What do you guys use for power protection?

rdnkjdirdnkjdi Member Posts: 135 ✭✭
I'm in the mid-west so first big storm last night (shut down my rigs for several hours and we had a 5 hour power outage). I was just wondering what small to medium sized miners (I'm pulling about 12,000W) use for power protection. Batter backups really aren't an option ...

Comments

  • bbcoinbbcoin Member Posts: 377 ✭✭✭
    You could order a UPS from China.
    But that will only protect you from the surge and let you run for about 20min to shut down the rigs safely.

    Backup generator of that capacity will be expensive to buy and expensive to run. Just accept the fact and move on.
  • rdnkjdirdnkjdi Member Posts: 135 ✭✭
    No - I don't care about keeping my rigs running. Only protecting them from surges.

    In the past I've noticed UPS tend to do a better job than the power strips but I was just curious as to what others were using (or if they were using anything at all)
  • bbcoinbbcoin Member Posts: 377 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2016
    rdnkjdi said:

    No - I don't care about keeping my rigs running. Only protecting them from surges.

    In the past I've noticed UPS tend to do a better job than the power strips but I was just curious as to what others were using (or if they were using anything at all)

    If you don't trust your circuit breakers then just buy the UPS.
    Most power strips don't provide any protection at all. Usually there's a leakage of current even when the surge protector burns out.
  • greenusergreenuser 50.8862°N 4.5537°WMember Posts: 439 ✭✭
    edited April 2016
    A big fat power factor correction capacitor across the mains. You may run with a slightly leading power factor.... So you will consume slightly more power... "wattless power".
    You need to measure the phase angle of your current setup. It will have a lagging power factor due to inductive load. Its not an easy thing to give advice on as you will be governed by local regulations (you may need discharge resistors too). Contact a good local industrial contractor for a consultation. He may have some he has striped out of somewhere. 12kw isn't small in the domestic setting... ~60A @ 240v AC... thats two cooker spurs in the UK
  • retherrether Member Posts: 258 ✭✭
    My experience is that "brown outs" and power fluctuations are more dangerous to electronics and it really takes a good UPS to counter those.

    I had lightning hit a pole near my house and it cooked every computer hooked up and even came in through the cable line and destroyed my router and modem. I could feel the hair on my neck stand up right before it happened...and the surge protectors did nothing. It killed the surge protectors and two UPS with it.
  • rdnkjdirdnkjdi Member Posts: 135 ✭✭
    rether said:

    My experience is that "brown outs" and power fluctuations are more dangerous to electronics and it really takes a good UPS to counter those.

    I had lightning hit a pole near my house and it cooked every computer hooked up and even came in through the cable line and destroyed my router and modem. I could feel the hair on my neck stand up right before it happened...and the surge protectors did nothing. It killed the surge protectors and two UPS with it.

    Well that's lovely ... hmmm
  • Hytech2kHytech2k Member Posts: 130 ✭✭
    edited April 2016
    http://www.homedepot.com/p/Square-D-Home-Electronics-Protective-Device-HEPD-HEPD80/203540660

    That's what I run on the panel in my office, I run 2 CNC machines, 1 laser cutter, mining rigs and computers, all hopefully protected to some degree from large surges or lightning by this device. I live in out in the country in Florida so lightning and brown/blackouts due to fallen trees is a pretty constant threat throughout the summer..
  • greenusergreenuser 50.8862°N 4.5537°WMember Posts: 439 ✭✭
    edited April 2016
    Hytech2k said:

    http://www.homedepot.com/p/Square-D-Home-Electronics-Protective-Device-HEPD-HEPD80/203540660

    That's what I run on the panel in my office, I run 2 CNC machines, 1 laser cutter, mining rigs and computers, all hopefully protected to some degree from large surges or lightning by this device. I live in out in the country in Florida so lightning and brown/blackouts due to fallen trees is a pretty constant threat throughout the summer..

    That's the puppy..... Square D make some nice stuff, I have been using their stuff for years but... that power factor capacitor is just not gonna be big enough for your 12KVA.
    12AWG cable, 41A is max, read the spec, and get a pro in.

    Are you permitted to do your own installations without being Regs qualified?
    Now you have posted this on the net, a fire will void your insurance.

