First-time setup

Setup takes about ten minutes. You’ll connect power, get the controller onto your network over Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and choose a password for its settings. You can add Home Assistant afterwards.

What you need

• A 24 V DC power supply with an XT60 lead. Power Manifold is rated for 24 V +20 %/−15 %. Choose its size by adding up the ratings of the chargers your devices would otherwise use. A laptop with a 65 W charger counts as 65 W, even when it draws less. Sharing power explains why. The default power budget is 360 W (15 A at 24 V). If your supply is smaller, you’ll lower the budget to match in step 5 below.
• USB-C cables. An ordinary cable carries up to 3 A (60 W). For more than 60 W at 20 V a device needs a 5 A cable with an e-marker chip, which is usually sold as a “100 W” or “240 W” cable.
• A way onto your network. Either an Ethernet cable from the controller card to your router, or a phone or computer with Bluetooth for Wi-Fi setup: Chrome or Edge on a desktop or Android device, or the Home Assistant app on an iPhone or iPad.

Caution

Connect the XT60 lead before you switch the supply on, and switch the supply off before you unplug it.

Nothing can be changed until you set a token

A new controller refuses every change that arrives over the network until it has an API token. Its settings open only as described in step 2, and the chassis light, left of port 1, breathes amber for as long as they are open. Saving a token closes them and stops the light.

Steps

There are two ways onto your network. Both end with saving an API token:

Ethernet

1. Plug in the cable, power upSettings are open to your network for one hour.
2. Go to pwrman.localThe Settings panel opens by itself.

Wi-Fi

1. Power upAfter about 15 seconds it waits for setup over Bluetooth.
2. Run Wi-Fi setupFrom the Wi-Fi setup page or the Home Assistant app.
3. Press NextOpens the web interface with settings open for ten minutes.

Save an API tokenSetup closes. The light settles to dim green.

Either route ends the same way. The swatch is the chassis light, left of port 1, at each step.

1. Connect power. Plug the power supply’s XT60 lead into the socket on the right side of the chassis, seen from the front. The plug only fits one way round. Then switch the supply on. The fan exhausts through the same side. Keep that side clear.

   The port lights sweep from left to right, then each port glows white, which means it is ready and waiting for a device. Ports are numbered 1 to 6 from left to right when you face the front panel.

2. Get it on your network. Use whichever you have:

   • Ethernet. Plug a cable from the controller card’s port into your router. The controller gets an address by itself. For the first hour after power-up, its settings are open to anyone on your network. To get another hour, switch the supply off and on again, or press the button on the controller card once.
   • Wi-Fi. A new controller advertises itself over Bluetooth until it has Wi-Fi details. Follow Wi-Fi setup, either from that page in your browser or with the Home Assistant app. While it waits, the chassis light breathes blue. When Wi-Fi setup finishes, press Next on the same phone or computer. It opens the controller’s web interface with settings unlocked for ten minutes.

3. Open the web interface. On Ethernet, go to http://pwrman.local/. On Wi-Fi, Next took you there already. While setup is open, the Settings panel near the bottom opens by itself. Later you can find the page at the same address, or at the new name if you change it.

4. Choose an API token. In Settings, set an API token and press Save. This is the password for changing anything from the web interface or the API. You’ll need it on any other device, so keep it somewhere safe. Once the token is saved, setup is closed and the amber light stops.

5. Set the power budget. Still in Settings, set the Chassis budget to your supply’s rating in watts, or a little under it. See Sharing power between ports for how the budget is used.

6. Optional: give it a name and connect Home Assistant. Set a device name if you have more than one Power Manifold. Fill in your MQTT broker if you use Home Assistant; see Home Assistant. Press Reboot to apply a new name or broker.

Setup is complete. When a device is plugged in, its port light turns blue or green.

If setup closed before you saved a token

The Settings panel tells you which case you are in:

• On Ethernet, the hour is over. Switch the power supply off and on again, or press the button on the controller card once, then reload the page. You have another hour.
• On Wi-Fi, the ten minutes are over. Open Bluetooth again and redo Wi-Fi setup, or plug in an Ethernet cable and restart the controller to use the Ethernet route instead.

Ethernet and Wi-Fi together

When both are connected, the controller uses Ethernet and keeps Wi-Fi as a backup. Set a fixed address if you want one. See Network settings.

Next steps

• Front panel and lights: what each light colour means and what the button does.
• Port settings: name your ports and decide which come on at power-up.
• Sharing power between ports: pick which ports should be turned down first.