundant, hot-swappable power supply plus active power and thermal management to optimize reliability in mission-critical environments where continuous, 24/7 operations are essential. The hot-swappable, modular design allows for replacing or upgrading boards in the field at any time, without having to power down the system, Extron said.
“AV professionals who are designing larger systems often need to include a variety of short, medium, and long-distance signal runs to connect remote sources and displays to a central switching and signal processing equipment room,” said Casey Hall, vice president of sales and marketing for Extron, in a statement. “The PowerCage 1600 offers the flexibility to specify the optimal mix of twisted pair and fiber transmitters and receivers for each system while providing a convenient, space-efficient way to rack-mount and power all the equipment.”
The product’s thermal management design provides channeled air flow to each board for optimal cooling and superior reliability, according to Extron. Air flows from the side of the unit to each board slot, eliminating the need for an air gap above or below the enclosure and preserving rack space. The boards are designed to channel the air out the rear of the chassis for optimal cooling in each slot. In addition, each PowerCage board can power down internal components when there is no active signal present, providing intelligent power management for increased system efficiency.
Available boards for the PowerCage 1600 include 16 fiber-optic and four twisted-pair extenders to support a broad range of video resolutions and formats. The fiber-optic and twisted-pair boards operate independently and may be mixed and matched within the enclosure, making the PowerCage 1600 an ideal solution for larger systems that need to support remote sources and destinations, Extron said.
The ability to accommodate multiple transmitters and receivers in a single enclosure streamlines system design and installation. The PowerCage 1600 reportedly eliminates the need for managing individual power supplies and minimizes required rack space when factoring in additional rack units necessary for heat dissipation and cooling. The modular design also offers a degree of future-proofing because open slots are available to support system growth without additional rack space, system downtime, or equipment relocation.
