Mining Voltage Converter Overload

[NeilDCLT]

Hello, I have been trying to run miners that I obtained from Whatsminer. They require 220V - 240V power source. Since I live in the United States, I have tried 110 to 220 V step up converters. I have tried 3 different converters, and each one overloads. The miners will run for a short period of time, then overload the converter and the converter will shut down.

Does anyone have suggestions on what I can do to get my miners running? Surely there must be other people in the Western hemisphere that have gotten these to work at home.

[philipma1957]

What models of whatsminer do you have?

some have low power settings. that will do under 2000 watts.

if you have a 120 volt dedicated line at 15 amps it maxes at 1800 watts.

and that is not 24/7/365 rating.

if you want to run nonstop a 15 amp line derates to 12 amps

or 12 x 120 = 1440 watts.  tag a 4000 watt inverter and try to run a 10 amp 220 psu and you over heat every thing.

why is that?  10 x 220  = 2200 watts into the psu.

guess what the invertor tries to pull on that 120 volt line 2200 watts.

it may do it for an hour and then something fails.

most volt regulator are cheap garbage 🗑

so to stand a shot you need a 20amp 120 volt line. which does 16amps  x 120 = 1920 watts 24/7/365

and you need to be sure the psu is pulling under 2000 watts.

or hire an electrician and put in a 220 volt circuit = better choice.

[gmaxwell]

Hello, I have been trying to run miners that I obtained from Whatsminer. They require 220V - 240V power source. Since I live in the United States, I have tried 110 to 220 V step up converters. I have tried 3 different converters, and each one overloads. The miners will run for a short period of time, then overload the converter and the converter will shut down.

Does anyone have suggestions on what I can do to get my miners running? Surely there must be other people in the Western hemisphere that have gotten these to work at home.

Oy. don't use 'converters'. Their efficiency will be poor and as you note they don't handle much power (unless they're expensive).

In the US we use 120/240v power.  Power hungry appliances like electric ranges and dryers use 240v.   Find/install a 240v plug to run your miners.

All my computers are run on 240v-- the PSUs are more efficient that way.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

When you say 'converters' do really mean transformers? I hope so as converters are more complex electronic devices... As for transformers - you CANNOT use ANY that are sold for travelers. Long ago been there, tried that and they are all vastly overrated pieces of crap that very quickly burnt out due to the cores being too small and the windings being too thin.

If you have to use a transformer make sure it is an industrial-grade one such as this from AutomationDirect. That will have to be wired to a dedicated 30A 110v circuit to feed it. Industrial-rated transformers do not have to be de-rated and generally last for decades. Industrial transformers are required to be at least 95% efficient per Energy Star regulations. The best ones push 98+%.

As others said, best choice it to have an electrician install 240v outlets.

[mikeywith]

If you have to use a transformer make sure it is an industrial-grade one such as this from AutomationDirect.

That seems like a robust transformer, price is a bit on the high end, it will work great for the old Microbt gears, the newer generations, however, require more than 3000w so a 3kVA transformer isn't going to cut it unless ran on LPM (assuming the gear has that).

110v isn't good for mining by any means, all the extra cost that comes with these transformers will make it harder for you to make a profit, if you want to mine BTC get 220-240v.

[NeilDCLT]

Hey all,

I went ahead and had an electrician add 220-240V outlets for me.
It as totally worth it!

I'm now running more powerful machines and expanding my operations to have multiple units mining different currencies.

The down side.... my neighbors complaining about the sound from my garage. Now that is any externality I have to resolve and am Youtube'ing away for answers.