Canaan unveiled one of its latest ASIC miner model, the Avalon A14 series, at its 10th Anniversary conference in Singapore in September 2023.

Canaan's anticipated A14 series underscores the company's commitment to energy-efficient mining technology. The series comprises three models designed to suit various operational preferences. The A1466I, an immersion miner, is a highly efficient rig with a hashrate of 170TH/s and an efficiency of 19.5 J/TH.

In addition to the A1466I, Canaan introduces two air-cooled models, the A1466 and A1446, each delivering formidable hashrates of 150 TH/s and 130 TH/s, respectively. Despite their differing cooling mechanisms, both models maintain commendable energy efficiency, with the A1466 operating at 23.7 J/TH and the A1446 at 25.4 J/TH.

Canaan started shipping early production models of the A14 series in September 2023, with current bulk orders scheduled for delivery in June 2024. Luxor had the privilege of testing the A1466 air-cooled model. This report presents our detailed observations and findings from the testing phase.

Avalon A1466 Design

The Avalon 14 series has the same dimensions and weight as the Avalon 13 series miners, 271 x 192 x 292mm and 13kg respectively. This uniform design makes it easy form miners with infrastructure like mobile data center containers to easily update their fleet without having to resize their rack space. Operating temperatures for the Avalon 14 series range from -5 to 35 degrees Celsius.

Power Supply Unit and Power Cord

With the 14 series, Avalon has introduced a new PSU variant called the PSU3400-01 Plus, which is rated at 220-277 VAC. For the A1466, Canaan reports a stable power draw of 3230W at the wall, while for the A1446, Canaan reports 3310W while in high performance mode. The 3400 Plus PSUs have a different voltage range and input plug than the previous 3300 Plus PSU series. The 3300 Plus PSU had an input voltage range of 200-285 VAC and used the standard C19 power cord socket while the new 3400 Plus requires a 4pin power cable. The Canaan team will provide 4pin-C20 power cables with 14 series purchases, so miners don’t need to source their own.

Fans

The 14 series utilizes two large 12050 Martech front fans rated at 8 amps 12VDC. Since launching the A13 series, the Avalon team has adopted a dual front fan design, unique to Avalon miners. This design is not seen in other popular miners.

Control Board

The A14 series miners employ the MM4_V1_1_20230216 Control Board. The control board features 2X2 fan connectors in order to support the powerful 8A Martech fans.

Canaan Avalon A1466 Performance Testing

Methodology

In our test of the A1466, we subjected it to a range of different temperatures in high-performance mode.

To begin, we turned on the machine for 60 minutes until both the hashrate and power draw stabilized. Afterward, we placed the rig into a temperature-controlled box and tested it at 10, 20, 25, and 40 degrees Celsius for 60 minutes each.

Results

The table below presents the real-time hashrate, power consumption, and efficiency metrics of the A1466 at various temperatures.

An observation worth noting is that, based on our testing, the default firmware of the A1466 tends to increase the power supply unit (PSU) voltage in colder conditions and initiate underclocking automatically when the temperature approaches 40℃.

Notable Features:

• Quick ramp time: The A1466 achieved a stable hashrate of 150 TH/s in 25C ambient temperature in 4 minutes
• Three power modes: The A1466 features a normal mode, high performance mode, and power mode.
• Compact design

Avalon A1466 Final Thoughts

The Avalon A1466 offers a high hashrate and efficiency at a competitive price, making it a viable option for both retail and institutional miners. Its massive dual front fans and dual-sided heatsinks should ensure that the rig stays operational and avoids overheating in hot environments, as evidenced by its staying operational at 40 Celsius. The Canaan design team has focused on durability, making this miner suitable for harsh environments.