How do you power an Antminer S9 in USA / Canada with 110v?

[construktor]

I'm dealing with the same issue here. Going to have an electrician come in and install a separate circuit with a 20amp breaker to power 2 x S9s on EVGA 1600 P2 power supplies.

I wish I knew more but my lack of experience does leave me with some questions I'm hoping the electrician can answer. For example, if I install a 220V circuit, is it ok to use a 110V type power outlet so I don't use any special adapters for the PSUs?

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[HagssFIN]

No. Installations must comply with ANSI standards.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

No. Installations must comply with ANSI standards.

^^ is dead on! In North America you will have either a NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 for respectively a 220v 15A or 20A outlet. 110v outlets are NEMA 5-15 or NEMA 5-20. The layouts are non-interchangeable to prevent serious mistakes when plugging things in.

Cords for those are not hard to find online. The PSU end are IEC-13 and wall socket end most likely NEMA 6-15 which can also plug into the 20A socket (but not the other way). Of course using a 220v PDU in a way solves that issue because most PDU's use IEC outlets so the cords would be IEC male to IEC female.

Now, if the sub panel is being fed 220v then you DO have the choice of having it wired to feed for example say 2x 220v outlets or 4x 120v outlets because the 220 lines (with wired neutral) can be split into 110v circuits in the subpanel.

[construktor]

Understood thanks for the feedback guys. So I do understand the code regulation and why it exists and I am going to do it the right way.

Either get some NEMA power cords for the PSUs, or if I get a PDU right away, they likely have the same IEC female jacks.

Out of curiosity only, say I did use a 110V outlet - which I PROMISE I WILL NOT THAT WOULD BE DUMB!, beyond having to know not to plug any 110V devices in, is it also a fire risk or anything like that?

[JaredKaragen]

No. Installations must comply with ANSI standards.

^^ is dead on! In North America you will have either a NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 for respectively a 220v 15A or 20A outlet. 110v outlets are NEMA 5-15 or NEMA 5-20. The layouts are non-interchangeable to prevent serious mistakes when plugging things in.

I have a Nema 6-15 to C19 cable for my Coolmax 1600W PSU...  I have plans to make a generator engine run on an "alternative" fuel source and run this power supply in the future.  I can just plug it right in, and it's about 6Ft long.

you CAN use a 110v outlet;  but that would have to be a dedicated circuit to be safe.
It could be a fire risk if the wiring in your house is pretty old.  If so, who knows to what spec it was wired to.

I ran an S7 @ 1000w and 1300w on a 20A 110v circuit that was shared with other things.  Wasn't a problem for me, but I monitored and checked everything first.

[Sr.Urbanist]

It turns out there is one outlet in the basement that is on its own unused circuit! Great luck 

I ended up getting an EVGA 2600 T2. It's working well and maybe the eco mode will save .0001 BTC per month. Now, i just need to figure out what to do when I get the next one(s).

[NotFuzzyWarm]

It turns out there is one outlet in the basement that is on its own unused circuit! Great luck  Grin

Is there perhaps an unused 220v outlet for an electric dryer as well? Seems many/most folks have gas dryers but since homes are pretty much mandated to have 220v available in the laundry area that goes unused... Mine is 220v 30A. Perfect for the 5ish kw I run at home.

[Sr.Urbanist]

Is there perhaps an unused 220v outlet for an electric dryer as well? Seems many/most folks have gas dryers but since homes are pretty much mandated to have 220v available in the laundry area that goes unused... Mine is 220v 30A. Perfect for the 5ish kw I run at home.

I have two more unused 110v breakers. No idea where those go. I, also, have enough room to add a 220v.  I could run three S9s with a 50A and it would probably be best to put the two on a 30A and upgrade later with the addition of an S9.  I have room for another 110v. All told ... I probably have enough breaker space for 10 S9s before going to a separate meter - which I may do if these really do make money, then, I may as well start a business.

[Biodom]

It turns out there is one outlet in the basement that is on its own unused circuit! Great luck  Grin

Is there perhaps an unused 220v outlet for an electric dryer as well? Seems many/most folks have gas dryers but since homes are pretty much mandated to have 220v available in the laundry area that goes unused... Mine is 220v 30A. Perfect for the 5ish kw I run at home.

yeah, some use electrical dryer outlet (with an adapter), some even use electrical oven outlet (it is also 220V)
my use of these was vetoed by the "family", though. No can do...

[Sr.Urbanist]

yeah, some use electrical dryer outlet (with an adapter), some even use electrical oven outlet (it is also 220V)
my use of these was vetoed by the "family", though. No can do...

Jaja.  

I can see that.  I've heard these called "wife-busters" from people who advocate for the use of server-type rooms to reduce the noise.

