ANTMINER S2 Discussion and Support Thread

[smooth]

It's a large commercial building and contract has power included. Plus it's unmetered. To top it all, I have very limited power available as you can see above list maxed out my electrical consumption. So it's not necessarily a giant farm in hiding.

Sounds like a dream for a Bitcoin enthusiast.  Wonder if you could bring in an electrician to add another panel or two and expand your "free" power (although that may require a transformer upgrade, which can be pricey).

By terms of my contract all electrical work has to be approved by building management, which will give away my hunger for power

Sometimes its even worse than that. In some places with unmetered service, any new electrical work (permit) will require you to put in a meter

In your situation (with which I have some familiarity) you don't really have free power. You have $/month of fixed subsidy (the value of your power usage at full load). The power is actually very expensive to you in marginal cost, because you can't get more at any price.

My opinion is to sit tight and wait for better deals, and just keep going with the S1s. I do not believe the S2 is worth the price. Make your own decisions though.

[1715001335]

1715001335

[1715001335]

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[jimmyl]

It's a large commercial building and contract has power included. Plus it's unmetered. To top it all, I have very limited power available as you can see above list maxed out my electrical consumption. So it's not necessarily a giant farm in hiding.

Sounds like a dream for a Bitcoin enthusiast.  Wonder if you could bring in an electrician to add another panel or two and expand your "free" power (although that may require a transformer upgrade, which can be pricey).

By terms of my contract all electrical work has to be approved by building management, which will give away my hunger for power

There's a thread somewhere to underclock S1 to draw less power so u can add Hz without tripping your power.

[mdopro1]

In your situation (with which I have some familiarity) you don't really have free power. You have $/month of fixed subsidy (the value of your power usage at full load). The power is actually very expensive to you in marginal cost, because you can't get more at any price.

I guess there is no such thing as free. So power that I am paying for regardless if I mine or not. But I also use this power to operate my business, free was in that sense. I'm not paying any rent for my miners, it's just 1 shelf in my office, leeching off my business' available power, space and internet connection. So really I have no "additional" cost for operating these buggers. Hence, free.

[smooth]

In your situation (with which I have some familiarity) you don't really have free power. You have $/month of fixed subsidy (the value of your power usage at full load). The power is actually very expensive to you in marginal cost, because you can't get more at any price.

I guess there is no such thing as free. So power that I am paying for regardless if I mine or not. But I also use this power to operate my business, free was in that sense. I'm not paying any rent for my miners, it's just 1 shelf in my office, leeching off my business' available power, space and internet connection. So really I have no "additional" cost for operating these buggers. Hence, free.

The point is, you are already mining to the max, and getting the full subsidy from the free power, regardless of which miners you use. It is a fixed amount of per month.

[AdvocateOne]

I guess there is no such thing as free. So power that I am paying for regardless if I mine or not. But I also use this power to operate my business, free was in that sense. I'm not paying any rent for my miners, it's just 1 shelf in my office, leeching off my business' available power, space and internet connection. So really I have no "additional" cost for operating these buggers. Hence, free.

In the larger scheme, no such thing as free lunch (until and if a truly free and clean energy device is developed).  Even though your space is not metered, I'd be surprised if were not being metered somewhere.  It seems someone, somewhere will be paying a bit more on their bill.

[ZiG]

Is BTC6.5 bad investment for batch 3?

IMHO yes...not a good investment...

Let's do some math... S1 is 0.831 BTC ...or $410-415 ( @112Bit as well)...

S2 is generally replicated 5 x S1 ...in a rack box ...10 blades vs 2 blades design...900Gh vs 1000Gh

So $410 x 5 = around $2,000 ...add 1 more blade ...around $2,100 ...all other parts, including PSU, case, LED etc are maybe another $100 at cost...$2,200...but they are saving of 4 controllers less...and they are not so cheap...

My guess is that In May we will see price in the $2,000 and a change range...

What do you think...? Am I missing something...?  

[bitmanaus]

for those having power supply problems - I am interested what your room temp is at.  if i understand correctly higher temps = lower efficiency so you cannot expect the power supply to perform the same at 60 degrees F (15.5 Celsius) vs 80 degrees F (26.5 Celsius).  this also would make a difference as to where it is pulling air from (inside the case B2's vs outside the case B2's).  i for one replaced mine about 2 hrs after receiving it due to the fact that i wanted to overclock it (if possible).  but i did not have any problems with my unit using the stock PS with the room temp at 60 degrees F or below.

short term a cool room the psu will work.  long term it is under sized.  


 be smart pull a blade all worries vanish. this may be the best solution for almost all owners of the gear.

another fairly cheap solution is to replace the power supply with something beefier.  my personal recommendation (and what I did for myself) is to spend around $150 and purchase 2x of these 750w kits - http://www.gekkoscience.com/products/server_supply_breakout_board.html - and run them with power sharing pins and you have more than enough for the S2 (unless we figure how to overclock past 250mhz) and enough for 3 overclocked S1's.  and if you have one of these power supplies go bad you can replace it for a cheap $25 from ebay.  i keep an extra few on hand for myself anyway for rapid deployment for myself and customers.  if you want more info on the maker of these you can read this thread - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=379677

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affiliated or compensated by sidehack for this recommendation.  he has a decent product and i feel he should make money for his work and research.

