[Guide] Dogie's Comprehensive Bitmain AntMiner S2 Setup [HD]

[TracerX]

Woke up to a dead S2 this morning.  Like a previous poster, I have moved it around to different outlets, nothing.  I noticed the power bar that it was plugged into was melted slightly melted in the outlet it was plugged into.  I did plug it directly into the wall to see if it was the outlet, nothing.  How do you know if the PSU is bad or gone?  This is not good.  

Fixed it.  Removed all of the blades and reinserted them.  

I would still be concerned about the slight melted outlet on your power strip.  Make sure you use a heavy gauge power cable out of the back of the PSU to make sure it doesn't overheat, same for the power strip.

I'm going to check into that also.  They sent a 200V power cord with it.  I did use a heavy duty power cord 120v.  I'm trying not get a mini data center in my home.  I'm looking for another power strip in the meantime.  Any recommendations?

I've been using an APC branded power strip (not a UPS) on my test bench for extended runs and it never warms up.  The one I have is model P7T and has a 14 AWG power cable feeding it.  http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=P7T

IANAEE, however, so others should feel free to chime in!

[Darthswan]

Woke up to a dead S2 this morning.  Like a previous poster, I have moved it around to different outlets, nothing.  I noticed the power bar that it was plugged into was melted slightly melted in the outlet it was plugged into.  I did plug it directly into the wall to see if it was the outlet, nothing.  How do you know if the PSU is bad or gone?  This is not good.  

Fixed it.  Removed all of the blades and reinserted them.  

I would still be concerned about the slight melted outlet on your power strip.  Make sure you use a heavy gauge power cable out of the back of the PSU to make sure it doesn't overheat, same for the power strip.

I'm going to check into that also.  They sent a 200V power cord with it.  I did use a heavy duty power cord 120v.  I'm trying not get a mini data center in my home.  I'm looking for another power strip in the meantime.  Any recommendations?

I've been using an APC branded power strip (not a UPS) on my test bench for extended runs and it never warms up.  The one I have is model P7T and has a 14 AWG power cable feeding it.  http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=P7T

IANAEE, however, so others should feel free to chime in!

I am using a 14 AWG.  I'll look into this one and see. 

[TracerX]

Woke up to a dead S2 this morning.  Like a previous poster, I have moved it around to different outlets, nothing.  I noticed the power bar that it was plugged into was melted slightly melted in the outlet it was plugged into.  I did plug it directly into the wall to see if it was the outlet, nothing.  How do you know if the PSU is bad or gone?  This is not good.  

Fixed it.  Removed all of the blades and reinserted them.  

I would still be concerned about the slight melted outlet on your power strip.  Make sure you use a heavy gauge power cable out of the back of the PSU to make sure it doesn't overheat, same for the power strip.

I'm going to check into that also.  They sent a 200V power cord with it.  I did use a heavy duty power cord 120v.  I'm trying not get a mini data center in my home.  I'm looking for another power strip in the meantime.  Any recommendations?

I've been using an APC branded power strip (not a UPS) on my test bench for extended runs and it never warms up.  The one I have is model P7T and has a 14 AWG power cable feeding it.  http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=P7T

IANAEE, however, so others should feel free to chime in!

I am using a 14 AWG.  I'll look into this one and see. 

Let us know what you decide!

[Soros Shorts]

Just got an S2 today.  For some reason I can't get the miner to keep my pool settings after shutdown.
I update the pools and change the IP address no problem.  It runs on my pools and I can access it on the new IP address. But then if I do a reset or just shut it down and restart it all the changes are gone.  It's back to the factory settings.
I can't find anything in the manual that I'm doing wrong or not doing.  Any suggestions?

Replace the SD card and it will fix it. Just need a $5 4GB one from amazon

no need for the new SD card. See my post on the main thread. i had exactly the same condition. Solution: download the latest (6/19) tar file from Bitmain support on your laptop. While connected to the miner from the laptop, go to upgrade, search for the file, then flash. the "wheel" will be turning. wait...they say a minute, I waited five just in case because the 'wheel" never stops turning, disconnect the ethernet cable from the laptop back to router. power cycle the miner-and you are good to go to set up the new ip address, settings, etc.

Its a symptom of something larger though, he can flash to his hearts content but theres no point when there's a $5 fix.

most likely-not because they specifically acknowledged exactly this problem in their recent software update

fix bug: miner configuration can't saved in the SD card occasionally.

