Most power problems at a show are not about how much there is, but where it comes out of the wall. A 32A distro takes one big supply, the single blue or red socket by the stage or the outlet on a generator, and breaks it into six 16A ways, each behind its own breaker. We hire the PCE IMST range in two builds: 32A single phase in, and 32A three phase in with RCD protection, both feeding six protected 16A ways. Either hires at £18 per day, dry hire or with a technician to connect and check the supply.
A power distro does one plain job. Your venue or generator gives you a single 32A outlet, which is more current than any one piece of equipment wants, all in one place. The distro plugs into that outlet and shares it across six 16A ceeform sockets, each sitting behind its own breaker. If a faulty lead or an overloaded circuit trips, it drops that one way and the other five stay live. Without a distro, the same fault takes out everything at once.
The boxes are from PCE's IMST range: compact splashproof units in shock-resistant polyamide with a folding steel carry handle, light enough at under 3kg to carry in one hand and stackable in the van. The breakers sit under a clear window on the front, so resetting a tripped way means flipping a switch, not opening anything. It comes in two builds. The single-phase unit takes a blue 3-pin 32A inlet, the kind of supply many halls and commercial kitchens have. The three-phase unit takes a red 5-pin 32A inlet, spreads its six ways across the three phases, and carries 30mA RCD protection alongside the breakers.
Which one you need depends on the socket at your venue. Blue three-pin means single phase, red five-pin means three phase, and both units give you the same six 16A ways out, so nothing downstream changes. Send us a photo of the outlet if you are not sure. As for what it will run: a 32A single-phase supply gives you around 7kW in total, which covers a substantial LED lighting rig, a sound system and backstage power together. Three phase carries roughly three times that.
One honest note. Plugging the distro into an existing, tested 32A socket outlet is no different from using any other plug, and switching the ways on and off is simple. Anything past that is not a job to improvise. Connecting to fixed wiring, bare tails, a fused switch or the terminals of a generator is work for a competent person under the wiring regulations, and so is judging whether the venue's supply will actually carry your load. We can send one. Tell us what the venue has and we will either confirm it is a straight plug-in or quote for an electrician to make the connection and test it.
Hire is by the day at £18 per unit. We carry 32A supply cable, 16A extensions and 16A-to-13A adaptors so ordinary plug-top equipment can run from the ways, and for larger sites we can put together as many distros and as much cable as the show needs, bringing more in from trusted suppliers when a site is big.
What you get
The distro unit, PAT tested, with its breakers checked before it leaves
Your choice of build: 32A single phase in, or 32A three phase in with RCD protection
Not included as standard: cable. Tell us the run from your outlet to the stage and we will add the right 32A supply lead and 16A extensions
16A-to-13A adaptors so kettle-lead and plug-top equipment can run from the ways: ask when you book
Not included: the 32A supply itself. If your venue has no 32A outlet, talk to us before assuming one can be arranged
A competent person to connect anything beyond a standard socket outlet, confirm the supply and test the rig, if you need one
Good for
Outdoor stages and marquees running from a generator or a venue's external 32A outlet
School productions where the hall's 13A wall sockets will not carry lighting and sound together
Village halls with a single 32A outlet near the stage and nothing else useful
Dance school shows in hired venues, where the whole rig arrives in one van and needs tidy, protected power
Fairs, fetes and one-day events that need six protected circuits from one supply point
Breaking a generator's output into individually protected ways instead of a tangle of splitters
What you need to know
What it does
Takes one 32A supply and breaks it into six 16A ways, each behind its own breaker, so one fault drops one circuit instead of the whole rig.
Power
32A in, single or three phase depending on the unit you choose. Six 16A single-phase ways out. Single phase gives around 7kW in total; three phase roughly three times that.
Connections
Ceeform throughout: a blue 3-pin or red 5-pin inlet, and six 16A outlets. 16A-to-13A adaptors let ordinary plug-top equipment run from the ways.
Where it goes
A splashproof IP44 box under 3kg with a steel carry handle. It sits on the floor by the supply, and is fine in a marquee or under a stage roof, kept out of standing water.
Who runs it
Plugging into an existing 32A socket is simple, and anyone can reset a tripped way through the clear window. Connecting to fixed wiring or a generator is work for a competent person, and we can send one.
Hire rates
Item
Rate
PCE IMST 32A Single Phase to 6 x 16A MCB
£18 / day
PCE IMST 32A 3-Phase to 6 x 16A MCB + RCD
£18 / day
Rates are per day and exclude VAT. Ask us about multi-day and show-week rates, delivery, and hiring with a technician.
Check availability
See whether this is free for your dates. This is an indication from our current bookings, not a reservation.
Alternatives
Cable crates — the 16A and 13A runs that get the power from the distro to the rig.
Full technical specification (9)
Manufacturer and range
PCE IMST series, made in the EU
Unit type
Portable power distribution box: one 32A supply to six 16A ways
Input, single phase build
32A 230V 2P+E ceeform inlet (blue 3-pin)
Input, three phase build
32A 400V 3P+N+E ceeform inlet (red 5-pin)
Outputs
6 x 16A 230V 2P+E ceeform sockets
Protection
Each way behind its own breaker under a clear window; the three-phase build carries 30mA RCD protection as well
Look at the socket you will plug into. A blue 3-pin 32A outlet is single phase; a red 5-pin outlet is three phase. Both builds give the same six 16A ways out, so the kit you plug into the distro does not change either way. If you are not sure, send us a photo of the outlet and we will tell you which unit and which supply cable you need.
Yes, through an adaptor. The six ways are 16A ceeform sockets, so plug-top equipment needs a 16A-to-13A adaptor, which we hire alongside the distro. One way can also feed a 13A four-way for low-draw kit like a desk and monitors, as long as the total on that way stays sensible. Tell us what you are running and we will make up the cable package to suit.
Sometimes, but not by improvising. If the venue has a suitable supply without a socket on it, a competent electrician can make a proper temporary connection and test it, and we can arrange that. What we will not do, and nor should anyone, is open the venue's boards or wire into fixed circuits without one. For sites with no usable supply at all, a generator is often the honest answer, and either unit runs happily from one with the right outlet.
It is IP44 splashproof, which means rain-resistant in use, not weatherproof in open rain. Under a stage roof, in a marquee or against a wall out of the weather is fine. Keep it off wet grass and out of standing water, and dress the cables so water cannot run down into the connectors. If the forecast is bad, give it cover.
Only that way goes out; the other five stay live. The breakers sit under a clear window on the front of the box, so switch off or unplug whatever caused the trip, flip the breaker back up and the circuit is live again. If the same way keeps tripping, something on it is faulty or overloaded, and the answer is to move loads around or take the faulty item out, not to hold the breaker in.
