GeeekPiDC PDU Lite 7-CH 0.5U Rack-Mount Power Distribution Unit for DeskPi Rackmate T1/T0/T2 and 10 Inch Server Cabinet, 7 Outlets, with 3PCS 25cm DC5521 Cables and 3PCS 50cm DC5521 Cables

I'm continually impressed with the ideas this company has for innovative products.If you are building a 10" rack setup and everything you are installing in the rack uses barrel plugs for power, then you need this. 7 "channels" of power, each with it's own on/off toggle switch and LED, please each channel is internally protected from overcurrent. Each channel has a barrel jack on both the front and rear of the PDU so you have your choice of where to connect the cables (or you can use both, but be aware of your power draw per channel). The connectors are all 5.5x2.1mm connectors, and you get 6 cables (3 short, 3 longer) plus some 2.1mm to 2.5mm adapters for plugging into items that have a 2.5mm innter diameter plug.How it works: You provide your own power supply at whatever voltage you need (up to 24V), for example 12V or 5V, and plug it into this PDU. This unit will distribute that power to all 7 channels. Note that if you have a mix of 5V, 12V, and/or 24V devices, you'll need to power them individually or use multiple PDU's, each for one voltage level (Be careful with this approach so you don't plug something into the wrong PDU!).This is quite small. 10" rack amount, half-height. You can mount it on the front of your rack if you like to have access to the switches and/or status LED's, or mount it on the back where it makes it easier to feed power cables to your devices and to save space.PROS:Small, 10" 1/2 height form factor makes it easy to find a spot for it in your 10" rackPower in/out connectors both on front and back for flexible setup optionsEach of the 7 channels has a power switch, status LED, and overcurrent protection (that resets after 4 seconds)CONS:Would be nice to have a bit more current handling capability6 cables included but there are 7 channels, of course you can use your own cablesI would think this device would be essential for almost any 10" rack project using devices powered by low voltage.

14 outlets in 7 banks where each bank has a switch, fuse, and indicator light. There are also 2 inputs that are diode isolated. That’s 14 outputs and 2 inputs all using the same plug usually rated at about 5 amps up to 40 volts or so.The user guide is little more than a specifications sheet. It’d be nice if it included a circuit diagram. The PDU is limited in that both the input and output use coaxial plugs. That is one reason for the 8 amp input limit. The isolation diodes on each input may also be a factor in that limit. The 24v maximum is likely needed to avoid harming the indicator lights as they look to be just an LED with a current limiting resistor.Power delivery is the product of voltage and current. The current (amperes, amps) depends upon the size of the conductors. The voltage depends upon the insulation between conductors. The weakest of these sets the capability. The guidelines of 3 amps per channel at up to 24 volts reflect the PDU design requirements. In looking at my collection of external power supplies (walwarts) with these coaxial plugs, I see most are rated at 3 amps or less. The voltage on these things range from 3 volts for the low power things to 20 volts for laptops with 12 volts being most common. That means these power supplies range from about 10 watts to 60 watts nominal average power to 36 watts being most common. My Zimaboard NAS with two old 3.5 drives runs at less than 35 watts. My Raspberry Pi 3 with a 7 inch screen hits 8 watts at idle. My switch runs at 3 watts.The Amazon page is reasonably accurate although there is a voltage drop and the pictures don’t really make the features of the PDU very clear. See the pictures and comments RaceNJason provides in his review: “this is a brilliant idea and could've been sooo much more”. My NAS and services are lower power devices and I am using a 12v 10 A chassis power supply that allows trimming the feed voltage to compensate for the diode drop and some of the line loss. The diodes on each input port provide isolation which could be useful if you want to have a UPS type backup.The switches and indicators are very handy, especially when configuring and testing equipment. The power handling is sufficient for modems, routers, switches, and maybe a 2 drive NAS or home automation server. The fusing is also good to have.

Good product, Works as advertised

This is a review for GeeekPi DC PDU Lite 7-CH 0.5U Rack-Mount Power Distribution Unit for DeskPi Rackmate T1/T0/T2 and 10 Inch Server Cabinet, 7 Outlets, with 3PCS 25cm DC5521 Cables and 3PCS 50cm DC5521 CablesGeeekPi DC PDU Lite 7-CH 0.5U Rack-Mount Power Distribution Unit for DeskPi Rackmate T1/T0/T2 and 10 Inch Server Cabinet, 7 Outlets, with 3PCS 25cm DC5521 Cables and 3PCSIt works fine for me. No issues. Nice and compact.

I wanted to power 8 Raspberry Pi 5s in my rack. Not just 8 Pi 5s, but with HAILO 8 NPU HATs which means they will lean to the higher side of that limit. This PDU is a nice idea, however, math happens. It only has 6 output channels that handle 3A each total across both ports per channel, not 8 channels, nor 5A per channel. The Pi5 requires a 27W power supply. 8 of those is 216W total when this can only handle 192W MAX (given its max is 24V @ 8A). This does not have enough ports nor the power needed to do what I considered it for. I found a 10-port 300W charging station that fits on a 2U shelf that works perfect for how I need to distribute power in my rackmate rack.

Did not work with Pi 5 devices

I love the mini racks I have, and this really helps keep cables organized and clean inside where there is little room. This works for my router and 2 mini PCs I am running now. Sturdy built and durable too.

Check the power requirements for your devices and this will work well for your projects. The size was a lot smaller than expected for a rack unit. It has a good build quality and useful features. This is a good solution to power multiple devices, just make sure it fits your power requirements.