UPDATE Solar Crypto Mining w/AC Fallback No Batteries
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- Опубликовано: 20 май 2023
- Update to the solar mine crypto w/AC fallback, and no batteries video
Affiliate Links:
Ampinvt MPPT solar charge controllers:
40amp: amzn.to/3LPAvhy
60amp: amzn.to/3fkxyJF
80amp: amzn.to/3foaSIA
120amp: amzn.to/43lgjeZ
Victron Battery Protect 65amp: amzn.to/3Iyhkbr
Victron Battery Protect 100amp: amzn.to/3WomFry
Mining motherboard BTC-D37: amzn.to/3DQvcMD
You can find them on ebay too.
PCIE Power cables with ring terminal (bitmain style): amzn.to/3GDR2Ut
PCIE Power cables: amzn.to/3GzrA2c
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CONTACT: bradcagleyt@gmail.com
Business/Collaboration only. Please do not contact me for for personal project help, or advice.
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DISCLAIMER: These videos are documenting my own projects, and experiences. These projects, and activities can be dangerous. Do not try any of this at home, doing so will be at your own risk.
BTW Guys I get all my cheap solar panels from Beene Brothers beenebrothers.com/
This is one awesome video seeing a single rig running with single small solar inverter and ac connected together
Glad you like it :)
Thanks for demonstrating this battery less setup. Nice project.
Thank you for the info! I’m really excited to try this project out myself.
Fantastic! I love your videos about crypto mining with solar. Please do more videos like these ones!!! Could be nice to see expansion for full rig or 12 cards running 24/7 on solar and battery - experiment - how much stuff and solar equipment and batteries are needed - could be nice to see these ones! After your such videos the pools hashrates with double up for sure LOL! :)
Great job, this really helped me out with a 200w hobby. Everyone said this is illegal bc of backfeed power and you have a way to stop that. You're the only one who shows this I could find in all my looking, and it's scaled down to size. Thank you.
You're welcome! Thanks
you are right we also bought used panels of 1300w for home use for just half of the price of new one from local market and they are working fine producing almost 32 amps
Yup! No need to pay full price. These PV panels last like 25 years, probably longer.
Nice! Subbed! skeptical of solar mining ever since due to multiple voltage conversions. I didn't know that PCI power cables just simple 12v line and ground.
Thanks!
Amazing videos! well done and thank you.
Thanks!
Nice setup and excellent use of that ideal diode (and yes, it is absolutely required if that AC->12VDC power supply is not rated for reverse voltage, which it probably isn't). The "ideal diode" chip is basically two FETs in parallel with a very high reverse breakdown voltage. Your circuit is much better than using an automatic transfer switch as the output voltage does not glitch at all.
Yah, it will get hot, you are pushing 400W through it (!). Even though the voltage drop (internal resistance of the FETs) is really low, 400W is still a lot of power. Of course, if it had been a normal diode it would have melted with that much power going through it.
Thanks. Yeah It works very well. The PSU was actually running fine without the ideal diode for several days before I put it aside (i'll fire it back up, just trying to figure out it's final home). Maybe ill try two ideal diodes in parallel.
@@BradCagle Yah, generally power supplies won't implode if the tied voltages are similar. The problem happens when there is a reverse voltage power supply input vs output. So, for example, if you unplug the AC power supply but leave the DC side connected, now there is (without the diode) a 12V reverse voltage applied to the AC supply's output.
That can easily destroy probably 80% of the power supplies out there, depending on how their output stage is designed.
So generally, only power supplies which explicitly state that reverse voltage on the output is ok shosuld be used without a diode type of circuit.
You put 400W+ through that ideal diode, I'm impressed! But yah, it needs a heat sink. You can calculate the power dissipation by looking at the internal resistance on that chip's spec sheet. Power = current * current * resistance. So for example, 50A @ 10mOhm = 50 * 50 * 0.010 = 25W dissipation from the chip. I don't know what chip you used but you can look up the internal resistance spec for it and plug it in.
Cool idea. Never thought of doing it this way but it looks like a fire hazard haha. If you still want to keep the solar maybe try getting a micro grid tie inverter and have it give power to the whole house and plug the miners in as you usually do into the wall.
