ANTMINER S2 Discussion and Support Thread

[opieum2]

As far as customer response they have been pretty good. Some minor snafus in the order process but they were on their game. They are responsive and they get the job done.

I got my S2 last night and am very happy with it. It runs as advertised.

aside from the cards sslighly unseating (the bars holding them down need reinforcement and to be sitting flush against the cards as well vs a small space inbetween) the overall experience was good. My hardware arrived and I was able to just set it up.

Some feedback for BITMAIN on the case...due to shipping being apparently a football game (and not in your control)...I would recommend reinforcing the cage and bars that hold the cards down with a crossbar (or 2) to reinforce the existing vertical bars on the cage to lock the cards in place. As it is now it leads to the cage itself having no reinforcement and can lead to bending and the cards falling out and causing the shipping issues and RMAs. Perhaps a center crossbar (or two cross bars) that connect the restraining clamps might solve the problem. Its a simple fix and just requires a little bit extra metal without adding much if anything to the cost of the system. And saves a TON of money on RMAs and any other expenses incurred from shipping damage.

In my case the bars bent..(I was able to fix it) due to the cards weight. This is an issue really through with shipping and how they treat the box on the way. But good work overall. I admire the build quality on the hardware regardless.

[davecoin]

Got my batch 4 yesterday.  Just had to re-seat a few boards, but everything else was just like setting up an S1.

It's probably been stated previously, but they ship with rack mounting brackets, rubber feet, and a Chinese power cord.






12 hour average hashrate on eligius is 957 GH/s.

I have 5 boards not showing a temperature reading. 

[kendog77]

I just received 5 batch 4 S2s yesterday.

They appeared to be well packaged. Before turning them on, I opened the cases to make sure all the boards and connections were firmly in place.

Out of the 5 units, only one had hashing cards that came unseated during shipment, so I had to reseat those. Luckily the boards didn't have any visible damage and work fine. I also had to bend one connector back into place.

All 5 units have been hashing since last night at ~1TH/s without any random reboots or anything.

I wasn't prepared for how heavy these units are, so I can see how they can be easily damaged during shipment if they are dropped even a small distance. Each S2 weights around 40 lbs!

[AlexeyK]

received two S2 from batch 4

except wrong power cord and need to reseat all boards everything works fine , only face one small issue ( unable to change password via GUI , all tries return Invalid password )


thanks Bitmain
 

[dropt]

Received two B4 units today.  I upgraded the MicroSD's with Class 10 units right off the bat and reseated all of the cards.  Took a reboot to get all of the chips on line, but they're both 100%.

16gb cards? Where you got the image? Thanks.

I used 8GB cards.  I ripped the image off of the cards the machines came with before powering them on the first time.

[mattie]

Well darn mine got pretty banged up by UPS again.
Even with the bars to keep the blades in place it still arrived messed up.

https://i.imgur.com/cKcQdrM.jpg

They need to put foam blocks between the blades preventing them from shifting about.
This will probably be the last time I order these as UPS seems to like playing football with them or something.

[opieum2]

I had made a suggestion to bitmain in an earlier post to add crossbars to keep the metal from bending. Each card is pretty heavy which contributes to this.

A suggestion is a crossbar which keeps the cage intact and from bending, which leads to the cards being loosened....ALSO the crossbar can also be used to lock in a center plate or bar that can keep the cards in place...it can even be a strong plexiglass. UNDER the cards on either side of the backplane, some kind of brace can be used to keep the cards from rocking in transit. This could be a permanent thing or just a temporary shipping aspect (which might need to be noted so people remove it after shipping).

The problem really is not bitmain here. BUT they have to take into account that UPS really doesn't care about what is in the box. All the care about is getting it where it needs to be. And it takes a beating along the way. Gotta make it hard for them not to smash up our hardware lol.

Pretty much this video shows how UPS does things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q6_9A90cUk

[bitcoin4eva]

The miners look really nice and I would definitely order atleast one of them but the price is really salty! Over 2k for 1TH :-/

[dropt]

The miners look really nice and I would definitely order atleast one of them but the price is really salty! Over 2k for 1TH :-/

You can go purchase from VMC for $1.23/GH.  Mind you, you'll still need a watercooling unit, PSU, and controller/host.

Let me know how that works out for you.

[kendog77]

Well darn mine got pretty banged up by UPS again.
Even with the bars to keep the blades in place it still arrived messed up.



They need to put foam blocks between the blades preventing them from shifting about.
This will probably be the last time I order these as UPS seems to like playing football with them or something.

One of my 5 batch 4 units looked similar to that, but luckily the unit works fine after reseating everything. I agree that Bitmain should change the design a but to prevent this from happening.

These units are so heavy that I bet dropping the box even 1 foot could cause boards to become unseated if it hits at the wrong angle. I'm sure UPS throws these boxes around a bit during shipment.

[kendog77]

The miners look really nice and I would definitely order atleast one of them but the price is really salty! Over 2k for 1TH :-/

You can go purchase from VMC for $1.23/GH.  Mind you, you'll still need a watercooling unit, PSU, and controller/host.

Let me know how that works out for you.

VMC only accepts bank transfers. There is no way I'm doing a direct bank transfer to a company with such a poor reputation like VMC.

I would order a few units if they accepted credit card payments because I'd do a chargeback the instant they tried to screw me... 

[dropt]

You can go purchase from VMC for $1.23/GH.  Mind you, you'll still need a watercooling unit, PSU, and controller/host.

