Topic: Where to find 220v PSU cables in the U.S.? (Read 1338 times)

 The issue isn't that the cords can't handle it.
 The ISSUE is the probability of accidentially plugging a 110V item into a socket that is wired for 220V but using a 110V socket.

 I have yet to see a NEMA 5 socket or plug that can't handle 220, *BUT* there are a lot of items designed to run from 110V that go *poof* or *boom* or start burning if you accidentally plug them into 220V.

 Yes, it CAN work - but do it at your own risk, and KNOW that it is a code violation because of that risk.

I use standard Nema 5-15r outlets wired for 240V.   Then I just use standard 3-prong cables that come with PSUs.  I have yet to find one without insulation rated for 300V.

There are 2 reasons to use 220V on some power supplies.

 1) It is a little more efficient, typically 2% at high load factors on most gold-rated power supplies.

 2) It can handle more load.
     Most 110 outlets are 15 amp (20 can be found but outside of outlets intended for use on AC units are very uncommon in residential usage and somewhat uncommon in commercial usage).
     A 220v 15 amp outlet can handle TWICE the load, while 20 amp outlets are fairly common at 220V and 30 amp are somewhat common (higher-power window A/C units usually use a 15 amp 220v plug, rarely a 20 amp 220 plug for the highest-power ones, most electric driers and some electric ranges are designed to connect to a 30 amp 220V outlet).
     You can even find a 50 amp 220v outlet in some cases in a home (those ranges NOT designed to plug into a 30 amp outlet commonly plug into a 50 amp outlet, though sometimes that outlet is on a 30 amp circuit).

  Many server-type high end power supplies are specifically rated to handle more load on 220v in than 110v in - the Bitmain APW5 for example is rated to handle 2600 watts on a 220v circuit but only 1300 watts on a 110 circuit.

 Most areas in most states incorporate the NEC as part of their building code - which leads to very little variation when it comes to legal requirements for wiring on a nationwide basis.
 Building code regulations are NOT generally done at a state level, with a few specific exceptions like California requiring a certain level of earthquake resistance in "new construction" in one of their laws some years back.
 They are more commonly done at a county or a city/town level.

 It is common for the total of the breakers on all of your branch circuits combined to exceed the maximum current your main breaker can supply - most folks don't push that limit, but folks like us that mine have to watch the TOTAL, not just how much goes on each circuit, as a result of that - and no, you can't SAFELY pull more than the rating of that main breaker as total, as the wiring that supplies the panel is BASED on that max total draw.
 While the NEC does not consider such a setup to be a "best practice" it is not specifically outlawed (unless it finally got changed in the most recent version of the NEC and I missed it), though they DO spell out that you are not allowed to put a total load on a panel that exceeds the DESIGN specification for the main breaker and the feed wiring TO that panel, and that for 24/7 operation you need to derate those ratings by 20%.

 Using 220v circuits instead of 110 does NOT allow you to somehow magically exceed the rating of the main breaker and it's feed wiring in a safe way.

Short answer is, if you add up all the circuits in your house, you will most certainly exceed 200amp. I think the rules vary by state, but there is generally a maximum amount that you can go over the 200amps.

In terms of pulling more than 200amps? I don't think that's possible. If your circuit is rated at 200 amps, that's what it can provide.

Using the 220v just means you have less cables to supply power to your rigs. If you wanted to do it with 110v, you would need twice as many. Plus 110v circuits usually max out at 20amp. After that you need special plugs.

Also, 220v is more efficient. This means your PSUs will use less power than if it were on 110v. I think the savings is around 2%.
If your PSU is pulling 1200W on 110v, it would be pulling ~1176w on 220v.

No, the PDU does not convert 220v to 110v.

The PDU should receive 220v and it sends 220v. There is no conversion.

Your PC should be able to receive 208-240v no problem, but check your power supply. There may be a little switch on the back to change from 110v to 220v.

I don't plug my PCs in directly to the PDU. I use a PDU extension and then plug my PCs into that. You have to have specific PC power cables, as the normal ones you use in U.S. will not work. They are linked above.

thank you everyone for all of the information in this thread - i've been considering this for a while.

my garage has a 220 plug like this one already mentioned:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pass-Seymour-locking-receptacle-L6-30R-MADE-IN-U-S-A-30-amp-250V-twist-lock-/390917364485?

i've been considering one of the apc pdu's as mentioned.

Could someone please clarify that I understand the following correctly:

1) -the plug itself runs on 220 volts from the plug to the panel through its 30amp rated wiring (using both sides in the power panel)  - meaning it pulls half the amps for the given load

2) -the pdu plugs into the 220 and then the pdu changes the power to 120 for the plugs in the pdu itself that the computers/devices plug into

3) -the computers are actually running just like normal on 120 - and the pdu changes it to 220 before sending it to the wall and the panel.

is this correct?  if not, please correct what I am misunderstanding.

cheers and thanks!

Ultimately if your house can only handle let's say 200 amp , you can only setup miners to use that 200 amps not to mention the rest of the house ? Is there a way to squeeze more power? is that what the 220v and pdu for?

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.

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.

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/232273303006
Which 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.

if you are not a troll and your question is sincere you new to find someone to help you in person as I was unable to get you to understand this.

if you follow my directions exactly  all those receptalces  would be providing 240 volts not 120 volts.

you would need to plug in only 240 volt items.

and it sounds like you do not understand this.  

So I should say clearly this would be a 240 volt only system.
these extension bars handle 240 volts it is mechanically sound.  but it is not code.

Ie if you plug in 120 volt items they will break since they are getting 240 volts.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252640-001-HP-8x-5-15R-Outlets-PDU-w-C20-Plug-Ears-for-661486-B21-661488-B21-/282343808405?

if you want code
get two of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PDU-Extension-Bar-100-240VAC-HP-EO4601-PN-228480-002-SPN-252638-001-/272646293880?
and 6 of these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-foot-Power-Extension-Cord-Black-C13-to-C14-14AWG-/391468735497?hash=item5b255adc09:g:CF0AAOSwR5dXSnqi

I noticed the outlets that you linked at only 120v. Should I get one that's 240v?

Good luck with the cooling. Thats been the hardest part for me.

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. =)

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.