Chunk out of chip

[Kmo]

Heat sink fell off and took a chunk of the asic chip with it.  T17.  Any chance I can still use the chip?  Was hoping to just reinstall heat sink and call it good but this looks not great.

https://i.imgur.com/yTQLAN5.jpg

Thanks I have a lot to learn, sorry if this is a dumb question.  Anybody think I could still use it?

[mikeywith]

My guess is you can still use it if you clean the surface to ensure proper contact between the heatsink and the chip but to be sure I would reach out to wndsnb, he is one of the few members who have actually fixed a good number of hash boards and has probably faced the same issue.

[wndsnb]

It's possible it might still work, just depends on if the die was also damaged and not just the top package. Even if it works though, the thermal performance isn't going to be great. I've never bothered testing any asics that are broken like that, I just replace them.

You could try to test it before even attempting to put the heatsink back on. Just keep an eye on the kernel log while the miner is booting up, and shut it down if it actually gets past the "found 30 asic" message. If it says it found 0 asics, or less than 30 for that chain, then most likely the chip is not salvageable.

[BitMaxz]

It seems the ASIC chip looks BM1397AG this type of chip is not the same as old ASIC chips this one the top layer can be easily crack or scratch.

I got some images from ASIC manufacturers on Google not the same as the image you link above but I believe they are the same.



I agree with wndsnb you can try it first but for me, it would be better to replace it with a new one. Because the top layer is already damaged and you will only get bad ASIC temp(it will be more problematic) that can affect other ASIC chips.

[Kmo]

Thanks for the thoughts, ill check the kernel log to see if it’s sensing 30 chips.  Good idea.  And yes that is the 1397ag- I do have new chips in case I need to replace them but I’m worried I’ll do poorly so I’ll wait to see if the chips gone for good or not.