Power Distribution Unit (PDU)

A power distribution unit (PDU) takes one high-capacity electrical feed and divides it into many protected outlets, letting a single circuit safely power a row or rack of ASIC miners. In a mining context the PDU sits between the breaker panel and the machines, handling the high amperage modern hardware draws and consolidating cabling that would otherwise be a tangle of individual cords and risk.

Voltage and phase matter

In North America, ASICs are commonly run on 208V or 240V rather than 120V, because higher voltage delivers the same power at lower current — less heat in the wiring, thinner conductors, and better PSU efficiency. Larger deployments step up to three-phase PDUs (often 208V or 415V), which balance load across three conductors and deliver far more power per rack than single-phase can practically handle. A typical heavy mining PDU might accept an 80A three-phase input and feed a dozen current-generation miners.

Smart vs. basic units

Basic PDUs simply distribute power. "Smart" or metered PDUs add per-outlet current monitoring, remote on/off switching, and alerting — valuable for spotting a miner that has stopped drawing power, balancing phases, and remotely cycling a hung machine without a site visit. For any deployment beyond a handful of units, metering quickly pays for itself in visibility and uptime.

Choosing the right PDU goes hand in hand with PSU selection — see the 80 Plus efficiency entry — and with how your utility meters peak draw, covered under demand charge.

Breaker Math for a Mining Rack

PDU planning starts at the breaker, and the number that matters is the continuous-load rule: North American practice sizes continuous loads (anything running three hours or more — which is every miner) at 80% of breaker rating. A 30 A, 240 V branch circuit is a 7.2 kW circuit on paper but a 5.76 kW circuit for miners; a 3,500 W machine and change is its honest capacity, not two. Work the math per input feed, then check each outlet bank and the PDU's own rating, because a PDU happily accepts plugs for more load than its breaker will carry. Miners also draw a brief inrush at power-on, so staggering startup — by outlet switching or simply plugging in sequentially — keeps a fully loaded circuit from tripping on a cold start.

Connectors and Cords Are Part of the System

Mining PDUs live in a zoo of connector standards worth knowing by name: C13 outlets (commonly rated to 10 A) suit lighter loads, while C19/C20 (up to 16–20 A depending on rating) are the norm for full-size ASICs at 240 V; input side, you will meet locking plugs like the L6-30 (30 A, 250 V) and heavier three-phase inlets on datacenter-class units. Undersized or loose cordage is a genuine fire path at these currents — a slightly backed-out C19 under 12 A of continuous draw heats measurably. Use cords rated for the load with proper gauge, seat them fully, and treat a warm plug as a fault to investigate, never as normal.

Home-Scale Distribution

At one to three machines, the right “PDU” may simply be dedicated 240 V circuits — one per miner — with each machine on its own breaker, which is cleaner and safer than concentrating everything through one strip. Where a small PDU earns its place at home is metering and remote switching: per-outlet readings expose a machine whose draw has sagged (often the first sign of a dying hashboard or PSU) and remote power-cycling saves a basement trip for every hung controller. Whatever the scale, the electrical planning connects directly to how your supply is rated and billed — see kVA (apparent power) and power quality for the supply-side half of the picture.