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iamnoobplzhelp (OP)
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May 23, 2017, 08:30:11 PM |
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220v in the U.S. is weird. There are a few different plug styles depending on how many amps it puts out (15,20,30).
I'd like to switch my miners to 220v because it's more efficient, but I can't find any cables. All of my PSUs do up to 240v.
What plug styles are people using? Where are you getting them?
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Za1n
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May 23, 2017, 09:07:38 PM |
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There are a few different styles as you have seen, but for most home outlets I have been using something like these: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-20-Amp-250-Volt-Straight-Blade-Grounding-Plug-Black-White-5466-C/301304708You can also buy the matching receptacle. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Eaton-Commercial-Grade-20-Amp-Straight-Blade-Single-Receptacle-with-Side-Wiring-White-1876W-BOX/203492426While they look similar to a 110V 20 amp plug and receptacle, the blades are reversed, with the positions switched so a 110V will not fit a 220V and vise versa. Since you will use only half the amperage when running at 220V then you would at 110V, you can probably run 4 or 5 rigs per 20 amp circuit. An alternative and what I also do, is run a few L6-30R twist lock receptacles to the garage feed off a 30 amp 240V breaker and then plug a PDU into it. This way you can pull up to 24 total amps safely with the entire PDU while further protecting each individual outlet down to a more safe 4-5 amps. The danger with the first method without a PDU is that the circuit would need to pull close to 4800 watts before tripping the breaker, and in the case of only one or two rigs would most likely mean they would be on fire first.... These PDU's and cords are often used in server setups and both the PDU's and server cords can be found on ebay. Here is the first result I could find, simply to illustrate what I am talking about as I do not know or vouch for the seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/APC-AP7841-Rack-PDU-Metered-Power-Strip-Distribution-Unit-30A-200-208-230-240V-/322503049461?hash=item4b16ae00f5:g:duwAAOSw~AVYqTn2I do have a couple of APCs like the one listed, and they can be individually turned on/off via a web interface as well as they can individually trip if the outlet would overload at a much lower amperage as stated earlier. If you plan to do many rigs this is probably the better way to go. The server cords with the correct ends to fit the PDU also can be found on eBay (again first result I found, no affiliation): http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-foot-IEC-320-NEMA-C13-C14-10A-18AWG-PDU-to-CPU-AC-Power-Cords-/262844530164?hash=item3d32c13df4:g:BsQAAOSwtfhYnCQc |
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iamnoobplzhelp (OP)
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May 23, 2017, 09:46:20 PM |
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Wow, thanks for that information. Will definitely be looking into this.
Any particular reason why those rigs would catch fire in the first place? Do PSUs tend to pull more wattage than they need? Is that just because of a surge?
Speaking of surge, does the PDU do surge protection too? Do I need to do something separate for that?
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iamnoobplzhelp (OP)
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May 23, 2017, 10:34:45 PM |
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Thanks for the additional information. Sounds like a PDU is the way to go.
I am already talking with a licensed electrician. I just want to make sure I'm not going to burn my house down =)
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Bones972
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May 23, 2017, 10:39:22 PM
Last edit: May 23, 2017, 11:36:51 PM by Bones972 |
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Phil I just want to make sure I am following you 100% on this... I was wrong... LOL That's why I asked the question. |
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philipma1957
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May 23, 2017, 10:49:46 PM |
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At bones972 your post will kill people please delete it I will alter my post as I see what has confused you.
HERE IS THE SETUP
A) A 240 volt wall outlet with a 30 amp plug
B) The dell pdu derates to 24 amp for 24/7/365 run time.
C) Two power bars each rate at 12 amps for 24/7/365 run time
D) each power bar can handle 2880 watts of psus.
So any way you add the power for 1 extension bar to stay under 2880 bars is okay i.e. 1 rig at 600 watts 2 rigs at 500 watts a rig at 1100 watts adds to 2700 watts okay.
the dell pdu has 2 switches each one will do 2 plugs.
so one 1 side use 1 of the 2 plugs
on the other side use 1 of the 2 plugs.
half the load on the left on one extension bar.
half the load on the right on the other extension bar.
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iamnoobplzhelp (OP)
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May 23, 2017, 10:59:52 PM |
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Phil
I just want to make sure I am following you 100% on this...
So 1 PDU will handle 3 of the strips above and each strip will handle 3 rigs? So that one PDU can handle 9 rigs total?
No. 24a at 240v = 5,760 watts. Not sure how many watts your rigs run at, but mine run at just shy of 900w at the wall. Should be slightly less with 240v instead of 110v, though. I would think that 5 rigs max per PDU is safe. |
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Za1n
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May 24, 2017, 01:47:34 AM
Last edit: May 24, 2017, 01:58:43 AM by Za1n |
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Yes, as Phil said those 240 Volt 30 Amp PDUs will need to derate to 24 amps maximum when used 24/7. The APC has two banks, or busses internally, each one can safely supply up to 12 amps so you would not need the separate power bars. I do believe Dell also makes a larger unit as the APC with two internal busses if you prefer that brand.
The whole thing you can probably run eight 5-6 GPU rigs off of safely, maybe 6 rigs if you do 7x GPU rigs. I am not sure if the Dell PDU's have monitoring, but the APC has both a web interface and a digital display on the bar itself cycling though bank one amps, bank two amps, and total amps. It can also be configured to trip if one or both banks over-current, or even if an individual outlet on the bar over-currents.
The 30 amp outlet Phil linked is also the same one to use for the 30 amp APC PDU, it is best to run dedicated circuits for the supply power and if possible use metal conduit. In any case, you will need to run at least 10 gauge wire if the run is under 50' from your breaker panel, and maybe down to 8 gauge if much further than that. You will need two conductors connected to the breaker and a dedicated ground wire.
