Synchronizing power supplies for mining

In 2023, mining digital currencies remains a lucrative business. Under the conditions of the cryptozyme, the income of miners has decreased. Market participants are working for the future and buying up capacity at a discount. To maintain profitability, miners are using rigs of 20 or more graphics cards. To support such farms, powerful server power supplies are needed. The price of a unit in 2023 is 15-25 thousand rubles. But there is a way to save money – synchronization of power supplies for mining. If you combine 2 ordinary transformers, you can increase the power, paying 2-3 times less. In August 2022 synchronizer costs an average of 500 rubles. With a soldering iron and minimal knowledge of electrical engineering, such a device can be made independently.

Calculating the power supply capacity

Computer systems in mining are busy around the clock. For reliable operation of farms need high-quality power supplies of appropriate power. On average, to connect a rig of 6 graphics cards will require a 1200 W converter.

When calculating the power supply capacity, you should focus on the maximum consumption. The TDP parameter (Thermal Design Power or Total Drawn Power) determines the amount of energy that a video card or asic at 100% load consumes.

The actual values for GPU and ASIC can be viewed on the website of the developer of the technique. On average, graphics cards consume 160-320 watts.

You can calculate the TDP of the equipment in the following way:

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1. Include 150W for the strapping (hard disk, processor, RAM, motherboard). You need to lay down larger values if outdated CPU and HDD models are used. Keyboard, mouse and monitor after the successful start of the farm is better to disconnect to save money.
2. Add a reserve of at least 20% of maximum power. When mining, the technique works in harsh conditions. In addition, the converter at high load (more than 70%) shows the highest efficiency.

How to connect a synchronizer of power supplies for mining

One power converter is used to supply the strapping (hard disk, CPU, central board) and graphics adapters. Such a unit is called a master unit. Slave transformers are connected only to the GPU. On these nodes can not be saved, because they provide a stable voltage on the graphics cards. Failures in operation can lead to breakdown and failure of the GPU. The requirements for the master transformer are as follows:

• High power. Average consumption is 90-150 W.
• Sufficient number of PCI-E outputs. They should be enough for the required number of video cards.

Connecting the master unit

For stable operation of the mining farm, you need to leave a reserve of energy for the converter – at least 20%. The components are connected in this order:

1. Motherboard.
2. CPU.
3. Hard disk.
4. Graphics adapters.

Slave unit connection

Built-in sources of electricity supply only the graphics processors. It is not necessary to connect the harness and the central board to them. But it is necessary to connect the 24-pin current cable of the motherboard, otherwise the block will not be able to start. To connect the slave transformer you will need:

• PCI wires for GPU power supply.
• Molex (SATA) cables for the raiser.
• Center board wire (8P or 4+4P connector).

Using the stub

To start the slave node, you need to simulate the connection of the center board. To do this, you can use a paper clip or a plug (available on marketplaces). To close the pins in the transformer, you need to:

1. Place the cable with a 24 pin connector so that the key is on top.
2. Find the 4th and 5th connectors in the top row of pins.
3. Insert a paper clip (plug) into them.

The pros and cons of the methods are presented in the table.

Rules for turning on the mining farm

When using multiple units, it is necessary to separate the power circuits between the GPU power supply and the center board. This helps to avoid current flow problems and short circuits. For separation, you need to:

• Use quality raisers.
• Plug transformers into the same outlet.
• Do not supply voltage to one consumer (raiser, GPU or CPU, central board connector, hard disk) from 2 nodes.
• Use a synchronizer.
• Choose PCI-E wires that are powered by the center board.

The mining farm is started in this order:

1. Slave transformers should be turned on first.
2. After that you need to wait 10-20 seconds for the video cards to start.
3. Then turn on the master converter and the rest of the farm components.

When the master transformer starts up, current flows to the video card raisers of the slave nodes. If you turn on the master transformer first, it will start the slave transformers. This is fraught with overloading the farm – video cards may burn up.

If the main transformer is switched off (if a synchronizer is used), the other nodes will be de-energized. If you properly organize the power supply of the farm, problems can arise only because of poor quality components.