Keep it dc for more efficiency
Amazing video, you got me hooked up on solar mining and solar as itself. Here in Croati we have a lot of sunny days whole year. I am thinking to buy solar inverter and to look for used solar panels. As mining equipment I have two graphic cards (3070 and 1660 Super) and Bitmain L3+ ( so I have power supply just like yours :) ). What kind of solar inverter and panels would I need to run that setup? Once again, great work with your videos, I am big fan of your work. 5+
i just purchased a l3+ and wanting to turn in purely all solar your channel has helped me kind of figure out what i may need i wish your controller would handle 1000w
Awesome. They have 80amp, and higher amp controller. Pretty sure i put Links in the description. Thanks
great work, i like to see your content very interesting
I have solar installed in the house, a no battery system, self-consuption. So during the day it mines while i work and runs the house. Procuce about 1000W since 8h in the morning to about 18h so i just mine during the day, AC is always available if a cloud passes or something
Awesome, man! I love it 👍
Thanks. I too going solar
Really interesting idea.. battery always adds a lot to the setup cost and has a limited lifespan. There is one thing you could also look into. Those bitmain PSUs have a trimpot for adjusting the output voltage. You can reduce the PSU voltage to 11.9 (or anything below 12) that way you can also keep the voltage output of the charge controller lower (possibly reducing amp draw and power usage in general.) A lower input voltage to the motherboard will also be more efficient as the DC to DC converters on it will have to work less with a lower voltage. Could also extend the life of the motherboard and GPUs.
Thanks! I didn't know about the trimpot. So the ATX spec allows for 12v +-5% which is 12.6v, so at 12.5v I'm still in the safe range. Also usually at higher voltage the amps decrease, and lower voltage the amps increase. I say usually because some with loads that is reversed like LEDs, if you decrease voltage to an LED the power goes down too. I might play with the voltage to see if it makes any difference.
@@BradCagle I think the higher the voltage delta the bigger the power loss, at least in terms of converting 12 to 5 and 3.3, so if you can bring the 12 down from 12.4 to 12.0 or 12.1 you should get better overall efficiency. Since the mobo and GPUs are full of these DC to DC converters it all adds up and every watt counts with solar and crypto :) Maybe you can do a power-draw test at varying levels of "12" to see how they stack up? Could be another video :)
@@rafalklepinski7372 That is certainly true with Linear voltage regulation where everything over the regulated voltage is wasted as heat. However It's much less true of modern switching DC/DC conversion. There may be some loss on higher delta with switching DC/DC, but it would probably be offset by losses in the wiring as lower voltage has higher loss in the wiring. Could be splitting hairs here :) I might play around with this.
It would be cool to see you scale up your project a little bit at a time as funds allow, hopefully this current crypto run will help make that a reality.
I am setting miy cpu miners up to run on a system similar to the battery solar system you have shown in the other video. I have new panels and used. 100 watt, 200 watt, and 300 watt. They are great. Paying under $300 for all 8 of them. I say look around as well.
i have a similar setup to this i use a hybrid off grid inverter for my enclosed trailer and a small 40ah lith. i use it to power my goldshell miners.
Awesome, thanks for the comment!
This setup is sweet
Great explanation!
Thanks!
I like it! I was going to ask what you had the charge voltage set to but you beat me to it!
I also appreciate I’m not the only one that sends more voltage and panel wattage to my Solar charge controller than the manual calls for ;). I suppose the 85.6v is only a tad over 80 and we won’t see 85.6 in the summer.
I thought these were capable of 150v. I better check LOL. EDIT: Oh crap, you're right 80v if using 12v system. Whoops haha EDIT2: Well looking at it again it says 18 - 80v is the MPPT working range. So should be safe.
@@BradCagle Oh cool! I was thinking it was 80 but always happy when it’s higher than expected.
thank you you are genius
Thanks!
You got it working! Congrats man... Any idea if the same setup will work if i switch to using wind turbines? Should work the same ya?
Would it make more sense to have a voltage regulator in from of the gpus to ensure constant 12v?
Thank you man
you're welcome!
You've gained a sub my bro. Hope you got some more content like this!
Thanks for the sub! I'll get around to more mining videos, especially since crypto's on it's way back up now!
LFG! @@BradCagle
Brat this is great, though the fuse will not help in case something goes wrong.
You absolutely need a diode of some sort to help with that.
Fuse will help if your electronics draw large amounts of power exceeding the rated amperage.
My guess of why it gets warm is probably because you have about 450w trying to push through the diode.
Which in turn it acts like a resistive load.
Maybe a different type of diode would do the trick?!?
Maybe consider an automatic transfer switch instead to switch between solar and ac input.
Though it WILL add to cost.