    The problem i have here in the UK is the Mains power is surge free but at about 248v AC. We need 250v to 220v transformers to stop stuff from rest of world cooking itself. Also, i am just down the road from GCHQ Bude, the NSA/GCHQ joint listening center between US and UK internet trafic.
    Up side is, the power is cock on reliable.

    @Hytech2k they must be small CNCs

  • adasebadaseb Member Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭
    Most high quality power supplies have built in surge protection and some form of brownout protection.

    Surge protectors only help if you are far away from the lightning, if it hits near your house then there is nothing you can really do.

    Just turn off your rigs during lightning.
  • shawn_Blah_Blahshawn_Blah_Blah Member Posts: 57
    I just use pennies in the circuit breaker box to protect myself from breakers popping. You just stuff 4 of them in there to bridge the circuit.
  • Hytech2kHytech2k Member Posts: 130 ✭✭
    edited April 2016
    @greenuser Yeah they're pretty small when compared to the large commercial machines. I agree with @adaseb it's best to shut down everything important if you know a storm if coming.
  • greenusergreenuser 50.8862°N 4.5537°WMember Posts: 439 ✭✭
    @Hytech2k Yes, small is good if you are a watch maker. I cut my teeth on Webster & Bennett CNC Vertical Turning and Boring Machines from the 1970s, (back in the days programs were stored on tape) They had chucks that would hold a job 60" dia, but the same idea whatever size.
  • Hytech2kHytech2k Member Posts: 130 ✭✭
    @greenuser We don't quite make watches though lol. I should have been more specific, We're a woodworking shop, the 2 CNC's are just for wood carving, nothing real heavy duty. We specialize in signage, most everything we carve is less than 4 feet x 8 feet. I've seen some video of the lathes and such from back in the 70's, the sheer size of those machines is pretty awesome.

    Anyway, my apologies to the op for derailing his thread, good luck.
  • workwork Member Posts: 2,084 ✭✭✭✭
    I rely on PSU and circuit breakers for protection. Hasn't failed me yet in my life, but we don't live in an area that sees a lot of lightning and never brownouts. Blackouts are the only real concern.

    I just use pennies in the circuit breaker box to protect myself from breakers popping. You just stuff 4 of them in there to bridge the circuit.

    I lol'd.
  • nicoterra33nicoterra33 Member Posts: 53

    https://google.pl/search?q=dehnguard+lightning+protection&oq=dehnguard+li&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.6709j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

    this shit is for professional use
    it's expensive... but
    if you have xxkW mining operation It is worth every single penny

    you need a good grounding to work properly
  • adasebadaseb Member Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭
    Blackouts and surges aren't really much of a concern. The worse are brownouts because if your voltage goes from 120V to 70V then all your capacitors in most of your computer parts will fail unless you have a good PSU that will completely shut down the system.

    Most components will try to compensate running at 70V and will fail and in that case the PSU needs to detect this and shut off completely.

  • greenusergreenuser 50.8862°N 4.5537°WMember Posts: 439 ✭✭
    Yes, volt drop is not good, in AC, as the potential difference (v) decreases, current (I) increases in order to maintain power (w). This stresses everything causing heat. As things heat up, resistance goes up causing more current to flow. Machines that have inductive load like PSUs and induction motors this is exaggerated as the current will lag the voltage. The degree of lag is the phase angle. Capacitors take all the strain. In machines that have capacitive loads, like synchronous motors.., the current leads the voltage. So having a compressor with a synchronous motor will help protect your inductive loads from voltage instability in a setting such as a machine shop.

    Also, this another reason why your PSUs should have headroom. i.e. if you need a 750w, buy a 1000w

    I wish we still had manufacturing here in UK :( Hope you guys come over to the new forum when this one shuts.
  • rdnkjdirdnkjdi Member Posts: 135 ✭✭
    adaseb said:

    Blackouts and surges aren't really much of a concern. The worse are brownouts because if your voltage goes from 120V to 70V then all your capacitors in most of your computer parts will fail unless you have a good PSU that will completely shut down the system.

    Most components will try to compensate running at 70V and will fail and in that case the PSU needs to detect this and shut off completely.

    I'm pretty sure my PSU's will shut down. I've overloaded them and overheated them multiple times in my testing and they just kill the power (and bring it back on once they've cooled off). All server PSUs.

    Getting hit by lighting is my primary concern ... I've never noticed problems with brownouts around here.
  • 0x000x00 Member Posts: 55
    I have a couple hamsters running on the wheel, just need to keep them fed daily
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