ANTMINER S3+ Discussion and Support Thread

[frigidformself]

I've got my 2 S3's!

Can I run 2 of them off of one Seasonic 860 Plat?

Also, I guess I only need to plug in 2 PCI-E on each side?

I've got mine currently pointed at coincadence with all my little r-boxes.  p2pool!

https://i.imgur.com/eqhWoD2.jpg

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[R4v37]

The whole WAN verses LAN setup is confusing. I guess the S3 is a router under the hood, instead of just a simple Ethernet endpoint.

I don't have my S3s yet and the manual is not very complete. Can you specify that the WAN connection is a DHCP client? I think that that would be selected under "Protocol" popup, which in the manual they show as "Static address".

Being able to use DHCP to specify the IP address would be helpful because initially I'll be setting these up at home, then moving them to a data center. It would be nice to just be able to just move these from LAN to LAN and have them work. I have access to both DHCP servers so I can configure static IPs in both LANs based on the S3's Ethernet MAC address.

The reason why I'm interested in all this rather than just waiting is because It's possible that the S3 units will arrive while I'm out of town. If that happens, I'm going to ask my son to set these up. I want to make the process as simple as possible, and DHCP will help with that.

Here is what it looks like, Very easy Just do not edit or change LAN:

Thanks!

So all you have to do is uncheck the "Disable DHCP for this interface" checkbox under the DHCP Server? Or does that option create a DHCP server (which would make no sense, but neither does the whole router thing).

That will enabled dhcp, but I would assign a static IP, not use DHCP. Even though lease times can be set to infinite where the lease will never expire, or get the MAC address and go into your router and have it assign the same IP , so then it is DCHP/Static

This will enable the DHCP server. You don't want this. Instead change the protocol type from Static IP to DHCP Client and save and apply the changes.

If anyone is interested, I'll put together a quick starter guide for anyone who wants to switch from the default settings to a dynamic assigned IP setup...

it'll be very helpful for those new in this business

maybe step by step with pictures...

[Azmodeus]

Looks like mine finally shipped a few hours ago.

Shenzhen, China    07/18/2014    11:11 P.M.   Departure Scan
07/18/2014    7:51 A.M.   The package is awaiting clearing agency review. / The package is at the clearing agency awaiting final release.
Shenzhen, China    07/18/2014    7:21 P.M.   Origin Scan
07/18/2014    6:11 P.M.   Pickup Scan
China    07/18/2014    2:52 A.M.   Order Processed: Ready for UPS

Order 2014-06-30 15:56:13
Pay 2014-06-30 18:42:51
Ship 2014-07-18 09:11:57

[RchGrav]

btw,
is it safe, if the thermal paste is around the feet of the chip..

I was wondering the same thing.. thermal compound typically wont short out a connection, but it does have a small amount of capacitance I think depending on its formulation.

In my case the one PCB was swimming in the stuff, and the other side didnt even have full contact on a few of the chips.  it was having a lot of hardware errors.

Rich

[R4v37]

I've got my 2 S3's!

Can I run 2 of them off of one Seasonic 860 Plat?

Also, I guess I only need to plug in 2 PCI-E on each side?

I've got mine currently pointed at coincadence with all my little r-boxes.  p2pool!

sure, its good too with seasonic 860w
and, u need to plug 1 on each side... no need to plug all 4 slot of PCI-E on S3
so 2 pcie for 1 S3

s3 already compatible with p2pool???

[R4v37]

btw,
is it safe, if the thermal paste is around the feet of the chip..

I was wondering the same thing.. thermal compound typically wont short out a connection, but it does have a small amount of capacitance I think depending on its formulation.

In my case the one PCB was swimming in the stuff, and the other side didnt even have full contact on a few of the chips.  it was having a lot of hardware errors.

Rich

so, its better to clean those leaking thermal...right?

its still liquid, its best that we prevent something unwanted to be happened
even if we can RMA them, we'll lose several weeks only for sending and waiting them ship it back to us
we may ended up lose a full month just because of the delay caused by the custom clearing or whatever they call it

[edonkey]

This will enable the DHCP server. You don't want this. Instead change the protocol type from Static IP to DHCP Client and save and apply the changes.

Thanks for the info. I thought that that option looked suspect. That's why I asked in my first post if there was a DHCP Client option. Thanks for confirming that there is.

