Bitcoin Forum

I just touched one of the heat sinks on my antminer S3 and i have electric current running through it and it won't mine. I have almost tried everything

It sounds like you have a ground fault some where. This means something that some that has electricity is touching the heat sink when you turn it on. could be a bolt for the heat sink or a bad chip or something. Did you measure the voltage might help to lead you to the fault. Did this just start happening or did you get the miner from some one else and it was there from the beginning. Look at your fan wires and see if they are cut any where or anything else that might be touching the heat sink. More information would be nice and maybe a picture of the boards.

I got the miner from bitcoinware and hasn't work since day one. I noticed one of the screws holding the heat sink didn't have a spring behind it.

return it if possible.

  most likely they won't take it back.

If they won't take it back

try  running only 1 blade the one without current issues.

if it runs you are at ½ a loaf is better then none.

thanks!!!

I've had issues with Bitcoinware, check my feedback sent if you want. Anyways, after 1 month of bad communication on their part, the issue was resolved, but you really got to hold your end of the stick.

You can try fixing it but when its DOA...

The problem is for returns they wanted me to do it at my costs, so. Lost of mining time, extra expenditure AND their miners are overpriced as f**k. So yeah. Return, cut your losses and get your stuff somewhere else.

I don't know is that would be enough to cause the voltage ride through the heat sink. Take the screw out and turn it on and test for voltage on the heat sink. If it is gone go to your local radio shack and get a spring. ( Dont know why a spring would cause such a problem. If the screw is not the problem and you have some thermal paste pull that card look it over before taking it apart looking for anything that doesn't look right. Or post some pictures. If everything looks good take the heat sink off and look under the hood and see if there is anything missing broken out of place. If there fix it or post pictures. Maybe we can help. If not clean old thermal paste and apply new. Clean off heat sink and put it back together. Carfuly not smearing the paste every where. Out the card back in making sure everything is where it should be and test again. Let me know how it goes.

So just going back to the original question... How do you know there is "current running through it"? Are you saying that you got an electric shock when you touched it?

If so then this must be a fault with the PSU rather than the Miner?

Not having a spring on one of the screws will not be the problem.

Rich

I was thinking the same thing at first, but a fault on the PSU wouldn't cause the voltage to go to the heat sink.It would have to be a fault on the board it self. The psu would be providing the power only unless one of the wires coming from the psu to the 6 pin molex connector was cut and touching the heat sink or the out side of the case.

We still need to know what the OP means by "current running through it" If he means an electric shock when touching the Heatsink then there must be a fault in the PSU because there should only be 12V isolated from mains coming from the PSU and that would not give you a shock. As far as I remember the Heatsink on an S3 is connected to the Gnd of the 12V.

Rich