[Zephon]

Hey guys,
Noob, found this site while searching for a 110v psu, found a solution and thought I'd share for others.
ParallelMiner has HP Server PSU with adapter for running antminer S7 and S9 for 119buck.
Got my S9 three weeks ago and finally able to run it.
Now I got to deal with the heat and noise..
http://www.parallelminer.com/product/antminer-s9-power-supply-80plus/

[Sr.Urbanist]

Noob, found this site while searching for a 110v psu, found a solution and thought I'd share for others.
ParallelMiner has HP Server PSU with adapter for running antminer S7 and S9 for 119buck.

Thanks for adding some tips.  Please, let us know how they work out.  My understanding is that they run hotter and do not have the same efficiencies as other PSUs, which is odd because servers are extremely common.

I ended up going with an EVGA 1600W T2 for each of my miners.  They are plugged into their own 120v circuit and have been running great for a while.  I found another outlet that was on a solo circuit.  I guess that's the nice thing about unfinished basements.  As for the noise ...  I ended up getting acoustic foam, which helped, and high end noise-canceling headphones to provide a complete escape.  Diggin' the 13 and 13.5 - along with the high BTC prices.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

My understanding is that they run hotter and do not have the same efficiencies as other PSUs, which is odd because servers are extremely common.

Run hotter - yes. The HP supplies will get uncomfortably warm to touch @ full load but that is normal. They are made to run like that for years.

As for the eff -- they were made in 80Plus ranging from Bronze (pretty poor) and currently up to Platinum (excellent). Prices for the PSU's reflect that: 80Plus Bronze ones can be had for as little as $15-20 and prices go up from there.

[Zephon]

My understanding is that they run hotter and do not have the same efficiencies as other PSUs, which is odd because servers are extremely common.

Run hotter - yes. The HP supplies will get uncomfortably warm to touch @ full load but that is normal. They are made to run like that for years.

As for the eff -- they were made in 80Plus ranging from Bronze (pretty poor) and currently up to Platinum (excellent). Prices for the PSU's reflect that: 80Plus Bronze ones can be had for as little as $15-20 and prices go up from there.

I wondered what others do for noise..
At first, I had it in the laundry room in my apartment.... On top the excessive heat and noise, the maximum I got was 9.259 Th/s.
It was becoming unbearable so I took it out to the balcony, put it inside my small bedside table with shelves (the air inlet facing the inside and air outlet facing the open side, then covered the open side with a pillowcase. Balcony is covered space to not worried about snow falling and melting on it.
Sorry I was more concerned about what to do with the monster than collecting stats so no rpm and temp information from before.
It's -8c out there and my S9 is running at 83c. Fan speed came down from about 4000rpm fan3 and 6000rpm fan6 to 3,960rpm fan3 3000rpm fan6 .
Highest Chip temp 83 = 28c
Currently mining at 13TH/s and more sometimes.. I saw the stats on my pool dashboard reach 14.78 Th/s at one point.

My project this week is building a sound insulated box with in and out vents. then I will start worrying about keeping it cool in summer. (I suppose a topic for new thread)
Is anyone working on something similar? Seems small sound insulated server racks cost more than the machine itself.

[Sr.Urbanist]

My project this week is building a sound insulated box with in and out vents. then I will start worrying about keeping it cool in summer. (I suppose a topic for new thread)
Is anyone working on something similar? Seems small sound insulated server racks cost more than the machine itself.

Yup.  I just so happen to have started a thread on the exact topic.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

Sorry this is a bit off topic, but: Does anyone own the Avalon 741?
Is it quieter?
Does it run cooler?
(Than antminer S9)

Just a few lines down is the Avalon thread with all your answers...
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1673843.msg16806983#msg16806983

[egoods]

Thanks for all of the input.  I think I will probably go with an ATX and not server PSU with your help.  

It looks like people may run a single circuit, even 110v, for their miner(s).  I'm trying to save money as I only have two S9s that I want to turn into a multi-billion dollar business (don't we all  ).  I have a limited budget.

Is there anything wrong with plugging two S9s into an existing outlet using a 1600W ATX?  If spending additional money, would you either put the money into the efficiencies or dedicated circuit?  Any chance of blowing the hashboards if not done correctly?

Thanks a BTC!

NOTE: I've added a poll and appreciate any submittals.  I admit, I currently have my S3 plugged into a power strip  

I think you should not use 110V for miners because it can reach the limit AMP on your wire. You only need to buy another breaker about 10USD and connect the white (neutral) to your breaker. It can double your power.

If you have breaker 20AMP, when you run 110V, you only get 2,200Watts, that means only 1x S9.
When you install 220V, with the same breaker, you can get 4,400Watts, that means you can run 3 x S9.