If anyone is interested, I'll put together a quick starter guide for anyone who wants to switch from the default settings to a dynamic assigned IP setup...

I think that I'm all set. But given that the set up is confusing, I think that it would be generally helpful to other people to keep them from messing up their units.

What an odd choice for Bitmain to expose all of this router functionality. It's more like setting up a firewall than a miner. Instead of suppressing this complexity and providing a mining appliance (which I suspect most people are interested in), they've exposed a bunch of stuff that people don't need.

The sense that I have is that under the hood the two blades are Ethernet devices and front end is a router for them. So I guess people could build out large scale farms made of many blades under one or more routers. Maybe in that case it would make sense to enable a DHCP server for the blades. But if anyone was building out that kind of infrastructure, I assume they'd be using their own router or firewall, not the one that comes with the S3.

So again; exposing this functionality is just an unnecessary complication. But they were probably in a rush to ship, so UI refinements were probably pretty low on the priority list

[apollojmr]

Day one order here and I received shipping notice on the 17th telling me that it would reach me on the 21st.



Pay Details
Pay   1.5 BTC
Pay Confirm   1.5 BTC
Date   2014-06-30 17:57:02


Send Details
Carrier   UPS
Tracking No.   1ZR78990D955004279
Date   2014-07-17 12:01:58

[-droid-]

still no ship for my 2 orders

payment confirm: 2014-06-30 19:42:03

payment confirm: 2014-06-30 20:58:49

[contactlight]

Batch 1, 2 S3s
order create time: 2014-06-30 17:57:23.0
pay confirmed: 2014-06-30 19:17:19
just shipped: 2014-07-18 09:11:57

so batch 1 is still shipping.

Batch 1 : 8*S3
Order DATE: 2014-06-30 18:42:07
Payment confirmation Date:   2014-06-30 19:36:17
Status : Paid/Unshipped/Valid

I am really worried as I was thinking to receive it this week.
Because next friday I am far of my country (switzerland) for more than 2 weeks and nobody to receive it :  if it comes later than that I wont be able to receive it....

And the support is still answering generic answers with no detail except to wait.

Damn.

Create a UPS account on UPS.com. Login to UPS MyChoice. It may or may not be available for your region but if it is, you can change your delivery and have them hold it at a UPS location, or deliver it on a certain date.

[jfederkins]

Bitcoin Miner Problems #257: Needing to take a crap and a shower, but can't, because you don't want to miss the doorbell, and not signing for the delivery.

Redneck engineering has fixed that for you - toilet on the front porch.

Depends

[W0lV3]

Batch 1, 2 S3s
order create time: 2014-06-30 17:57:23.0
pay confirmed: 2014-06-30 19:17:19
just shipped: 2014-07-18 09:11:57

so batch 1 is still shipping.

Batch 1 : 8*S3
Order DATE: 2014-06-30 18:42:07
Payment confirmation Date:   2014-06-30 19:36:17
Status : Paid/Unshipped/Valid

I am really worried as I was thinking to receive it this week.
Because next friday I am far of my country (switzerland) for more than 2 weeks and nobody to receive it :  if it comes later than that I wont be able to receive it....

And the support is still answering generic answers with no detail except to wait.

Damn.

Create a UPS account on UPS.com. Login to UPS MyChoice. It may or may not be available for your region but if it is, you can change your delivery and have them hold it at a UPS location, or deliver it on a certain date.

K, I appreciate the advice but I was supposed to mine during my holidays

If I don't have a choice, I will follow it but...I would prefer to not have to. 

[Red_Wolf_2]

Ok, here is my quickstart guide. Please correct and make additions/removals/clarifications as required...

1. Plug up your power supplies to your AntMiner S3. Minimum of one PCI-e power connector per side (2 recommended to avoid meltymelty)
2. Plug up a network cable to your AntMiner S3. Plug the other end of the cable up to your LAN or directly to your PC (if your local network is set up on a different subnet - see below)
2a. If your local network is not running on 192.168.1.0 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, use the direct cable connection method and set your wired interface IP to a static IP (such as 192.168.1.1 subnet mask 255.255.255.0, no gateway).
2b. If your local network is running on 192.168.1.0 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, ensure no devices are already using 192.168.1.99 (use ping 192.168.1.99 to check) and plug the AntMiner S3 directly up to a free port on your switch or router.
3. Connect to your AntMiner S3 by going to your web browser and typing http://192.168.1.99/ (username is root, password is also root)
4. Configure your miner settings under the Miner Configuration tab, then save and apply the settings.
5. Go to the Network tab. Select "Edit" on the WAN line.
6. Change protocol from "Static Address" to DHCP client. Set an appropriate hostname (such as antMiner) then click Save and Apply.

