Fan
Also called: CFM airflow, cooling fan
The fan removes heat from an air-cooled miner. Its airflow is expressed in CFM and its speed follows the chip temperature.
On an air-cooled ASIC, fans are essential: they push cool air through the hashboards' heatsinks and expel hot air out the back. Most Antminers use four 12 cm fans, two at the front and two at the back. On a GPU rig, each graphics card has its own fans, supplemented by case fans.
Airflow is expressed in CFM, cubic feet per minute. The higher the airflow, the more heat the fan removes, but the more noise it makes and the more power it draws. The control board sets the speed according to the chip temperature: when the room warms up, the fans speed up. A blocked or missing fan usually triggers an error, and the machine shuts down for safety.
To choose well, look at the diameter, thickness, voltage, connector and CFM airflow. A replacement fan should have specifications close to the original to keep cooling effective. Also think about maintenance: dust reduces airflow, and a worn bearing can be spotted by an abnormal noise or an irregular speed in the web interface. On an ASIC converted to hydro or immersion cooling, a fan simulator prevents the missing-fan error.
We offer replacement fans for Antminers, case fans and fan simulators. The HappyMining firmware also lets you set a minimum number of fans so the machine keeps mining while you wait for a repair.