[Guide] Antminer S2 Lo-Tech Teardown

[Meech]

                                                                      
                                        AntMiner S2 Teardown        

Warning the below is not authorized by Bitmain and may void your warranty!  

0 - General intro.
1 - Tools and Supplies
2 - Steps and Images
3 - Conclusion

0 - General intro.

This is a quick guide to show the teardown of the AntMiner S2.  Rather it be for cleaning and maintenance or maybe just an interest to see what's inside.  My interest was while I had mine off for cleaning to take apart the heatsink and reapply thermal compound.  This was all prevoked by the possibility of the AntMiner S2 upgrade kits being released soon.  The S2's simple design has made it a rock solid performer and the 4 large 140mm fans make it a relatively quiet miner.  This is for reference only and I do not take responsibility for problems you may occur.  


1 - Tools and Supplies

Needed tools: Phillips #1 screwdriver
                    Allen wrench 2mm or Ball-head hex screwdriver 2.5mm
                    Putty knife 1" to 1 1/2"

Supplies: Denatured Alcohol or Isopropyl (the higher the % of alcohol the better)
              Cotton rounds (these seem to work the best)
              Compressed air

2 - Steps and Images

*Before you begin turn off your S2 and unplug the power cord*
I always turn on the switch after being unplugged to release any stored juice in the psu's capacitors.




Remove the 8 phillips screws on the case and remove cover.  These are M3x6mm screws.







Carefully remove the hash boards.  The side support rails can be loosened to make it easier.












Remove the 24 Hex screws and gently from all sides pry the heatsink from the pcb.  Careful the pcb will flex but heatsink should release fairly easy.  The thermal compound isn't dry it's more gooey.  These screws are 2mm with an allen wrench but 2.5mm with a ball-head hex screwdriver.





Remove the old thermal compound from both the heatsink and pcb being careful to not over saturate with alcohol.  *Might be obvious but pour the alcohol on the cotton round not on the pcb*







Apply new thermal compound to the heatsink only this will help keep it from going in the center of the pcb where NO compound should be applied.  Try to keep from the edges and holes but put a good helping on there.  I tried this http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-IceFusion-Performance-RG-ICFN-200G-B1/dp/B003AVMRR0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1428898928&sr=8-3&keywords=cooler+master+thermal+compound as it was cheap and enough for all the hashing boards.  Temps seem to be the same using this as what Bitmain applied and does not run, well at least not yet.  You can match the heatsink back up with the pcb by the screw hole pattern.  Tighten back down.  Wipe off any squeeze out after tightening.


3 - Conclusion

This was to renew what others I know have covered before but some may have wondered.  When the new upgrade kits are available I will post the install update.  Until then we wait.  Feel free to comment on different things you have used or tried.

Meech

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[Meech]

Reserved for future info.

[Rabinovitch]

Warning the below is not authorized by Bitmain and may void your warranty!  

Meech

What warranty do you talking about for such an old device?..  

Why not to apply the thermal compound directly to the chips?.. A little drop on every chip will lead to much less consumption of the compound (we all want to use good and expencive thermal grease, right?).

[Meech]

It's a disclaimer just to be safe.  I applied the same amount Bitmain did because others had stated the chips weren't the only thing needing it. 

[dogie]

Might want to add width tags to the images, they get a bit too big at high resolutions and it makes it hard to read. Ie:

Code:

[img width=800px]www.imagehost.com/image.png[/img]

[Meech]

Might want to add width tags to the images, they get a bit too big at high resolutions and it makes it hard to read. Ie:

Code:

[img width=800px]www.imagehost.com/image.png[/img]

Thanks.  My first topic post.  I will fix later today.

Meech