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Bitmain's Ant Power Supply was released in May 2015. It is a self-developed power supply specifically for Bitcoin mining machines. It took more than a year from project initiation to product release.
The power supply solution for most Bitcoin mining machines is a computer power supply solution: 12V voltage + PCI-E interface. Since the idea of mining machines evolved from graphics cards, its power supply solution is also compatible with graphics cards. Because of this, some of the computer power supplies (ATX) used by mining machines are redundant, such as circuits and wires that provide power to hard drives and motherboards. Although computer power supplies can well support the operation of Bitcoin mining machines, the cost of the excess materials is enough to develop higher-grade and more stable Bitcoin mining machine-specific power supplies, effectively reducing the cost of miners, and the highly plastic appearance can be designed into a shape suitable for mine deployment.
The following are the official parameters of Ant Power:
Official parameters (conversion rate).
How does this power supply perform? Below, Caiyunbit brings you the latest comparative evaluation from the perspective of miners.
1. Unboxing and Photos
Ant Power uses airplane box packaging with foam inside to effectively ensure transportation safety.
The appearance is a brick-shaped design with a metal shell and the Bitmain logo printed on the front.
The basic parameters of the power supply are printed on the side (model APW3-12-1600-B2). You can see that this power supply supports an ultra-wide voltage range of 176-264V, and +12V133A can provide a maximum power output of approximately 1600 watts.
The power supply provides 6 channels, each with two standard PCI-E six-hole interfaces. (Total 12 PCI-E six-hole interfaces)
The wire is clearly marked, the American wire standard is 18AWG, and the maximum temperature allowed for long-term operation is 90°C. (Note that the theoretical power output of 18AWG wire is about 216W±10%, and if it exceeds this, you need to pay attention to the heating of the wire)
In front of the power supply are the cooling fan and power cord interface (the power cord needs to be prepared by yourself). Air enters from here and exits at the rear, which is consistent with the design concept of most mining machines and facilitates the heat dissipation layout of the entire mine.
Behind the power supply are six groups of PCI-E cable interfaces, and you can see that each group of cables is fixed with screws and then soldered. The front and rear end designs are similar to those of traditional server power supplies.
The cable length can easily connect 4 Ant S3 miners.
The physical parameters and internal structure of the power supply are shown below.
(Note! There is a high-voltage package inside the power supply. Disassembly must be carried out under the guidance of professionals and wearing electrician gloves and shoes)
You can see that there is a layer of insulating film outside the circuit board. The internal design is very compact.
The power supply PCB has added a triple-proof paint design to prevent dust containing conductive particles from entering the power supply and causing spark discharge damage to the high-voltage part, thereby increasing the service life of the power supply.
Second, testing
First, compare it with two commonly used power supplies. (Note: Due to different power conversion rates, the following tests are slightly biased and only limited comparisons are made)
1. Zhenhua Gold 450w power supply with Antminer S3, the measured power is about 355w. (At this time, the load is about 79%, 355/450=0.788)
2. A DELL server 750w power supply is used with an Antminer S3, and the measured power is about 400w.
3. The power of an Antminer S3 with a 1600w power supply is about 356w. (The load is about 22% at this time, 356/1600=0.222)
4. In terms of conversion rate, according to Zhongguancun Online's evaluation of the Zhenhua Gold 450w power supply, it can be seen that the conversion rate of 79% of the load is about 90.26%.
According to the power supply 80Plus certification standard, it can be seen that when the load is 20%, the Ant Power conversion rate exceeds the gold medal standard and reaches the platinum conversion standard.
5. Good performance at full load and stable performance during long-term operation.
6. In terms of noise, the noise level measured during normal operation is 68dBa.
7. In terms of heat, the wire temperature was measured at around 36 degrees, and the temperature at the rear of the power supply casing was measured at around 36 degrees.
3. Summary
1. The conversion rate is good. The actual test is consistent with the official parameters, which saves the cost of mining. Compared with ordinary server power supplies, it saves electricity costs, and theoretically saves 1,760 yuan per year! The formula is as follows: (1600w full load saves 206w/hour*24/1000, which saves about 4.9 yuan per day, and 1,760 yuan per year based on 365 days.), and it also shows that more mining machines can be deployed under the same power limit; compared with the computer gold power supply, it saves the initial purchase investment. The current purchase cost of the gold power supply is about 1w/1 yuan.
2. The design is compact and space-saving, providing up to 6 groups of lines and can carry 12 hash boards. The maximum load of each PCI-E is currently about 265w output, and there is no heating phenomenon.
3. The power interface uses PCI-E, which is compatible with ATX power supply. Currently, most of the power supply solutions for mining machines use PCI-E solutions, so this power supply can be fully used for most mining machines.
4. Suitable for the high temperature environment of the mine. The temperature in the south is as high as 30 degrees, and the indoor environment temperature of the test is about 35 degrees. During the test, the long-term full-load operation performance is very stable. From the wire and internal design and materials, it can be seen that this power supply adopts a relatively high standard. Therefore, it has a longer life than ordinary power supplies when used in a high-temperature mine environment.
5. The noise performance is slightly poor, with the cooling fan noise reaching 68dBa, but sufficient wind power also ensures stable operation.
6. The power supply does not have its own switch. It is recommended to find an electrical socket with a switch when using it.
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