Power supply
Also called: PSU, APW, power supply unit
The power supply (PSU) converts AC mains power into low-voltage DC for the miner. At Bitmain, it is called an APW.
The power supply, or PSU for Power Supply Unit, converts alternating current from the grid into the low-voltage direct current the chips need. On a Bitmain ASIC, it is called APW followed by a number, for example APW12 or APW17. On a GPU rig, ATX PC power supplies or server power supplies are used.
No power supply is perfect: some energy is lost as heat during conversion. Its efficiency, often indicated by an 80 Plus certification (Gold, Platinum…), therefore affects total power consumption. It also needs to be sized with some headroom: a power supply that constantly runs at its limit gets hotter and ages faster. A worn-out power supply gives itself away through reboots, hashboards dropping out or unstable voltage.
On a product page, check the maximum power in watts, the input voltage range and the connector type. High-power ASICs plug into 230 V via a C19 cable or a model-specific connector, never into a simple power strip. For a GPU rig, add up the consumption of the cards, the motherboard and the processor, then keep a margin of at least 20%. For a replacement, choose the APW model intended for your machine: power, connectors and settings differ between series.
We offer replacement APW power supplies for the Antminer S19 and S21, as well as ATX and server power supplies for GPU rigs.