The last S2 I ordered refused to save the configuration changes I made.

- 6/19 firmware did not help
- new SD cards did not help

It turned out that the third partition /dev/mmcblk0p3 of the SD card refused to mount to the /config directory, meaning that any files saved to /config would not be persistent and would be lost once the system was rebooted or powered down.

I finally fixed the problem by buying a replacement Beaglebone Black Rev C from Amazon. Apparently there was something wrong with the SD card reader/writer of the original BBB.

 

[BillBuckett]

Hi guys,

First time post, as I've only just joined the forum and for that matter, only just started mining with an S2.  officially hooked on mining and the need to fill my head with as much knowledge as possible.  It's a great bit of Gear... Now..   Although,  it would be remiss of me not to share my woes (none to serious) with the hardware which only occured after the first few days of running:

As great a job as I'd thought I'd done with cleaning the "ample" thermal paste application, that Bitmain had supplied on the boards.  Even before the s2's first fire up.   Some had still managed to leak down once the rig was well heatsoaked, and make it's way onto and slightly into a slot.  Some electrical cleaner and an upside down Antminer fixed that right up... Happy days.    hashing away at about bang on 1TH/s.

A day later I logged onto to check how it was hashing away and it appeared that one card (not from the thermal paste slot) was not being detected fully (no screen shot sorry) as there were many x's and even dashes in place of the normal range of o's.  Relocating the card into another slot yielded the same result.  It wasn't until a poster on this very thread (Thanks Tracerx) mentioned pushing the voltage regs back into the card as a fix, that I decided to apply the same method to not only that card, but to all 10 of the blades in the S2.  After much cricking and cracking and reassembly my 24 hr average is just a touch over the 1 TH/s.

I guess all I'm saying is, thanks everyone for your help.  Especially you Dogie.  Every little piece of information you share with us makes the whole experience less daunting for the newbies like myself, and also makes the troubleshooting infinitely easier.  Keep up the good work groovers!

Bill.

[BillBuckett]

I spoke to soon   

12 hours in and the blade is half down (-'s and x's) and the S2 is hasing at around 930 GH/s.     Still, thanks for all sharing your knowledge/trials with the S2 guys.

One blade may be RMA'd.  I'm pleased to say that Bitmain got straight back to me when i requested RMA information/advice on steps to take...  Investigating further..

[TracerX]

I spoke to soon   

12 hours in and the blade is half down (-'s and x's) and the S2 is hasing at around 930 GH/s.     Still, thanks for all sharing your knowledge/trials with the S2 guys.

One blade may be RMA'd.  I'm pleased to say that Bitmain got straight back to me when i requested RMA information/advice on steps to take...  Investigating further..

I ended up RMA'ing that card they asked my to "press on all the chips", too.  The RMA process for me in the US is at least pretty painless.  Good luck!

[BillBuckett]

I spoke to soon   

12 hours in and the blade is half down (-'s and x's) and the S2 is hasing at around 930 GH/s.     Still, thanks for all sharing your knowledge/trials with the S2 guys.

One blade may be RMA'd.  I'm pleased to say that Bitmain got straight back to me when i requested RMA information/advice on steps to take...  Investigating further..

I ended up RMA'ing that card they asked my to "press on all the chips", too.  The RMA process for me in the US is at least pretty painless.  Good luck!

Exactly the same TracerX!   UPS just picked it up.  Sounds like I was run through the same testing process (naturally).  You have to give it to Bitmain!  They had absolutely no issue conceding the card was indeed dead, and in the same email provided the shipping label and instructions for the RMA.  Legends!

[TracerX]

Exactly the same TracerX!   UPS just picked it up.  Sounds like I was run through the same testing process (naturally).  You have to give it to Bitmain!  They had absolutely no issue conceding the card was indeed dead, and in the same email provided the shipping label and instructions for the RMA.  Legends!

Glad to hear that they got you sorted out--let us know how soon you get it back.  I'm curious if the turn around time will be effected by the crush of new S3s they are trying to get out the door.

[BillBuckett]

Exactly the same TracerX!   UPS just picked it up.  Sounds like I was run through the same testing process (naturally).  You have to give it to Bitmain!  They had absolutely no issue conceding the card was indeed dead, and in the same email provided the shipping label and instructions for the RMA.  Legends!