Let me know how that works out for you.

VMC only accepts bank transfers. There is no way I'm doing a direct bank transfer to a company with such a poor reputation like VMC.

I would order a few units if they accepted credit card payments because I'd do a chargeback the instant they tried to screw me...  

That's kind of the point, retail cost per GH is nearing 2$.  There are cheaper options but you assume a lot of risk in entertaining those offers.  Conversely, one could have purchased a unit from Mr. Teal for around $1.69/GH.

[mattie]

One of my 5 batch 4 units looked similar to that, but luckily the unit works fine after reseating everything. I agree that Bitmain should change the design a but to prevent this from happening.

These units are so heavy that I bet dropping the box even 1 foot could cause boards to become unseated if it hits at the wrong angle. I'm sure UPS throws these boxes around a bit during shipment.

Unfortunately I am not that lucky, some transistors got banged off the boards so two of the boards are broken and one is reporting a lot of errors.
Will see what bitmain comes up with to replace these boards.

[aztecminer]

One of my 5 batch 4 units looked similar to that, but luckily the unit works fine after reseating everything. I agree that Bitmain should change the design a but to prevent this from happening.

These units are so heavy that I bet dropping the box even 1 foot could cause boards to become unseated if it hits at the wrong angle. I'm sure UPS throws these boxes around a bit during shipment.

u think a bit ?? try a lot. you see at the loading bays they have all the trucks lined up and each guy is throwing packages into the truck. he yell over to his buddy "hey i got one! watch this!" and throw it into the truck. it is a big game for those guys. i tried to ship my son a pc through fedex. i even had "heavy" stickers all over the box. nope didnt make it. the "heavy" stickers was just a big challange. "hey look this one says heavy on it! wieghs 80 lbs. watch this!" ..pick it up slam it into the truck.... dislodged the psu into the mb and gpu (maybe it fell in the truck but i doubt it) ... lucky for me asus repaired the video card and motherboard for me .

[tzortz]

The miners look really nice and I would definitely order atleast one of them but the price is really salty! Over 2k for 1TH :-/

You can go purchase from VMC for $1.23/GH.  Mind you, you'll still need a watercooling unit, PSU, and controller/host.

Let me know how that works out for you.

You mean for the Gold-rush?

This is a 1.3w/ghs usb card.  Not that close to an S2.

[bspurloc]

I had made a suggestion to bitmain in an earlier post to add crossbars to keep the metal from bending. Each card is pretty heavy which contributes to this.

A suggestion is a crossbar which keeps the cage intact and from bending, which leads to the cards being loosened....ALSO the crossbar can also be used to lock in a center plate or bar that can keep the cards in place...it can even be a strong plexiglass. UNDER the cards on either side of the backplane, some kind of brace can be used to keep the cards from rocking in transit. This could be a permanent thing or just a temporary shipping aspect (which might need to be noted so people remove it after shipping).

The problem really is not bitmain here. BUT they have to take into account that UPS really doesn't care about what is in the box. All the care about is getting it where it needs to be. And it takes a beating along the way. Gotta make it hard for them not to smash up our hardware lol.

Pretty much this video shows how UPS does things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q6_9A90cUk

Um when you build something that breaks easily from a fall the problem is 100% yours.
New video cards lock into their slots for a reason and it isnt cuz a delivery company may handle the pc badly.

Building something with cards that are heavy and not making them lock into place at the slot or above is 100% your fault 100% of the time, pointing the finger at others is pathetic.

[wpgdeez]

BITMAIN YOU KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM DO YOURSELF AND YOUR CUSTMOMERS A FAVOUR AND SHIP THE CARDS UNINSTALLED.

[smooth]

The problem really is not bitmain here. BUT they have to take into account that UPS really doesn't care about what is in the box.

Which makes it their problem. The general rule is that you have to pack the item so the contents aren't damaged if the outer packaging isn't damaged. Every shipper can and will drop, throw, tumble and otherwise handle the packages however they want without being responsible as long as they outer packaging is intact.

I've ordered many servers and had them shipped. They generally ship with extensive cardboard and/or styrofoam shock absorbers and everything inside the server is securely clipped, bolted, or otherwise secured into place. They almost always arrive intact.  S2s and their packaging are defective be design unless BITMAIN intends to hand deliver them.

[s1gs3gv]

True, but we should also be grateful that the majority of these S2 machines are coming through in working condition, unlike the recent experiences of customers of another well known vendor. I am sure BITMAIN will adapt their packaging and shipping practices on the basis of feedback from their customers and these problems will be quickly solved.

[bobsag3]

The problem really is not bitmain here. BUT they have to take into account that UPS really doesn't care about what is in the box.

Which makes it their problem. The general rule is that you have to pack the item so the contents aren't damaged if the outer packaging isn't damaged. Every shipper can and will drop, throw, tumble and otherwise handle the packages however they want without being responsible as long as they outer packaging is intact.

I've ordered many servers and had them shipped. They generally ship with extensive cardboard and/or styrofoam shock absorbers and everything inside the server is securely clipped, bolted, or otherwise secured into place. They almost always arrive intact.  S2s and their packaging are defective be design unless BITMAIN intends to hand deliver them.

Yup.
Bitmain is not technically compliant with UPS international shipping rules with the S2, its just not adequately packed for the journey, unlike the S1. Ive actually taken a S1 and dropped it out of a 3 story window with out a problem.