As far as the chance of catching fire, no it is not necessarily higher, but the point I was making is that rigs plugged directly into a 240V high amperage circuit could potential get hot and short but yet not trip the breaker thus leading to a higher potential of fire. It is always best practice to try and keep a lower rated breaker as close to the rigs as possible to help prevent this. By using a quality PDU, most of them will have breakers rated for much lower than the 30 amps than would be required to trip the main panel breaker.
Other benefits of using a PDU include surge suppression, delayed start of each outlet if for say a power loss (I space my starts 5 seconds apart to minimize startup load if that should happen) remote off/on of each outlet, logging of power usage, and can even be configured to send an email or SMS if something happens. Some of the features will depend on the brand/Model of PDU you buy, but many of these units were pulled from data-centers and were probably $800-$1200 when new so are usually pretty capable.
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philipma1957
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May 24, 2017, 01:50:35 AM |
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Phil
I just want to make sure I am following you 100% on this...
So 1 PDU will handle 3 of the strips above and each strip will handle 3 rigs? So that one PDU can handle 9 rigs total?
No. 24a at 240v = 5,760 watts. Not sure how many watts your rigs run at, but mine run at just shy of 900w at the wall. Should be slightly less with 240v instead of 110v, though. I would think that 5 rigs max per PDU is safe. it could do 6. the 24 amps is a derating from 30 amps line. so 900 x 3 = 2700 and 900 x 3 = 2700 that is 5400 which is under the 5760 number which is the derated safety number. my guess is you could do 6 rigs you could do 3 on the one bar and to be safe down clock 1 rig a bit. you could do 3 on the other bar and to be safe down clock 1 rig a bit. if you are 900 at the wall 240 volt will give you 2% so you are 882 each rig. |
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dbc23
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May 24, 2017, 04:15:40 AM |
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I was about to install some new 120v breakers for adding systems, after reading this and given that my panel is in my room with my miners I'm going to forego that and set up with 240v now, this looks equally simple and more efficient.
Brilliant job breaking it out and explaining everything, THANKS!
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philipma1957
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May 24, 2017, 04:20:44 AM |
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I was about to install some new 120v breakers for adding systems, after reading this and given that my panel is in my room with my miners I'm going to forego that and set up with 240v now, this looks equally simple and more efficient.
Brilliant job breaking it out and explaining everything, THANKS!
Be sure the 30 amp circuit from the breaker to the plug is 10 gauge . Be careful it is 240 and it can kill. A 120 circuit 15 amps is 1800 watts A 240 circuit 30 amps is 7200 watts Four times the punch! |
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dbc23
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May 24, 2017, 05:12:37 AM |
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Thanks  Fortunately I've done a fair bit of welding/shop work so I'm no stranger to 240v, and you're absolutely right, that stuff WILL kill. |
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iamnoobplzhelp (OP)
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May 24, 2017, 04:27:13 PM |
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Thanks everyone for the replies. I am talking with the electrician tomorrow, and he does commercial stuff, so hopefully he is no stranger to this. After I get this going, my next challenge will be figuring out how to cool the room. =)
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navydude
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May 24, 2017, 04:31:29 PM |
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Good luck with the cooling. Thats been the hardest part for me. |
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iamnoobplzhelp (OP)
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May 24, 2017, 09:57:39 PM |
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I noticed the outlets that you linked at only 120v. Should I get one that's 240v? |
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iamnoobplzhelp (OP)
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May 24, 2017, 11:04:34 PM |
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The first item you listed has ended, and if you read the description it says input voltage is 120vac. I found this item: http://www.ebay.com/itm/232273303006Which according to specifications, can do up to 240v. Would this item work instead? And no, not trolling. I've never used a PDU before or 240v, so I just want to make sure I get everything correct. |
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QuintLeo
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May 25, 2017, 12:12:18 AM |
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I VERY strongly recommend sticking with the NEC and using NEMA 6 plugs/jacks on any 220V circuit in the USA.
Cords are not hard to find - plenty of sources for NEMA 6-15 or NEMA 6-20 to C-series cords on Amazon, and Newegg has a few.
They DO tend to cost more than the VERY common NEMA 5-15 to C-series cord most power supplies and computers sold in the US are supplied with, due to how uncommonly used they are in comparison.
As I recall, a 6-15P WILL plug into a 6-20R or 6-30R, but a 6-20P won't plug into a 6-15R and a 6-30P won't plug into a 6-15R or a 6-20R due to how the contacts are orientated (an in the case of the 6-30 I believe the contacts are are longer as well).
Most computer power supplies any more are auto-switching for any voltage from around 100 to around 240, but most OTHER items you might plug into a 220 outlet will die badly with a tendancy towards sparky fireworks and sometimes exploding capacitors if they are designed for 110.
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dbc23
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May 25, 2017, 12:51:36 AM |
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You can use 120v rated hardware at 240v if it's wired correctly, BUT it's not up to code. 240v sockets and plugs will be more expensive to install, but probably worth the extra 30-50 dollars than trying to run 120 sockets hot.
The big surprise for me was the existence of that PDU, I've never worked with large scale servers so I wasn't even aware such a thing existed. That's the winner for me. The 240v circuit and line/plug is relatively easy, I was always concerned about the distribution to the power supplies because I would've had to break out 4 sockets with standard plugs running at 240v.
For me that would've been fine, but if ANYONE other than myself ever tried using those without realizing what they were, they'd kill a device at best, and give themselves a smoking hair cut at worst.
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