Glad to hear that they got you sorted out--let us know how soon you get it back.  I'm curious if the turn around time will be effected by the crush of new S3s they are trying to get out the door.

Will Do!  Hopefully it'll be a quick process.  With transit for the broken card to get there, and the subsequent turn around time. I wouldn't expect better than quite a few weeks though being in Australia!

Keep you posted!

[jpsmith8488]

Despite the much appreciated detailed advice contained in the Guide, I am still unable to get my S2 Antminer to hash. As suggested in the troubleshooting tips, I have set the Gateway is set to the IP address of my router but without success. Any suggestions to help me initiate hashing?

In the Network settings section of the setup menu (reached by entering 192.168.1.99 in the browser), I note that it is set for Static IP addresses rather than DHCP. I have tried to set the choice to DHCP but when I do so, the S2 Antminer freezes requiring a reboot. Are there any suggestions for overcoming this?

I would like to set the administrative password but whenever I try to do so, my effort is rewarded by the notice "Invalid Password". I am entering the existing password of root and then following the convention for the naming of the new password. Any suggestions to overcome this error?

Thank you for your help,

Justin

[dogie]

Despite the much appreciated detailed advice contained in the Guide, I am still unable to get my S2 Antminer to hash. As suggested in the troubleshooting tips, I have set the Gateway is set to the IP address of my router but without success. Any suggestions to help me initiate hashing?

In the Network settings section of the setup menu (reached by entering 192.168.1.99 in the browser), I note that it is set for Static IP addresses rather than DHCP. I have tried to set the choice to DHCP but when I do so, the S2 Antminer freezes requiring a reboot. Are there any suggestions for overcoming this?

I would like to set the administrative password but whenever I try to do so, my effort is rewarded by the notice "Invalid Password". I am entering the existing password of root and then following the convention for the naming of the new password. Any suggestions to overcome this error?

Thank you for your help,

Justin

Ignore the password.

When you set the DCHP, the miner will jump to a different IP as set by your router. You then have to go to your router (or look on the LCD) to find that IP. Then go to that IP in the browser. You're still waiting at the old IP where it won't reappear.

[Biodom]

Despite the much appreciated detailed advice contained in the Guide, I am still unable to get my S2 Antminer to hash. As suggested in the troubleshooting tips, I have set the Gateway is set to the IP address of my router but without success. Any suggestions to help me initiate hashing?

In the Network settings section of the setup menu (reached by entering 192.168.1.99 in the browser), I note that it is set for Static IP addresses rather than DHCP. I have tried to set the choice to DHCP but when I do so, the S2 Antminer freezes requiring a reboot. Are there any suggestions for overcoming this?

I would like to set the administrative password but whenever I try to do so, my effort is rewarded by the notice "Invalid Password". I am entering the existing password of root and then following the convention for the naming of the new password. Any suggestions to overcome this error?

Thank you for your help,

Justin

I am not sure why you are doing what you are doing. DO not set the miner on DHCP-it has to be static!
I understand that you connected to miner via web gui. Is your router on 192.198.1.1? If yes, then it should work.
Perhaps, you router has a different address (not 192.168.1.1). To find out use advanced IP scanner for PC or iNET for mac. You can see your router IP easily this way.
If you find out a different address for router, then make a new static IP adress for miner (only the last number should be different from router and there should not be ANYTHING else on your network with the same address)-typically people use IP addresses outside of a normal range (if your home devices have range of 1-20, then start with 30 for the last number).
Why do you want to change the password-it is unnecessary. root/root is fine.

[dogie]

Despite the much appreciated detailed advice contained in the Guide, I am still unable to get my S2 Antminer to hash. As suggested in the troubleshooting tips, I have set the Gateway is set to the IP address of my router but without success. Any suggestions to help me initiate hashing?

In the Network settings section of the setup menu (reached by entering 192.168.1.99 in the browser), I note that it is set for Static IP addresses rather than DHCP. I have tried to set the choice to DHCP but when I do so, the S2 Antminer freezes requiring a reboot. Are there any suggestions for overcoming this?

I would like to set the administrative password but whenever I try to do so, my effort is rewarded by the notice "Invalid Password". I am entering the existing password of root and then following the convention for the naming of the new password. Any suggestions to overcome this error?