EDIT:  here's pictures of my setup
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23772269/2x%20power%20supplies%20in%20tandem.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23772269/top%20view%20case%20off.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23772269/top%20view%20with%20case%20on.jpg

i have some of these boards and psu, what gauge wire did you use for the main lines? and what did you use for the current share pin to pin? i've been looking in vain for some time for a set of pin to pin female cables

[tzortz]

Is BTC6.5 bad investment for batch 3?

I would sell all and buy 10 bit tech A1 clones for 4.4btc each.
 
S1 and S2 are dead by now. Impossible to ROI.

[jimmyl]

Is BTC6.5 bad investment for batch 3?

I would sell all and buy 10 bit tech A1 clones for 4.4btc each.
 
S1 and S2 are dead by now. Impossible to ROI.

A1 is 0.0044btc/G assuming it runs full 1T, u can see from that thread that it's only 90%+ of 1T.

S1 is 0.831 per 180Ghs or 0.0046btc/G, that's b4 overclock. Not to mention it's historical track record.

I'll take S1 anytime over A1 clone.

[tzortz]

Is BTC6.5 bad investment for batch 3?

I would sell all and buy 10 bit tech A1 clones for 4.4btc each.
 
S1 and S2 are dead by now. Impossible to ROI.

A1 is 0.0044btc/G assuming it runs full 1T, u can see from that thread that it's only 90%+ of 1T.

S1 is 0.831 per 180Ghs or 0.0046btc/G, that's b4 overclock. Not to mention it's historical track record.

I'll take S1 anytime over A1 clone.

All versions of my A1 are 950gh/s +++

Also you miss the most important factor....CONSUMPTION!

[tzortz]

Is BTC6.5 bad investment for batch 3?

I would sell all and buy 10 bit tech A1 clones for 4.4btc each.
 
S1 and S2 are dead by now. Impossible to ROI.

its also impossible to buy A1 clones if they are out of stock, no?

They said will be next week available.

Cmon, be serious, we have been preordering S2, we also lost coupons from the "supposed" soldout of S1.
Dont make like S1 , and S2, were always available!

I have 7 clones in my hands and will buy more next week.

[freebit13]

Batch 3 has gone down in USD, but has gone up in btc. If batch 1 and batch 2 were overpriced, then you have no chance of making 6.6btc back with batch 3.

At current prices, the best thing is to buy btc now and hold and then buy miners with those btc at a later date, when the exchange rate has gone up.

Edit: remember, there will probably be another difficulty jump before b3 arrives

[bbxx]

http://btcinvest.net/en/bitcoin-mining-profit-calculator.php?diff=6978842650&dcosts=3600&diff_mincrease=15&blpbtc=25&dhsmhs=1000000&diff_mincreasedecrease=0.1&btcusd=492.75&dpowcon=1000&btcusd_mincrease=0&pcost=0.2&calcweeks=15&dleadtime=1&action=calc

mine + sell (weekly payout)         4.97 ฿         1640.42 $
mine + hold (final payout)         4.97 ฿         1640.42 $
฿ buy-in only (and hold)         7.31 ฿         3600 $

s2 will mine about 5 bitcoins till Q3/Q4
not worth to buy at this crazy price (especially with VAT and customs fee and lead time about 10 days...)

[tzortz]

http://btcinvest.net/en/bitcoin-mining-profit-calculator.php?diff=6978842650&dcosts=3600&diff_mincrease=15&blpbtc=25&dhsmhs=1000000&diff_mincreasedecrease=0.1&btcusd=492.75&dpowcon=1000&btcusd_mincrease=0&pcost=0.2&calcweeks=15&dleadtime=1&action=calc

mine + sell (weekly payout)         4.97 ฿         1640.42 $
mine + hold (final payout)         4.97 ฿         1640.42 $
฿ buy-in only (and hold)         7.31 ฿         3600 $

s2 will mine about 5 bitcoins till Q3/Q4
not worth to buy at this crazy price (especially with VAT and customs fee and lead time about 10 days...)

I could not disagree in anything of the above!

A viable miner, at ths time,  would only be with $2/ghs and bellow AND consumption less than 1w/ghs.

Anything else is for hobbying.

[gentacomp]

Any chance in hardware ?
I did use it side by side with S1, and S1 have ~40C while S2 have 60C+. As an item with 15+ weight and 60C+, its really good AC and exhaust fan so I turn mine to max. Right now I use AC with 2 PK work with 1500+ watt just to cooling S2 and I dont think I can put more than two S2 in the same room, or atleast I should bought another AC...

