208V DELTA vs 208V WYE for Crypto Mining

In short, you can mine with 208V but it is a BAD idea from a cost of setup and efficiency standpoint.  If you have only a small number of miners, less than a dozen, you will be OK.  Professional setups should stay as far away as possible from a 208V setup.

208V comes in 3 configurations

• Single-Phase (line, line, ground)
• 3 Phase DELTA (line, line, line, ground)
• 3 Phase WYE (line, line, line, neutral, ground)

If you have 208V single phase, which is most common in a residential environment, you can mine with this voltage, though it is inefficient.  This is OK for home miners, but not professional miners. 

If you have a 3 phase system, it comes in two versions, DELTA (208V 3 Phase) and WYE (120V/208V 3 Phase). The main difference between these two types of power is the use of a neutral line. DELTA has no neutral and WYE has a neutral. When 3 phase is turned into single-phase at the outlet level by a PDU (which is what feeds the miner), the presence of a neutral line affects the voltage.

WYE Source = 120V single phase (line, neutral, ground)

DELTA Source = 208V single phase (line, line, ground)

If you do not connect the neutral line of a WYE configuration, it essentially turns into a DELTA, which can be used for mining. If you run the neutral that comes with WYE power, the outlet voltage will be 120V, not 208V and it will NOT work for mining.

There are a few things to consider when using a 208V DELTA or Single phase 208V configuration.

1. The size of your upstream circuit breaker must double. A Crypto Slayer PDU for example would require a 160A upstream breaker vs a 80A breaker with a WYE configuration.

2. The size of the cable feeding the PDU must increase to match the size of the upstream circuit breaker which adds significant costs.

3. Only our Crypto Slayer PDUs come in DELTA or 208V single phase configurations as it is not an efficient mining voltage and is only suitable for home mining operations.  If you are running a professional crypto mine, 208V is not a good voltage to use.

If you are a professional mining operation, you will need to step your voltage up to 240V/415V which is the best and most efficient voltage for mining.  Raptor sells a full line of transformers for all voltages and power configurations.  Inquire for details.