Thank you for your help,

Justin

I am not sure why you are doing what you are doing. DO not set the miner on DHCP-it has to be static!
I understand that you connected to miner via web gui. Is your router on 192.198.1.1? If yes, then it should work.
Perhaps, you router has a different address (not 192.168.1.1). To find out use advanced IP scanner for PC or iNET for mac. You can see your router IP easily this way.
If you find out a different address for router, then make a new static IP adress for miner (only the last number should be different from router and there should not be ANYTHING else on your network with the same address)-typically people use IP addresses outside of a normal range (if your home devices have range of 1-20, then start with 30 for the last number).
Why do you want to change the password-it is unnecessary. root/root is fine.

Of course it would work on DCHP....

[Biodom]

Despite the much appreciated detailed advice contained in the Guide, I am still unable to get my S2 Antminer to hash. As suggested in the troubleshooting tips, I have set the Gateway is set to the IP address of my router but without success. Any suggestions to help me initiate hashing?

In the Network settings section of the setup menu (reached by entering 192.168.1.99 in the browser), I note that it is set for Static IP addresses rather than DHCP. I have tried to set the choice to DHCP but when I do so, the S2 Antminer freezes requiring a reboot. Are there any suggestions for overcoming this?

I would like to set the administrative password but whenever I try to do so, my effort is rewarded by the notice "Invalid Password". I am entering the existing password of root and then following the convention for the naming of the new password. Any suggestions to overcome this error?

Thank you for your help,

Justin

I am not sure why you are doing what you are doing. DO not set the miner on DHCP-it has to be static!
I understand that you connected to miner via web gui. Is your router on 192.198.1.1? If yes, then it should work.
Perhaps, you router has a different address (not 192.168.1.1). To find out use advanced IP scanner for PC or iNET for mac. You can see your router IP easily this way.
If you find out a different address for router, then make a new static IP adress for miner (only the last number should be different from router and there should not be ANYTHING else on your network with the same address)-typically people use IP addresses outside of a normal range (if your home devices have range of 1-20, then start with 30 for the last number).
Why do you want to change the password-it is unnecessary. root/root is fine.

Of course it would work on DCHP....

it would work, but it could assign different numbers to it on a whim, at least this is what it does for my iphone/ipad/etc, so you will have to do a scan to determine your IP before connecting every time. Am i wrong?

[jpsmith8488]

Thank you all for your helpful advice. I will try the suggestions and let you know what happens.
Much appreciated.
Justin

[TracerX]

it would work, but it could assign different numbers to it on a whim, at least this is what it does for my iphone/ipad/etc, so you will have to do a scan to determine your IP before connecting every time. Am i wrong?

You are not wrong, although the DHCP reservation would likely never expire on a system that sees minimal downtime.  The IP address handed out by the router would only return to the DHCP pool after a xx period of inactivity from the device.  That said, it's best to use a static so there's less guesswork.

[dogie]

it would work, but it could assign different numbers to it on a whim, at least this is what it does for my iphone/ipad/etc, so you will have to do a scan to determine your IP before connecting every time. Am i wrong?

You are not wrong, although the DHCP reservation would likely never expire on a system that sees minimal downtime.  The IP address handed out by the router would on return to the DHCP pool after a xx period of inactivity from the device.  That said, it's best to use a static so there's less guesswork.

You can also supplement that setting to always try and give it that same IP (so reserve it that IP if possible). Its like a combination best of both. The problem with fixed IPs is they are static and dont resolve conflicts or out of range problems.

[jpsmith8488]

The IP address of my Apple Time Capsule router is 192.168.168.62 which is a problem considering that my S2 Antminer IP address is 192.168.1.99. When I try to change the S2 IP address to 192.168.168.63 in the Network section of the GUI, and then select "save & start" the S2 freezes, requiring a restart to regain control. What is the preferred way to change the IP address of the S2 so that it can perform hashing.
Thank you,
Justin

[dogie]

The IP address of my Apple Time Capsule router is 192.168.168.62 which is a problem considering that my S2 Antminer IP address is 192.168.1.99. When I try to change the S2 IP address to 192.168.168.63 in the Network section of the GUI, and then select "save & start" the S2 freezes, requiring a restart to regain control. What is the preferred way to change the IP address of the S2 so that it can perform hashing.
Thank you,
Justin

DCHP. That's why the guide says DCHP.