Overall Impression

Twin-pack: it's really two power supplies in one

The TC-500P8P power supply is a redundant 500 watt server/workstation power supply consisting of two separate units. During normal operation, both are used in equal measure; if one of them fails, the other takes over the whole load. One special feature is that the power cables can feed both sub-units: if the power from one line goes out, both sub-units get their juice through the other line. I-Star patented this design under the name of "True DUAL AC Input."

If a failure occurs, the failure LED of the affected sub-unit lights up and a buzzer goes off; there is a button to deactivate the buzzer. Fixing the problem is easy: just turn off the unit in question, unlock and remove it, then put in a new unit and turn it on. While that is going on, the system continues to receive power from the other unit.

Removing the power supply sub-unit is simple - even with the device running!

A complete power supply in and of itself: one TC-500R8P sub-unit

The module contacts the main unit via male connectors.

A status LED can be run up to the front panel of the system to the show current status of the power supply.