You will now lose access to the device. If you had it connected to your network, check your router to find out what IP it now has. If you had it connected directly to your PC (from having a different subnet, such as 192.168.0.0), disconnect it now and connect it to your local network instead, then do as above to find its new IP.

7. Log back in and confirm everything is working correctly. You should also feel a fair bit of warm air coming from the output end of the miner.

That is it!

Additional Steps:
Enabling Wireless - This will require some hardware modification and will probably void warranty, do so at your own risk!
The following is more technical than the previous instructions. It assumes you know how to connect devices to your wireless network, configure them, and how to safely drill holes in metal. If you have any doubts on how to do this, STOP NOW and ask someone who does know what they are doing.

Open the case of your AntMiner S3. Identify the controller board, mounted on the top of the inside of the unit (where the network port is). On this board is mounted a smaller board containing an AR9331 system on chip. Near the bottom left corner of this board (Labelled ThinkPHY 2) is a U.FL antenna connector. You will need a suitable pigtail and antenna (both can be sourced from ebay for about $1.50 each, some of the most common are the U.FL to RP-SMA ones, and antennas are easy to find).
Carefully drill a hole the correct width for the pigtail to be mounted (do this without the board in the way, and ensure no metal filings end up in bad places), mount the antenna end of the pigtail in the case, then carefully and gently fit the U.FL connector to the antenna connector on the board.
Reassemble the unit, then attach the antenna to the pigtail's now protruding wireless antenna socket.

1. Power up the unit (connected by wire to your LAN) and confirm everything is functioning normally through the web interface.
2. Go to the Network tab, then select the Wifi subtab.
3. Next to Generic MAC80211 802.11bgn (radio0), click the Add button.
4. On the new page displayed, set the ESSID to your wireless network name, the mode to client, and set the appropriate security settings under the Wireless Security subtab (about half way down the page, near where you set the ESSID). Set the network to "Create" and call it wifi.
5. Click Save and Apply. (And wait a while for everything to apply)
6. Select the Interfaces subtab, there should now be a third network option called WIFI (along with the two original ones, LAN and WAN). Click the edit button for WIFI.
7. Change the protocol from Unmanaged to DHCP client. Set an appropriate hostname, then click Save and Apply again.
8. Confirm the AntMiner S3 has successfully associated to the wireless network and acquired an IP. If it has not, confirm your security settings are correct and check the device Kernel Logs from the Status page.
9. Once correctly associated, you should now be able to access the miner through its wireless network IP. If this is possible, disconnect the wired network connection and confirm the unit keeps mining.

[Biodom]

Bitcoin Miner Problems #257: Needing to take a shower, but can't, because you don't want to miss the doorbell, and not signing for the delivery.

It happened to me once with S1 shipment. Quick shower-heard something like a bell-UPS was gone. Had to call to ask to divert to UPS store later in the day.
It DOES happen.

Regarding S3-does it have a reset button? There is a small opening to the right of lights on the ethernet port. I wonder if this is it, but I hardly see any button there.
Manual says nothing as far as I can see. I will open it up later to try to locate the reset button.

[Biodom]

6. Change protocol from "Static Address" to DHCP client. Set an appropriate hostname (such as antMiner) then click Save and Apply.

What would be the advantage of DHCP vs static? With DHCP you will need to check it (IP) every time you want to login or ssh.
Not a big deal, of course, but why bother?

[Red_Wolf_2]

This will enable the DHCP server. You don't want this. Instead change the protocol type from Static IP to DHCP Client and save and apply the changes.

Thanks for the info. I thought that that option looked suspect. That's why I asked in my first post if there was a DHCP Client option. Thanks for confirming that there is.

If anyone is interested, I'll put together a quick starter guide for anyone who wants to switch from the default settings to a dynamic assigned IP setup...

I think that I'm all set. But given that the set up is confusing, I think that it would be generally helpful to other people to keep them from messing up their units.

What an odd choice for Bitmain to expose all of this router functionality. It's more like setting up a firewall than a miner. Instead of suppressing this complexity and providing a mining appliance (which I suspect most people are interested in), they've exposed a bunch of stuff that people don't need.