[samsonn25]

http://btcinvest.net/en/bitcoin-mining-profit-calculator.php?diff=6978842650&dcosts=3600&diff_mincrease=15&blpbtc=25&dhsmhs=1000000&diff_mincreasedecrease=0.1&btcusd=492.75&dpowcon=1000&btcusd_mincrease=0&pcost=0.2&calcweeks=15&dleadtime=1&action=calc

mine + sell (weekly payout)         4.97 ฿         1640.42 $
mine + hold (final payout)         4.97 ฿         1640.42 $
฿ buy-in only (and hold)         7.31 ฿         3600 $

s2 will mine about 5 bitcoins till Q3/Q4
not worth to buy at this crazy price (especially with VAT and customs fee and lead time about 10 days...)

I disagree, I think s2 will mine about 3 btc in its lifetime, before electricity costs (24kw per day).

[WEB slicer]

Sent me a used antminer S1. Manufacturer date was 1/14. Order date was 3/14. Fan and heat fins were dirty and covered with dust. The antminer had been used from the time of production to the sale date. The heat fins were also physically damaged. Both blades were not soldered properly and were separating from the base. I have included pics so you can see for yourself. I contacted Juan from 112bit and he was not helpful at all. He told me i am not the manufacturer contact bitmain. He no longer responds to my emails. If you have any problems he will brush you off and say im just a distributor i cant help you contact the manufacturer. Do not buy from 112bit or bitmain. 112bit is just a middle man and can't do anything but take your money. Bitmain is a chinese manufacturer. They have low standards for quality. They will not accept any responsibility for anything. All of the financial burden is on the buyer. They do not care about their customers. All they care about is mass production and sales. This has been an ongoing issue. I have returned the antimner and requested a refund due to the amount of mining time lost waiting for a replacement. I was told i pay return shipping and they will give me a refund when delivered. After the antminer arrived in china i was told they will not give me a full refund. I am responsible for the original shipping cost, return shipping cost, and import tax both ways. I have not been told how much of a refund i will receive but it will be around $200 less than what i paid. And to be perfectly honest, i have a feeling bitmain will come up with some BS excuse such as it was not returned in the original condition and they can not give me a refund or replacement. May god help you if you buy a S2 from them. They have jerked me and given me such a hard time over a S1 i can only imagine the nightmare you will have to go through to get any kind of support for the much more expensive S2.

[xstr8guy]

Is BTC6.5 bad investment for batch 3?

IMHO yes...not a good investment...

Let's do some math... S1 is 0.831 BTC ...or $410-415 ( @112Bit as well)...

S2 is generally replicated 5 x S1 ...in a rack box ...10 blades vs 2 blades design...900Gh vs 1000Gh

So $410 x 5 = around $2,000 ...add 1 more blade ...around $2,100 ...all other parts, including PSU, case, LED etc are maybe another $100 at cost...$2,200...but they are saving of 4 controllers less...and they are not so cheap...

My guess is that In May we will see price in the $2,000 and a change range...

What do you think...? Am I missing something...?  

Yes, you're missing "customer demand" in your equation. As long as enough people are willing to pay way more than something is worth, they will continue to sell it at a higher price.

[tzortz]

Is BTC6.5 bad investment for batch 3?

IMHO yes...not a good investment...

Let's do some math... S1 is 0.831 BTC ...or $410-415 ( @112Bit as well)...

S2 is generally replicated 5 x S1 ...in a rack box ...10 blades vs 2 blades design...900Gh vs 1000Gh

So $410 x 5 = around $2,000 ...add 1 more blade ...around $2,100 ...all other parts, including PSU, case, LED etc are maybe another $100 at cost...$2,200...but they are saving of 4 controllers less...and they are not so cheap...

My guess is that In May we will see price in the $2,000 and a change range...

What do you think...? Am I missing something...?  

Yes, you're missing "customer demand" in your equation. As long as enough people are willing to pay way more than something is worth, they will continue to sell it at a higher price.

Equals to retarded buyers.

[tzortz]

Is BTC6.5 bad investment for batch 3?

I would sell all and buy 10 bit tech A1 clones for 4.4btc each.
 
S1 and S2 are dead by now. Impossible to ROI.

its also impossible to buy A1 clones if they are out of stock, no?

They said will be next week available.

Cmon, be serious, we have been preordering S2, we also lost coupons from the "supposed" soldout of S1.
Dont make like S1 , and S2, were always available!

I have 7 clones in my hands and will buy more next week.

I didnt see anybody 'make like S1/S2 were always available'

but i do see you claiming you will buy something that is out of stock, as though it was possible to do so.

anyway, lets not get tangled up in 'English'

i'd rather have an A1 than an S2.....shame theyre impossible to buy right now...if they were possible to buy Bitmain would 'have to' lower their prices, so perhaps thats why they decided to try and milk them while they were able.

I am sorry for my aggressive reply, but thought yours was ironic to my previous post.

Anyway, I am thinking of buying also the in stock Dragons, as pcfli sells now for $2750 for a single unit or $2700 for 3 to 5 units as an alternative.

I am not sure if I could wait for the $2200 of Bittech's next week.  
Difficulty will change next week and looks like it will be huge.