Those video will help you install breaker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPzzL9OLwyw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k95_Rnjr_DY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx7alt0gvLM

**NOTE: ALWAYS USE 1 HAND TO DO THE JOB, KEEP THE OTHER HAND ON YOUR BACK. (Electric shock is not fun)

Since this has come up I also wanted to link to a basic wire gauging guide

If you're thinking about tackling a 220V either circuit conversion (mark the neutral wire with black tape at both ends! this will save an electrician a serious headache in the future) or running your own 220V circuit do everything you can to be over-safety conscious. I ran two 220V runs back when I was mining, the went go a few feet from my breaker panel, and I still ran 8 gauge wire for each 220V 20amp circuit (that was overkill, I could've safely installed a 30amp breaker... but I knew I'd be running this 24/7 and wanted some headroom on each circuit).

It's worth noting that you can't pull electrical wiring like a normal low voltage/data cable, refer to your local building codes for exact requirements. Not only do you have to be concerned about fire safety, but if the worst does happen, and your insurance finds out it was due to improperly installed wiring/not up to code they'll deny your insurance claim... this stuff is not to be messed with lightly. Even for the two circuits I ran myself I called the city inspector out (in my area if you own the home you can do the work on it, but it has to be permitted/inspected by a city inspector).

[NiHaoMike]

Here's a gadget to get 240V if you can find two 120V outlets of opposite phase:
http://www.quick220.com/
DIY version for experienced EEs:
http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1023
Note that both the DIY and commercial versions have interlock relays to prevent undervolting the load if one circuit trips for whatever reason. It is very popular with EV owners who want to double the charging speed.

[smutboy420]

Just want to add my 2 cents about breakers tripping if drawing to much amperage.  A lot of people get the idea that if they keep popping a breaker when its overloaded to go and throw in a bigger breaker that can handle a lot more amps then what ever gauge the wire can handle at 80% max load.

If for instance you have small 10ga wireing going to your outlets and try putting a 20 or god forbid a 30 amp breaker in your box. You now have no safety whats so ever being you would have to draw 30amps or more threw that wire before it ever trips the breaker and if you are drawing close to 30 amps on 12ga wire at 120v that wire is going to get ripping hot and melt the insulation in a very short time and still not trip the breaker.  You may get lucky and have the wires melt and ark out and trip the breaker before it burns the house down. but its more likely to just get hot and start a fire inside the wall and never trip the breaker till its way to late..  and when that happens you might as well kiss all your btc mining bye bye.     I even have one s9 running on one of my circuits that it turns out the moron who owned my house before me wired it with 10 gauge wire going from the panel to another outlet then is daisy chained over to the outlet I was using but the bastard used a short pc of 12 gauge to go to that outlet on the daisy chain then to top it off the moron had it going to a 30a breaker.  and I only got lucky that i was able to feel how freaking hot that section of wire was getting it was almost to where the insulation was getting mushy and soft in just a few mins of use.   Luckily for me I've come to expect that sort of crap on everything in this house being the guy cob jobed everything he has ever touched in the entire house.

had I not noticed right away that there was a short section of wire that was getting  hot as freaking hell I'm sure the garage WOULD have burned down for sure with the old owners dangerous cob job and the real freaky part is he had 20amp outlets on wire that can't handle anything over 15 amp safely. 

Now im looking forward (not) to the weekend. I'm redoing most of all the wiring and even putting in a new breaker box and running dedicated lines and outlets for my miners and some other things that really should be on there own dedicated circuits.


 




 

[DCShmooC1]

Well, this looks like the thread to post for my issue. I really need some advice regarding... yes the 110-220v issue in the US. I’m moving from old SP20E’s to a single S9 and a single L3+ Antminer, both each with dedicated “Bitmain” AW3++ PSU’s (this batch shipping in August). I’ve gotten by on the SP’s but now I’d like to upgrade and learn a bit more.

I’ll do very low voltage no problem, but I don’t want to play with fire (literally) with higher voltages. I’m not an electrician.

I have a buddy/friend of the family electrician who came over, and I showed him the PSU specs from Bitmain’s site. We ran two separate 14 – 2 gauge wires to the server room. One for each miner only. He put each on it’s own 15 amp breaker, so one miner per circuit. The receptacle is a NEMA 6 – 20? It’s the one with the ground and the top two are horizontal (w/ the left socket optionally vertical).

So my concern is whether running Bitman’s AW3++ PSU on 15 amp breaker w/ 14 gauge is optimal. Mostly for safety. I can easily re-run this with 12 gauge, but will have him change the outlets and breakers if need be. Would really appreciate any advice regarding this. Also, any recommendations as to a surge protector and if I should stay with this configuration, any power cord recommendations to the AW3++ ?   

Thank you.