I might grab a second Ideal diode, and run them in parallel to distribute the load a little across them. Thanks!
can you provide the link for the BatteryProtect device and the other back thing that is connected to it? thank you. i want to recreate the same set up for me.
I wish I knew more about crypto mining. It would be cool if I could set up something where my solar stuff was making money all month while I'm away in this semi truck
Nice. Free power!!
That's right!
I have 2 questions. 1 where do I get o Bitmain power supply like the one in the video? And 2 can you maybe add a couple of batteries, maybe enough to last maybe half the night then when they are dead the AC will kick on, maybe 4 100Ah lithium batteries.
Can you use 48 solar panels and convert to 12v using that solar controller?
Totally nee to this. How much is that little mining rig cost and how much can you mine per day?
Great work... I am a Sri Lankan. I also want to build a rig with solar panels connected to electricity. Can you provide me with the things I need and the knowledge I need?
Thank you for sharing all of your trials and errors here with us on a basic solar mining setup. Two questions I have for you... Are you actually making any money from this setup and those GPU's? If you are, do you mind sharing what you are mining?
Not a whole lot to be made right now. I've been mining Cortex, and Dynex mostly.
@@BradCagle Thanks for the response. That was pretty much what I was seeing as well. I have some old 4gig and 6gig cards that even if I cut the power cost in half with solar they are only breaking even at best.
O yeah... i re ordered my victron 150-70 smart solar charge controller so hopefully when i get home it will be there and i can mess with my system some
I want to make a on grid solar system with no batteries but i don't want to supply grid. Did you can recommend a diode for 220v AC?
If you use a diode in an AC system that would just rectify the AC to DC
What do you use the battery protect for? There is no battery to protect from draining.
By the way, isn't this your BTC-d37 motherboard from your shed? Did you replace it?
The battery protect also protects loads from high voltage. It will shut down at 16v, which is still high but not as high as PV voltage. So just a little added protection. I have two of these motherboards. I found them super cheap shortly after ETH went POS so I bought a few. I also have a BTC x79 for if POUW becomes a thing. Thanks
❤️👍
😮 lets hope you explain how to (the order) to turn things on or you could get issues and break things quickly.
Some switches are good and a fuse...
You need to get a diode or group of them that can handle the power (current). That why its so hot.
Hello again.. So I am home again to work on some projects.. I received that same 40A controller and the cables.. Am not finding that "Just a Bitmain 12v power supply". lol.. What model is it.. and how loud is it..? Thanx you Mr. Cagle. One of my cousins shares your name too..
Fun! here's a link to the PSU amzn.to/4aBX2ua
You should add another power meter to the solar input side. 50% savings.. and with bitcoin backup to about 35+ tweak them cards and it'll reel in your ROI much faster.
I agree, thanks!
@@BradCagleI have one of them bitmain power supplies waiting for me at home.. I'm also going to be setting up a bicoin miner system with 3 mini box miners off solar. I'll post a video when I get it working.
Lets get a update on this project!
Newbie question : Why does solar power take priority over AC power?
Thanks !!!
Because I have the solar set to a slightly higher voltage than the AC/DC power supply is outputting. The device outputting higher voltage will provide the power to the load.
@@BradCagle thanks ! That's interesting, is that a known electrical law?
@@JeNyCroisPas Yes
Can this system operate without the AC plugged in IF there is sufficient illumination or does the charge controller need that voltage?
I was able to remove the AC, and it continued to run. However the first cloud that rolls over will shut everything down. Also this charge controller must have power to start up, it will not start/boot from the solar side.
I wonder how large of a capacitor would allow the system to start on solar?
@@ericew Probably a super capacitor bank would work. I also have some small 120v dc converters, these can convert down to 10-12 volts. This could be used to bootstrap the controller from the PV side. Maybe a small 12v high current battery would be the best solution. I have some. perhaps ill do another video.
Did you make that solar panel stand?
Yes
why connect the PC to the "battery" terminal instead of "dc load", the controller does not put out DC without a battery?
The DC Load is only capable of 15amps on this unit. Also the controller has to see a battery voltage to start up. The power supply looks like a battery to it with 12v so it can start.
@@BradCagle thanks!
Hi, Brad! I have a huuuuge question about this type of inverter MPPT charge controller model - if i buy one of exactly this model - can I buy later one more and connect it in serial to increase power from 500 Watts to 1000 watts? Can you do that video please? I am curious - if you 100% disconnect from main power all this setup - can it 100% run from solar panel while sun is shining? Or - this main to grid connection is necessary to start the mining rig? Kind Regards! Greetings!