Basic safety rules

In normal use, only 1 video card is connected to the PC, so the power of transformers is limited. Synchronization of power supplies for mining is used when there is a shortage of power or connectors. In normal conditions, the use of powerful server converters is unprofitable. When connecting several nodes at the same time, you need to adhere to basic safety rules:

• Use a separate PCI-E cable for each video card (even if the wire has two connectors), otherwise there may not be enough power.
• Beginners should not use Molex-PCI-E connectors. Such connectors are designed for 35-70 W, while the video card requires at least 250 W.
• Make a preliminary calculation of the node power. It is mandatory to have a reserve.
• Choose high-quality converters. The service life of video cards depends on it. Transformers from well-known manufacturers have built-in protection against short circuit, overheating, impulse overload.
• Conduct preventive maintenance of power nodes. At least once a week it is necessary to remove dust.
• It is not recommended to connect more than 5 cards to one transformer. The nodes maintain a load limit on a separate power line with current and conductivity limitations. It is theoretically possible to connect up to 12 devices to a single transformer (based on the number of connectors), but it is risky. Transformers are not designed for such power.
• Do not use transformers from different manufacturers at the same time.
• The voltage must come from a single source to the center board. To stabilize the current supply, devices are equipped with filters. But motherboards can adjust to the power supply. Receiving 2 different voltages can lead to failures and failure of the farm.

Buying a synchronizer of two PSUs

Using multiple PSUs can save money. A powerful transformer costs more than two regular ones. The average price of a server converter in the summer of 2022 is 20 thousand rubles. The usual ones cost 3-5 thousand rubles.

During the period of increased demand for mining equipment, powerful models are not on sale. Using a synchronizer becomes the only way to get a powerful farm. With it, you can simultaneously launch several blocks.

The principle of operation of transformers is based on the shorting of the minus line with a 12 V circuit. The synchronizer distributes power from the main unit to the slave units. The table shows the types of these elements.

Synchronizers successfully cope with the connection of several nodes. The relay element is the safest. If the power supply is not properly divided, the farm may not start or shut down (the current will continue to flow to the video cards even when Windows is deactivated).

How to make a synchronizer of two PSUs yourself

The main parameter in a mining farm is payback. Therefore, you can save on components, if it does not affect the performance of the equipment. To operate the farm, you need to supply a stable voltage to the video cards. Otherwise, expensive GPUs can fail.

It is definitely impossible to save money on the raiser. According to statistics, the most common cause of unstable operation of equipment is poor-quality raisers.

It is necessary to choose elements with built-in protection against voltage surges. Synchronizers can be bought on the Internet or made independently. This will require experience in electrical engineering. It is also necessary to buy accessories:

• A plug on the PWL board.
• SATA connector.
• Relay 5 or 12 V.
• Solder.
• Soldering iron.

The average cost of components in July 2022 – 120-160 rubles. The order of assembly is as follows:

1. Find on the developer’s website or in thematic blogs the electrical diagram of the relay.
2. Solder the current cables. By default, the device includes 4 legs. Of these, 2 are closed by the developer. To the remaining ones you need to solder red and black wires (in any order).
3. Connect a plug to the closed legs of the PWL-2 board.

The ready synchronizer is designed to run 2 nodes simultaneously. To connect 3 transformers, you will need 2 such elements.

Synchronize 2 power supplies for mining with the help of improvised means can also be done in another way. To do this, you need to close 2 connectors of the 24-pin connector (15 and 16) with a paper clip. You can also:

1. Connect the cable to the 5V pin of the main power source.
2. Bare the green wire of the slave transformer.
3. Connect the cables together.
4. The auxiliary transformer will turn on with the synchronous signal of the main transformer.

However, such methods are risky, given the danger of damaging transformers and video cards. If the unit is started without load (with connected devices), the voltage conversion circuit may fail. If the master node breaks, there will be problems with the motherboard.

The advantage of self-assembly is the lack of costs. The miner does not need to wait for the delivery of the element.

Summary

The use of synchronizers is an affordable way to stabilize the voltage of the farm. In this case, one converter includes the strapping and video cards, while others include only the GPU. The main power source is connected to the motherboard with a 24-pin cable. When the master converter is turned on, voltage will be supplied to the slave nodes.

Author: Saifedean Ammous, an expert in cryptocurrency economics.