Panamax/Furman Debut Multizone BlueBolt Power System for EMEA

Power management and protection doesn’t seem to have the following in Europe as it does in the U.S. UK integrator Steve Moore said as much last year when we met with him at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2011. He bemoaned a lack of “decent power conditioning” for the European market.

Panamax/Furman is working on it. The maker of power conditioning products cites a couple of reasons that Europe is “10 years behind in this category,” said senior product designer Garth Powell during ISE 2012 in Amsterdam last week.

First, Powell explains, European households don’t tend to suffer like we do from “lightning strikes that take out equipment and start fires.”

By contrast, in the U.S., “you’ve had so many people that have at least lost something on a surge. That’s the entrée for power conditioning.”

If stuff isn’t blowing up, consumers think everything is AOK.

What they don’t realize, however, is that even if a TV, components and everything in between says “1080p,” consumers are not necessarily getting that kind of resolution with naked A/C wiring. When CE manufacturers specify 1080p, “they’re testing products with our stuff,” Powell says.

Also on the continent, there are so many different electrical outlets and standards that “it’s tough for multinationals to do business in all of Europe,” says Panamax marketing director John Benz. Therefore, it’s difficult to gain economies of scale that might drive awareness and reduce pricing.

But Panamax and Furman “have gotten pretty good that that,” Benz says, referring to the companies’ growing presence in the EMEA.

SmartSequencer with BlueBolt Debuts

At ISE 2012, Panamax and Furman showcased the CN-3600S E SmartSequencer (press release below), their first power management solution for the EMEA market that is compatible with BlueBolt. BlueBolt is the hosted remote power and energy management platform that has become quite popular among home systems integrators in the U.S.

As opposed to the U.S. market where BlueBolt is targeted at the residential market, in Europe Panamax is first bringing BlueBolt to the commercial market, with a multizone system that features Furman’s SmartSequencing technology.

The new product allows large A/V systems to be safely powered on and off with a simple press of a button or turn of a key, even by non-technical personnel. Bidirectional communications between installed units enables a primary unit to control and sequence multiple secondary units, ensuring multizone electronic systems are powered on and off safely and dependably from a single control point across an entire installation.

The CN-3600S E features eight rear-panel IEC C-13 outlets arranged in four adjustable delay-sequence banks, in addition to one front-panel IEC C-13 outlet. The unit ships with a detachable IEC-C19 female-to-Schuko-male power cord, with other cord options available.

Multiple units can be connected via current loop at runs of more than 1,000 feet with full backward compatibility with Furman's legacy sequencers.

Panamax created a new interface for its BlueBolt line to accommodate multiple zones. The company plans to bring that interface and the multizone platform to the U.S. eventually.


Furman CN-3600S E

PRESS RELEASE

Panamax/Furman Showcases First BlueBolt-compatible Power Management System for the EMEA

Demonstrated at ISE 2012, the CN-3600S E (220V-240V, 16A capacity) combines AC power distribution, protection, filtration, and sequential system power on/off in a 1-RU rack-mount unit.

At ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) 2012 in Amsterdam, Panamax/Furman will be showcasing its full line of commercial and residential products, including the first power management solution for the EMEA market to be compatible with the company's BlueBOLT(R) hosted remote power and energy management platform: the CN-3600S E SmartSequencer(TM).

The CN-3600S E (220V-240V, 16A capacity) combines AC power distribution, protection, filtration, and sequential system power on/off in a 1-RU rack-mount unit. Featuring Furman's SmartSequencing(TM) technology, the CN-3600S E allows large and complex A/V systems to be safely powered on and off with a simple press of a button or turn of a key, even by non-technical personnel. SmartSequencing's bidirectional communications between installed units enables a primary unit to control and sequence multiple secondary units, ensuring multizone electronic systems are powered on and off safely and dependably from a single control point across an entire installation. The CN-3600S E features eight rear-panel IEC C-13 outlets arranged in four adjustable delay-sequence banks, in addition to one front-panel IEC C-13 outlet. The unit ships with a detachable IEC-C19 female-to-Schuko-male power cord, with other cord options available.

Multiple units can be connected via current loop at runs of more than 1,000 feet with full backward compatibility with Furman's legacy sequencers. The CN-3600S E provides clean, safe power with Furman's SMP, EVS, and LiFT protection and filtration technologies.

The CN-3600S E is equipped with an RS-232 port and command set for integration with control systems. An optional RS-232-to-Ethernet adaptor (sold separately) allows the unit to be controlled, programmed, and monitored from a smartphone, tablet, PC, or any Web-enabled device via Telnet, direct HTTP connection, or the BlueBOLT platform. Connecting the CN-3600S E to BlueBOLT enables integrators to reboot problem components remotely to address a myriad of common system issues immediately ranging from locked up components to bad communications handshakes. Powerful features for installers include email alerts when power anomalies occur; scheduled commands for power-up, power-down, or power-cycling of outlets; monitoring of incoming voltage in near-real time or over history; and auto-reboot functionality to resolve networking equipment lock-ups automatically. In addition, BlueBOLT provides a future-proof solution as clients become more concerned with energy management. BlueBOLT offers a variety of features designed to monitor energy use closely, eliminate standby power, and enable automated load-shedding.

The CN-3600S E will begin shipping in Q1 2012.