Topic: Antminer 3.2A fan upgrade or fan controller (Read 107 times)

Hello,

I'm back with an update. Also want to mention that the room in which the miners are housed in has a fixed temperature of 25C/77F and is not something I can change but it does set a standard for a controlled environment.

All the kit I ordered from Parallel Miner has arrived and was installed. Sadly, the new fans only deliver on the increased sounds promise (which went from a loud hum to annoying, high-pitched howling) and nothing else.

1. They don't work in a push-pull configuration as in, you can't put two fans on one miner. You can replace either the intake or exhaust fan but not both because then the miner won't turn on anymore (does the full-speed fan check then turns it off)
2. They don't cool better than the original fans. Temperatures either stayed the same or increased with these TVN6100 fans, regardless if they were put as intake or exhaust fans.

Testing was done over a period of one week, testing each miner (13, 13.5 and 14TH/s) from stock to full auto-tuned and with swapping the fans from intake to exhaust and back again.
By sheer luck, I did find a fan configuration that works in a push-pull setup and dropped temps by 10C/50F while maintaining the same sound.

It's the SG121238BS + G1238C12B8ZP-C5. These two worked on all miners in both configurations.

Two good things came out of this:

1. I sold the miners: too loud, too power-hungry and way too hot.
2. Got cheap fans which I'm using to cool my other rigs and I can set them at lower speeds, solving the noise issue.

Thank you all for your input on this. I've learned a lot. Cheers!

For the moment, I got:

- 2x ZSX Fans Expansion Kit;
- 8x TVN6100;
- 2x 8 Way 4 Pin CPU Fan Controller Hub from Parallel Miner.

This way, I can manage my setup and depending on how it goes, can upgrade to the 300CFM fan in the future.

Temps right now with the fans on full blast are sitting at 99-102C/210-215F and no amount of cleaning and ventilation changed it so the fans are my last hope.

Thank you all so much for your input on this. Will post an update once I get all the hardware and install it.

I'd put my money on it working fine, but if you wanted to play it safe you could wire in separate power leads directly to the PSU.

Because the fans speed is controlled using a PWM signal, possibly but not certainly. With PWM control all power switching to set speed is done in the fan itself, the controller just supplies a low level control signal to the fan.

The concern is the size of the circuit board traces feeding the fan(s) carrying the +12v and return for it. If they are too thin they may burn up.

@wndsnb: it's more than double the current of the stock fan. I know that deviations of 10% are ok but not 200%. Lets say I get the 300CFM one. Won't it fry the controller board if I just plug it in?

Ah ... missed that link. That fan is a 4-wire type with pwm and a tach sensor, so it should plug right into the control board and work, so no need for a separate fan controller. You'll need to put the connector on though, it'll come with just wire leads. $65 each though.... ouch.

@wndsnb: Haha, we think alike. That's the same fan as I listed from Mouser. I can't find (yet) a dedicated, high power fan controller/hub for these fans. Closest thing I could find is the ZXS breakout board, which has lots of fan inputs but I can't find any output specs on it for the fans https://www.parallelminer.com/product/zsx-breakout-board-16-ports-pico-24pin-atx-fan-hubs-100-gpu-mining-a-game-changer/
also, this: https://www.onestopgrowshop.co.uk/products/control-freak-7-amp-dynamic-frequency-fan-speed-controller A bit expensive though and not very clear specs also
And yes, you are right: static pressure needs to be increased. The Delta QFR1212GHE has 29 mmAq; the Sanyo Denki 9LG1212P1G001 has 37mmAg, so a 30% increase but to no avail if the miner has issues recognizing the new fan. If I do find a controller, I'm definitely going for the big guns 300+CFM fans and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even need to run them at full blast. Thank you for your input on this.

@NotFuzzyWarm: Thank you. I think I'm sweating the details too much. I'll just order the TVN6100s and experiment with higher CFM fans at a later time, when cooling isn't priority no.1

Thank you all again for taking the time to help me with this

No it won't work. Without the tach signal the miner will think the fans is not running. The PWM control is not really an issue assuming you don't care if the fan always runs at 100%.

I think you probably wouldn't see much difference between the stock 2.8A fan and a 3.2A fan.

Keep in mind that the CFM spec listed for fans is normally measured at 0 static pressure, they move less air when blowing into the resistance of all those heatsinks in a confined space. You might want to look for a fan that is listed as a "High static pressure" type. If I still had any S9s I'd dig out my airflow meter and see what the actual CFMs are.

But even if you assume that a fan that uses 15% more current is going to move 15% more air, I don't think that is going to buy you much. Increasing temperature has a larger impact on the chip temperature than the airflow speed. You get diminishing returns as the ambient temperature rises. If the space you are putting your miners doesn't have any ventilation, you'd be better off trying to figure out how to exhaust the hot air outside than putting stronger fans on.

Those SanAce fans are good quality though, I've used them before and have many in the field that have been running for >5 years without any failures yet.

You could try putting this beast in... https://products.sanyodenki.com/en/sanace/dc/counter-rotating-fan/9CR1212P0G03/

High static pressure and 300CFM, but >7Amps ....

@HagssFIN: Thank you for the recommendation. From what I can see, the Delta QFR1212GHE has 211CFM, the Sanyo Denki 9LG1212P1G001 I posted had 247CFM. I was looking for an upgrade.
I am very limited by where I can keep my miners at least for now and cooling is an issue. The original fans keep up but barely.

@philipma1957: Thank you, I'll take a look. A shame the Sanyo fan doesn't work with the S9.
If I ever find a dedicated high power fan controller, I'll let you know as I was thinking of putting this on it : https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Sanyo-Denki/9CR1212P0G03?qs=t9Lg9qrXjEzaIskuv0a4hg%3D%3D

Also: would this work? https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Delta-Electronics/AFB1212GHE-C?qs=Tx9Tc1LIQ%252BGtXNKmVITynw%3D%3D
my guess is not, since it doesn't have a tachometer and PWM but I want to explore all options before I place the order.

I have that fan and it does not work well as I would like it to with s9 controllers.

get a delta they are better in general. if you can not find one

here is an okay fan it works for s9 controllers.  seller is usa based.



https://www.parallelminer.com/product/parallel-tvn6100-fan-6100-rpm-pwm-variable-speed-260cfm-2-8a-12v-120mm-x-38mm/

it is 2.8 and delta are 2.7 amps I have six of these fans all work well with s9 and or l3+ miners.

Why not use a Delta QFR1212GHE or other similar fan?

Hello,

Will a 3.2A fan fry the Antminer (in this case, S9) control board?
I was specifically looking at this: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Sanyo-Denki/9LG1212P1G001?qs=ihlaDWZG8x483pqEdXadZw==

Also, if there is a dedicated fan controller for 40W+ fans (40W each rail), I wouldn't mind getting one of those but I can't find anything. All I can find are PC fan controllers and those units max out at 48W, as in the whole units maxes out at 48W, not each individual fan.