Hello All
I need your help on setting up my off grid
solar system based on my needs. I'm building this system to try out mining cryptocurrency 100%
solar powered. Currently, my system has the following:
- 4x 6v
golf cart deep cycle batteries 400ah that are wired in series and parallels to get 12v and 800ah (Will add more in future)
- 6x 320w 9amps solar panels. (Will add more in future)
- Midnite classic 150 charge controller.
I'll need about 500watts 24/7 for my small cryptocurrency rig as a start (I’ll turn off the system for the rainy/cloudy days).
As you may know, computers run on 12v. With that being said, it doesn't make sense to use DC to AC inverter to convert it to 110v AC and use the regular 110v AC computer power supply to convert it back to 12v DC (5v and 3v along with 12v). So I start looking at DC computer power supplies.
From my research I noticed there are limited choices of computer DC power supplies.
Here are the options that I found so far:
-
hdplex-400w.
This will run on voltage range of 16v-24v. That means I'll have to change my battery bank to 24v (I'll have less amps hour (400ah)). Also, I'll need a 24v regulator to regulate the output from the battery since the maximum volts for that power supply is 24v and the battery bank could give little more than that when it’s fully charged or when the charge controller is in charging mode.
A link for the product:
https://www.hdplex.com/hdplex-400w-hi-fi-dc-atx-power-supply-16v-24v-wide-range-voltage-input.html
-
PSTC-12500 car PC power supply 9-18 VDC, 12 volts nominal 500 W
This will run on DC 12 volt nominal, 9-18 VDC INPUT. It’s expensive and has 65% efficiency.
A link for the product:
http://www.powerstream.com/DC-PC-12V-500.htm
-
PSTC-24500 car PC power supply 18-36 VDC, 24 volts nominal
This will run on 24v. It’s less expensive from the 12v one and more efficient (Efficiency %75)
A link for the product:
http://www.powerstream.com/DC_PC.htm
-
Rock Power 500SV DC-ATX ATX Power Supply Supplier 12V Input 500W
This will run on 12v. I’ll need a 12v regulator too for this one. Also, not sure if this product is reliable.
Link for the product: Here
-
Lastly, I have an interesting idea. As you may know the mining rig consist of multiple graphics card that mostly take all the watts. They run on 12v only (unlike the motherboard that needs 12v, 5v and 3v). So, I’m thinking of running the motherboard on a low watt (80w) 12v dc power supply and run the graphics card directly from the battery (Of cause with a 12v power voltage regulator to get a clean 12v from the battery bank). The problem with this idea is that I couldn’t find a voltage regulator that can provide high watts.
Now, Iam trying to figure out which route will be the most efficient/low cost for my system. If you have a better options, please share it
Your advice is highly appreciated!