We'll you connect in parallel, not series. But yes this works for battery systems. I need to try it with this. I'll see if I can get around to it. Thanks
Is it safe to connect the load to the solar charge controller battery port? , I know this port is an mppt battery charge port and it changes its power, voltage and current based on the state of the battery, what settings for the solar charge controller you used make it think it is a load and not a battery attached to it?, Please can you explain it in more detail in another video? Thank you. 👍
Yes. BTW a battery looks like a load too if it is drawing current. The way this works without a battery, the 12v PSU I have hooked up looks like a battery drained down to 12.0v . I have the MPPT set to charge to 12.5v, so It starts charging with all it's power to get that PSU up to 12.5v. It will never get to, and hold 12.5v as the mining rig is taking all that power. Also done let those load ports on MPPTs fool you, they are only good for low power draw equipment. All the high power devices (like inverters), are tied to the battery port. Thanks for the comment.
Hi, thanks for the video, I liked it a lot but may i ask ... why didn't you put the watt meter on the supply side to the power supply box to show what is being drawn from the AC supply so that we can see how much AC is consumed which is what we are charged on! :(
The big thing I learnt was that it seems the miner is first fed by the MPPT Controller and the grid just makes up the shortfall. I never realised that, I expected them to share the demand ... that's a real eye opener for me. :)
The meter was on the dc out of the PSU. I just wanted to show how much power was coming from the PSU vs the MPPT. The AC draw would be a little more maybe 10% (depending on the efficiency of the PSU). As for sharing the load, so the way this works is the device that is producing the higher voltage will be used as the main source of power. So I have the MPPT set to a slightly higher voltage over the PSU, if I were to match the voltage exactly, and the wire lengths (and wire resistance) were the same then the load would be equally shared. Thanks
@@BradCagle Yeah I get that Brad, that's why I asked! What I was looking for is does the SUPPLY to the PSU vary with the power produced by the MPPT? At the end of the day it's the supply to the PSU that costs money not what's consumed from it! :)
@@davidcaple5547 Yes of course, the AC side should be proportional to what the DC side of the PSU is producing + some inefficiency overhead.
@@BradCagle I'm sorry Brad but is that so ... I've never found anyone prepared to stick their neck out and say for example that the load on the primary winding of a transformer is proportional to the draw on the secondary winding. The primary winding has no direct link to the secondary side so how does it reduce it's load proportional to the secondary draw? I.e. if you connect a 240v AC/12v DC transformer to a 240 supply with no load on the 12v side is it that there would be no draw on the 240v side?
@@davidcaple5547 These are actually switching power supplies so the AC is rectified to DC before it hits a transformer. The high voltage DC is then pulsed(switched) at high frequency through a much smaller transformer. Then it is rectified once more, and filtered to produce a smooth DC output. So to answer your question if the PSU is designed well, it should not be drawing much power from the AC side if the DC side has no (or little) demand. Thanks
This is the setup for that asic kd miner at full wattage.
what is that blue disconnect called? link?
Victron Battery Protect 60amp
@@BradCagle Victron Battery Protect 60amp - what happens if you add TWO of them in serial - will be that a double protection against that rig explosion / damage from excess current / surge or will be same as one? Is this same as surge protector?
put it on a timer for ac side
update on this kind sir!
40amp is what you charge controller can put out not 480amp.
I'm well aware of that. Where did i say it was 480amp? I went through the video twice now.
only now I found why no one builds a battery powered miner, 12V LFP batteries aren't really 12 volts but full capacity is at 13.6V and 12V is at 9% SoC. Graphics card, are advisable to only go up to 12.6-12.8V. At 12.6V, 12V-LFP battery will be only at 17% charge. sigh....
Actually they can be charged to 14.2-14.6 so yeah a bit high. BTW I have ran miners at 13.8v and I never had an issue YMMV
@@BradCagle thanks. interesting! what is it like if you set your charger at 13.8volts to charge a 12V LFP battery? does the battery even reach 13.8v?
@@zodiacfml Yes it'll reach 13.8 provided you have you have enough power leftover from your miner. It'll fully charge at 13.8, just takes a little longer.
@@BradCagle that sounds great! thanks for the tips!
Great video! I don’t understand the battery protect. I don’t think if there was high voltage it would disconnect it right away cause there is a delay and your gpus would get damaged.
Also when it disconnects wouldn’t it send the voltage into your solar charge controller?
My charge controller also warns not to connect the solar before a battery. Could that damage the charge controller as well?