nanog mailing list archives

RE: Want to move to all 208V for server racks


From: Ingo Flaschberger <if () xip at>
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 22:46:19 +0100 (CET)

It is probably worth nothing that a 3-phase input in Europe is actually 240/415 volt Y (for every panel I have seen in Germany at least, even the places I have lived there had 240/415 three phase). The normal 240v single phase outlet circuits were the phase to neutral voltage. Obviously Europe also runs at 50 hz vs 60 in the US as well but the three phase still works the same way.

A Europe 64 amp 240/415 circuit is pretty close to equivalent in to a 277/480 Y configured 60 amp circuit in the US. The biggest notable difference is that equipment that runs on two different service voltage ranges where Europe has far less need for in-building step-down transformers since even small loads work on the phase-to-neutral voltage of the big services. I always find it interesting in the US to note how many 480v to 120/208Y step-down transformers one can find in a big building or datacenter.


aeh.. 230V / 400V is right voltage in technical terms in most european copuntries. (years ago it was 220V / 380V, before it was decided to go up with the voltage)

and in bigger datacenters there are also step down transformers from 10kV down.

Kind regards,
        Ingo Flaschberger


Current thread: