When it comes to your access control system, the last thing that you want is for your devices to experience reduced functionality as a result of power consumption issues. Installers know all too well the telltale signs of an access control board burned up by power problems – delamination, cracks in the solder joints, discolored pieces, and the smell of burnt electronics. Issues with power consumption can take a toll on your control board and the devices themselves, reducing functionality and increasing the likelihood of device malfunction or even complete power loss. While ProdataKey (PDK) devices can default to reliable fail safe or fail secure states in such moments of power loss, it’s ideal to avoid this situation altogether. That’s why we’re excited to share with you a three-step guide to avoiding power consumption issues in your access control system.
Step 1: Design Your System With Care
The ideal first step to take in order to avoid running into power consumption issues is properly designing your access control system. JR Andrews, a ProdataKey Regional Sales Manager, states that “if you make sure to design the system appropriately, you’re good to go.” But what does an appropriate system design look like? First, it’s important to pay attention to how much power each ProdataKey device requires in order to function. ProdataKey devices utilize low voltage power, seeing as every PDK Cloud Node and controller requires only 12 volts direct current (VDC). Therefore, when designing your system, it’s important to make sure that you are not sending too much power to these devices. If you are working with a high voltage power source, we recommend that you utilize a ProdataKey High-Voltage Converter, which can turn high voltage energy, 90 to 264 volts AC, to low voltage energy, namely 12VDC at 2 Amps.
When it comes to powering readers and peripheral hardware, a general rule of thumb that JR recommends to keep in mind is the ‘factor of safety rule’: “you want to make sure to have 20% of your power available as a factor of safety. If a product says it has 5 amps of power, you don’t want to connect a bunch of devices that actually require the full 5 amps, because then you’re at the threshold of how much power you can actually get – then you’re doomed to eventually have some kind of issue or problem. Instead, you should take that 5 amps, drop it by 20%, and use that as your power threshold.” This consideration helps to ensure that your devices will always have the proper amount of power required for functionality.
Careful system design is particularly important in situations where a ProdataKey system is being installed in a space with pre-existing security infrastructure. In this situation, ProdataKey recommends that dealer partners meter all of the devices they are going to be connecting to PDK, in order to ensure how much power they will require. Again, all ProdataKey controllers receive 12VDC, meaning that any device hooked up to a controller should also be 12VDC. For specific information on power requirements and system design, ProdataKey offers a collection of comprehensive data sheets for every device.
Step 2: Use Clean Power
As much as it’s important to make sure your devices are receiving the proper amount of power, it’s also imperative that these devices receive power of a good quality, otherwise known as clean power. Clean power is any electrical power that is free from voltage ripple and electrical noise. Alternatively, dirty power is any electrical current that varies from standard voltage – typically 120 volts – by more than 10%. This power is inconsistent and unreliable, often resulting from natural and non-natural occurrences, like lightning strikes or utility switching.
JR explains that dirty power often also relates to an ungrounded power grid. He recalls an experience working with a sugar factory, running massive machines coated in sugary residue, that was experiencing functionality issues in their access system. The cause of their electrical issues was a mystery until JR and the PDK team figured out that their power was ungrounded and generated through a mini power station in the factory itself. In this case, the next step they needed to take was to figure out how to make this power clean. If you are working with dirty power, it can be converted into clean power through the use of a power conditioner. This device can
“receive an input of AC power and take all the noise and everything bad out of that power,”
JR Andrews
After this process, all of the devices that you have connected to the conditioner will be running a smooth, normal frequency.
Step 3: Protect Your Power
After you have designed your system and ensured that you are using clean power, the final step in avoiding power issues is to protect your power. This typically takes the form of surge suppression, a feature which is already built into most high-end electronics equipment. JR explains that surge suppression typically takes the form of “a multitude of transorbs or diodes that help prevent any kind of surge that comes to it from affecting or damaging the equipment itself.” These devices absorb the surge of power, ensuring that it doesn’t make its way to the controller, where it could cause serious damage.
Surges can be caused for a variety of reasons. According to JR, “it is a common thing when an electric strike gets energized for it to potentially push voltage back to the power source, in our case, a PDK panel. I refer to it as conductive feedback, some seasoned veterans in the industry call it “whip”.” Power surges or “whip” can often also come from turning on or off large appliances (such as air conditioners or refrigerators), power restoration after an outage, or even faulty wiring. Other more unpredictable causes of power surge are events like lightning strikes or trees falling on electrical lines. In the case of these natural and often unavoidable instances, it’s very important to have proper surge suppression for your devices. All ProdataKey devices have a degree of surge suppression built-in, but it is also recommended that you connect your devices to additional surge protectors for extra defense.
Bonus Tip: Use the System & Health Dashboard to Monitor Low Voltage Power Information
Lastly, if you want to keep an eye on the status and functionality of your devices, you can do this through the System and Health dashboard in the PDK.io 2.0 interface. “This dashboard allows you to see at a glance what’s happening with the power in a system, all the way to a granular level”, says JR. Here, you can see if a device has gone into overcurrent, if it's properly syncing, if it’s receiving the correct voltage, and more.
Avoid power consumption issues by taking a thoughtful approach to your access control system. By using clean power in a carefully designed and properly protected system, your access control board will never get burnt again. To learn more, schedule a demo with ProdataKey today!
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to an access control system when power is lost?
When power is lost, your system will run on battery backup. In the case of no battery backup, PDK locks will default into a fail safe or fail secure mode, depending on what was set up in the installation. Fail safe means that the doors will remain unlocked, and fail secure means that the doors will remain locked.
How much power can ProdataKey boards supply?
ProdataKey control boards supply 1 amp of power per port. Connected relays can handle up to 2 amps at 12 volts.
What are common causes of power surges in access control systems?
Power surges can be caused by running a variety of large appliances at once, turning these large appliances on or off, electrical restoration after outages, faulty wiring, or natural events like lightning strikes.
How can I avoid power consumption issues in an access control system?
You can avoid a variety of power issues by carefully designing your system, using clean power, and protecting your devices with proper surge suppression.
How much power do ProdataKey devices require?
Most ProdataKey devices utilize low-voltage power, specifically 12 volts DC. Always make sure to check the data sheets for every device for the correct voltage information.