The sense that I have is that under the hood the two blades are Ethernet devices and front end is a router for them. So I guess people could build out large scale farms made of many blades under one or more routers. Maybe in that case it would make sense to enable a DHCP server for the blades. But if anyone was building out that kind of infrastructure, I assume they'd be using their own router or firewall, not the one that comes with the S3.

So again; exposing this functionality is just an unnecessary complication. But they were probably in a rush to ship, so UI refinements were probably pretty low on the priority list

No problems

The reason all the router functionality is exposed is that the OS is OpenWRT, which is designed primarily for use on wireless routers. You can do a heck of a lot with it on a good quality router, and in the case of the S3 the controller board is really little more than a specialised wifi router board with some extra circuitry to allow it to talk to some USB devices. This appears on a cursory glance to be wired directly to a PIC32 microcontroller which has some glorified firmware on it that does the actual talking to the ASICs. I'd imagine this wouldn't be dissimilar to how the older BFL gear worked, with a MCU to handle all the discussion and job handing between the ASICs, and converting it all into a nicer format that gets shunted across the USB serial port set up between the AR9331 and PIC.

The blades themselves don't seem to talk as ethernet devices, they need that PIC in there to handle things properly.
Could probably make the blades as PCI-e cards if they really wanted to...

[RchGrav]

btw,
is it safe, if the thermal paste is around the feet of the chip..

I was wondering the same thing.. thermal compound typically wont short out a connection, but it does have a small amount of capacitance I think depending on its formulation.

In my case the one PCB was swimming in the stuff, and the other side didnt even have full contact on a few of the chips.  it was having a lot of hardware errors.

Rich

so, its better to clean those leaking thermal...right?

its still liquid, its best that we prevent something unwanted to be happened
even if we can RMA them, we'll lose several weeks only for sending and waiting them ship it back to us
we may ended up lose a full month just because of the delay caused by the custom clearing or whatever they call it

I guess its up to you.. I only decided to look at mine because it was getting a lot more HW errors on one.  

You will have to remove the 4 screws on the outer heatsink and lift it and slide it out the top.. it won't clear the case any other way.  You will see what I mean if you try it.

You won't be able to see any leakage like you could on the S1, its all enclosed by heatsinks on both sides.

I didn't like the fact that the one side had heatsink paste completely enclosing the chips, on the pins and everything.

Surely using thermal pads like a GPU uses would be a better choice here... I'm considering purchasing some thin thermal pad sheets to replace the thermal compound and see if it works better.

Rich

[-droid-]

6. Change protocol from "Static Address" to DHCP client. Set an appropriate hostname (such as antMiner) then click Save and Apply.

What would be the advantage of DHCP vs static? With DHCP you will need to check it (IP) every time you want to login or ssh.
Not a big deal, of course, but why bother?

ive always done DHCP and my IP addys have never changed, even after reboots and shut down's to move hardware around the garage

[Red_Wolf_2]

6. Change protocol from "Static Address" to DHCP client. Set an appropriate hostname (such as antMiner) then click Save and Apply.

What would be the advantage of DHCP vs static? With DHCP you will need to check it (IP) every time you want to login or ssh.
Not a big deal, of course, but why bother?

In my case, I have IPs all handled from a central DHCP server. Prevents weird conflicts occurring and I can assign a static lease from the server to ensure a device always has the same IP if it really bothers me. Just a matter of personal choice, I find it a lot easier to administer given I have dozens of various devices running across a whole bunch of different private subnets...

[frigidformself]

I've got my 2 S3's!

Can I run 2 of them off of one Seasonic 860 Plat?

Also, I guess I only need to plug in 2 PCI-E on each side?

I've got mine currently pointed at coincadence with all my little r-boxes.  p2pool!

https://i.imgur.com/eqhWoD2.jpg

sure, its good too with seasonic 860w
and, u need to plug 1 on each side... no need to plug all 4 slot of PCI-E on S3
so 2 pcie for 1 S3

s3 already compatible with p2pool???

I went ahead and moved both miners to one Seasonic 860Watt Plat PSU and just plugged in 2 PCI-E's like you said

https://i.imgur.com/fYHt6eK.jpg




yea, I have mine pointed at a p2pool (coincadence) and it looks like it's working.  I just turned the miner back on after switching out the PSU's in this shot.

https://i.imgur.com/M2DUxxU.png