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Crestron® PC-300 Energy Monitoring Power Conditioner and Controller

At a Glance

Crestron® PC-300 Energy Monitoring Power Conditioner and Controller with surge protection and wiring fault detection

Proposition 65 Warning for California Residents

An advanced, rack-mountable 15A, 120V AC power controller, conditioner, and surge protector for professionally installed AV and IT systems. Provides comprehensive energy monitoring and switching of individual outlets. Features an LCD front control panel, network connectivity, web browser setup, event logging, ping monitoring, temperature sensing, and UL 1449 compliance.

The PC-300 is a professional grade, rack-mountable power conditioner and controller designed to provide 120 Volt AC power distribution, switching, surge protection, noise filtering, and energy monitoring for Crestron® control systems, AV systems, computers, and other equipment. Eight individually-switched outlets are provided on the rear panel, plus a single unswitched convenience outlet is provided on the front. All nine outlets are protected, filtered, and monitored. The switched outlets are each turn-on delay-adjustable when controlled from the front panel power switch. The switched outlets are also individually controllable via a control system to enable independent switching of devices, on/off power sequencing, load-shedding, and other custom power control functionality.

Built-in RMS voltage and current monitoring enables logging and reporting of line voltage fluctuations at the input, as well as current, power, and energy usage at each outlet. An external temperature sensor is included to keep tabs on heat conditions within the equipment rack or room. Network connectivity allows for setup and operation using a web browser, with extensive custom control and monitoring capabilities enabled through integration with a Crestron control system, the MyCrestron.com residential monitoring service, the Crestron Fusion® Cloud enterprise management service, or an SNMP client. Setup and operation can also be performed through the LCD front panel.

Power Conditioning

A quality power conditioner is an essential component of any professional system to prevent sudden equipment failure due to lightning and electrical disturbances, to prolong the lifespan of that equipment, and to maximize overall system performance during everyday operation. The PC-300 includes the following power conditioning features:

Surge Protection

Under/Over Voltage Cutoff

Thermal Breaker

EMI/RFI Noise Filtering

Wiring Fault Detection

Eight-Stage Adjustable Turn-On Delay

When operated by its front panel power switch, the PC-300 allows each of its rear panel outlets to turn on in any order according to the delay time set for each outlet. Each outlet is individually adjustable to provide up to 10 seconds of delay before turning on, ensuring that the connected equipment gets powered up in proper order with sufficient time for each piece to stabilize. This helps to prevent dangerous transients that can damage delicate components and potentially trip the main circuit breaker. It can also help to prevent audible pops and thumps through connected audio equipment at power-up. Delayed turn-on is initiated by turning on the front panel power switch, or by applying power to the main line input following a power outage or through an externally switched circuit.

Eight Remote-Controllable Switched Outlets

Any of the PC-300’s eight rear panel outlets can be turned on or off individually through the front panel LCD screen or over the network using a web browser or control system. This energy-saving feature allows select components to be powered down when not needed. Through integration with a control system, custom functionality can be programmed to enable control from a touch screen, keypad, remote, or mobile device. Sequential power-up and power-down functionality can be enabled through programming of the control system, with select outlets designated as always on. For systems employing a backup generator or UPS, load-shedding can be performed to shut down unnecessary components during a power outage.

Energy Monitoring

By sensing the incoming line voltage and individual device loads, the PC-300 facilitates a host of solutions for monitoring, automating, and troubleshooting a system.

Voltage monitoring allows fluctuations in the power line to be tracked and logged, helping to identify and document problems with the power utility or building wiring.

Energy monitoring per outlet provides the real power consumption (watts), current draw (amps), and energy usage (watt-hours) for each connected device.

Allows power-hungry equipment to be identified and replaced with more efficient equipment.

High inrush current devices can be identified to assist in optimizing the configuration of power sequencing schemes.

Overall energy usage can be tracked and logged to identify trends and reform energy-wasting behaviors.

Individual device usage can be tracked to inform the scheduling of maintenance and future purchasing decisions.

The power state of an IR controlled device can often be determined by sensing its AC current draw, ensuring it’s on when it should be on.

An alert notification can be sent if there’s a sudden or abnormal drop in current draw, potentially indicating a device has been shut off improperly or disconnected due to theft (effective only when outlets are switched on).

Ambient Temperature Sensing

The PC-300 offers a complete equipment protection solution by monitoring the ambient temperature within the equipment cabinet or room to prevent overheating. The included temperature sensor connects to the rear of the PC-300 and features a choice of magnetic or adhesive mounting for easy placement within a typical equipment rack enclosure. The over-temperature cutoff threshold can be set to shut down power to the system if conditions exceed a safe operating temperature. Through a control system, the temperature measurement can be utilized to regulate the operation of cooling fans or air-conditioning equipment to keep equipment running cool.

Ping Monitoring

No matter how well a system is designed and programmed, even the finest control system or computer has the potential to lock up and stop responding once in a while. The PC-300 can be configured to detect an unresponsive device by sending it a ping command at regular intervals. If the ping request is not returned after four tries, the outlet feeding the monitored device cycles off and on to reboot the device, quickly restoring normal operation without any human intervention.

Built-In Logging

Events such as power surges, over/under voltage conditions, over-temperature conditions, ping failures, outlet switching activity, and sudden changes in current draw (indicative of a device being improperly shut off or disconnected) can all be logged as they occur to document the time and cause of problems and to track device usage. All sensor readings are logged at a configurable interval as short as five seconds providing a minimum of one week’s worth of data. Logs can be retrieved periodically to record a detailed history of events and energy usage over time.

Remote Management & Control

The PC-300 integrates neatly into any system or facility. Used alone, it can be set up and managed through its front panel or a web browser. It can also be configured to send email notifications in case of certain specified events. Integration with the MyCrestron.com residential monitoring service provides a cloud based solution for homeowners to monitor and manage the PC-300 as part of a complete Crestron home automation system. Or, Crestron Fusion Cloud provides an enterprise solution for corporations and universities to manage rooms using the PC-300 throughout a building or campus. Built-in SNMP support enables integration with third-party IT management software, allowing network administrators to manage one or many networked PC-300s in an IT-friendly format. And of course, the PC-300 can be integrated with a Crestron control system via Ethernet or Cresnet® to enable control and monitoring through a touch screen, handheld remote, or mobile device.

UL® 1449 Certified

The PC-300 has been tested and certified by UL as compliant with the UL 1449 safety and performance standard for surge protective devices (SPD).

Key Features

Rack-mountable power conditioner and controller

Eight individual-switched rear panel outlets

Adjustable turn-on delay and local/remote switching per outlet

One unswitched front panel outlet

Built-in current sensing and energy monitoring per outlet

Line voltage monitoring

Professional grade surge protection

UL® 1449 Type 3 Listed

Thermal breaker overload protection

Adjustable over-voltage and under-voltage cutoff

EMI and RFI noise filtering

Wiring fault detection

Ambient temperature sensing and over-temperature cutoff

Ping monitoring (device lockup detection and reboot)

Built-in energy usage and event logging

Front panel main power switch, status indicators, and color LCD

Easy setup and operation via front panel or web browser

Crestron® control system integration via Ethernet or Cresnet®

Remote management via MyCrestron.com, Crestron Fusion® Cloud, or SNMP [2]

Single-space 19 inch rack-mountable

Rated 15 Amps at 120 Volts AC

Limited Lifetime Product Warranty

Limited 5 Year Connected Equipment Protection Warranty