Topic: Please help with PDU recepticles and 208v vs 120v power (Read 255 times)

Yeah, we have discussed that.  The question is "Why the hell did his S9s run on 110V just fine?".

DRE2000:  Doubling the voltage should half the amperage, always a nice thing to do for your wiring - within insulation limits of course.

Unlike the other Bitmain PSU's the APW3++ can run on both 110v and 208v. When doing that, just like the HP server supplies the output capacity changes. On 110v input max out is 1,200w, on >200v input it is full 1,600w

UPDATE: I put all 3 miners on the 208v power and they are mining exactly as when they were on the 120v.  However, the power cords are cool to the touch instead of warm, so there are definitely fewer amps flowing through it.  I suspect that the power supplies might be more efficient using the higher voltage as well, but there's no way to confirm that. 

Nope.  Technically they should not be working.  Can't argue why they are.

Yeah, I'm not sure.  I have special cables ordered so I can put them all on the 208v just to be safe. 

They have August, August, and June 2017 stickers on them if that means anything.  The power is very steady at 117.2v and the Kill-A-Watt I have says the PF is .99 and Hz are 59.99.  There is really no fluctuation in the readings.  Maybe it's because the power is so consistent? 

Looks the same as mine.  Still clueless why your miners are running ok.

Not the best angle, but here is the sticker: https://imgur.com/dGCJrkV.jpg

Still really confused on why your APW3++s are putting out the required 12V power at 110V input.  Could you link a photo of the label on the side (the one that shows the power specs).

I see, thank you.

I just wanted to ensure that an unbalanced phase load would not hurt downstream components like the transformers inside the AP3++ or even worse, the S9's.  I think I'll be fine running all 3 on the 208v bridged legs. 

That makes sense... thanks for the explanation.

I believe that any imbalance would only be felt downstream - at your providers UPS or transformers.  Normally balance between legs is more of a goal than an absolute requirement.

The 110 socket is reporting 117v on my voltmeter.  I would like to power them on the 208v sockets, though, since I'm sure it's better for them.

The PDU supplies 110 to the outlets.  There are 21 outlets and 7 are on L1, 7 are on L2, and 7 are on L3.  Each line is a 110 hot just like a normal circuit.

The 6 big outlets with twist locks are (A) two outlests for L1-L2, (B) two outlets for L2-L3, and (C) two outlets for L3-L1.  These outlets bridge two 110's together.  Bridged, they provide 208v.  That is how the PDU can supply both.  On its spec sheet, it says "Nominal output: 120v, 208v."

Using the 20A tab in this spreadsheet, if miner A and B are operational and miner C stops for some reason, the line loads would be L1: 6.8amps, L2: 11.8amps, and L3: 6.8amps.   Would this phase imbalance hurt the miners?

Can you do me a favor?  Stick a voltmeter into one of those 110v sockets...

I'm having a problem with the concept of the power strip providing BOTH 110V and 208v at the same time.  My guess is that your 110V sockets are providing 208V...  my guess is that the 110V sockets are just for the convenience of using more common plugs.

Is there any danger in running the L1-L2, L2-L3, L3-L1 outlets?  It's 3-phase and I have heard horror stories about how unbalanced loads can destroy transformers and other components in power supplies and computer components.  I worry about having one miner stop for some reason and the load hurting the other two or some combination thereof.

What errors should I be receiving with the 120v input?  So far I've been mining for 5 days like this and the hashrate's been constant and I don't see any obvious errors under the Miner Status tab in each S9.  I've attached a screen shot of one of the S9's status, they all look pretty much the same with similar numbers and they all have "oooooooo"s.

https://imgur.com/BViz3pg.jpg

---

(Moderator's note: This post was edited by frodocooper to remove inline image tags.)

Not likely.  They will run on 110V - but can only produce about 1200 Watts at that voltage.  They require 220 (suspect 208 should be fine) to output their full 1600 watts.

Lets see (run and grab a spare)... ok:

Input: 100-140 VAC - Output:  12V DC 100A max (e.g. 1200 watts)
Input: 200-240 VAC - Output:  12V DC 133A max (e.g. 1596 watts)

So yes, 208 SHOULD be fine, but Bitmain runs a bit loose with their specifications.  Like only a fraction of the power supplies will start at 0C.

Thanks for the reply.  So far, there have been no errors on any boards and the hashrate has been pretty consistent at 13.6TH.

The AP3++ PSUs say on the sticker on the side that they run from 110v-240v.  Is it possible that there is a version of the AP3++ that works fine on 120v?

You NEED to use the 208V lines - the AP3++ PSU can not fully power an S9 on 110V.  Likely you will see 2 of your hash boards work fine, and the third have errors until you upgrade to that 208V power.

I have 3 Antminer S9's each with the Bitmain AP3++ PSU running on an APC 7863 PDU.  This PDU has 21 NEMA L5-20R 120v receptacles (normal household-looking American 120V outlets) and 6 NEMA L6-20 208v receptacles.  It has an L21-20p male plug connected to a 3-phase 20 amp circuit in a commercial building. 

Currently, each miner is plugged into a separate leg on the PDU using the standard L5 120V connectors.  Each L5 connector indicates its respective power leg to make it easy to balance the load.  One S9 is in an L1 labeled outlet, one in an L2, and the last one in an L3.  Each leg is reporting ~12amps on the PDU's LED display and the miners are getting about 13.6TH/s. 

My question is whether or not it would be of any benefit to use the beefier L6-20 connectors instead of the L5 connectors.  The L6 connectors are labeled "L1-L2," "L2-L3," and "L3-L1."  The output voltage of these connectors is 208v. 

Would I get any efficiency gains buy using three 208V outlets vs three 120v outlets?  I believe the amps/leg would stay the same.  Is it dangerous to use the 208V connections for 3 antminers in terms of power balance (ie. one miner shuts off and then L1-L2 and L2-L3 have miners, but L3-L1 doesn't... and vice versa)?  I am a total n00b as far as 3-phase power is concerned and this is my first foray into using it. 

I believe:

current setup: One S9 on each 120v leg (L1, L2, L3)
                     1400w / 120v = ~11.67amps per line

Contemplated setup: One S9 on each 208V line pair (L1-L2, L2-L3, L3-L1)
                               1400w / 208v = ~6.73amps per line pair
                               6.7 ÷ √(3)  = 3.89 amps at 3-phase
                               3.89 x 3 = 11.67amps per line

Questions:
Would there be any benefit to using the 208v plugs?  Is there any danger to using the 208v plugs in my setup?

Any help is appreciated, thanks!