ANTMINER S3+ Discussion and Support Thread

[jpchrist]

Anyone else made a deposit to hashnest.com recently and not received the deposit in account?

Have you seen the name of this thread?.. 

  not sure same as bitmain site that I ordered one L1 and paid by btc and in account still not say pay yet for one hour now.
I did them for it.

Can i have some bitcoin too?  I mean, considering youre just pissing it away, Id figured id ask.

[jpchrist]

If anyone is interested im selling 2 antminer S3s for 0.65 BTC each with free shipping anywhere in the US.  I can ship same day is payment is made early.  They are from batch 5. BOth units can be successfully overclocked to 237.5 and 1 can be overclocked to 250. Figure I'd see if anyone here wants them before I throw them up on ebay.  Send a PM if interested.

[ftoole]

If anyone is interested im selling 2 antminer S3s for 0.65 BTC each with free shipping anywhere in the US.  I can ship same day is payment is made early.  They are from batch 5. BOth units can be successfully overclocked to 237.5 and 1 can be overclocked to 250. Figure I'd see if anyone here wants them before I throw them up on ebay.  Send a PM if interested.

You might wanna try in the Bitcoin Forum > Economy > Marketplace > Goods > Computer hardware if you want to sell them. But remember on ebay buyer protection can hurt you bad. some buyer buys them hashes away for a month then opens a case and returns them full refund of shipping plus purchase price.

[xstr8guy]

What are recommended PSUs for Antminer S3 to buy - in Europe/US?

I don't know much about PSUs, so a link to a PSU 101 article (at least as it relates to bitcoin mining) would be welcome as well.

I read:
http://www.reddit.com/r/BitcoinMining/comments/24intr/best_corsair_psu_for_my_antminer_s1/ch7mntp

"Efficiency ratings describe the amount of electricity that the PSU loses as heat while powering the unit. Because miners are always on and consume a lot of power, more efficient units generally recover their higher purchase cost in less than a year. In nearly 100% of cases you'll save money by buying a platinum (or gold) rated PSU."

Sorry for quoting myself, but any help with this? From a total beginner level, like understanding power draw on the PSU. Thank you.

Something to remember, when you select a power supply(s) keep in mind that even if you select the best 80 Plus Platinum supply, you'll want to get one rated at about twice (optimum/peak efficiency of most power supplies is around 50-60% of rated power) of what you'll be pulling through it.  So if you have 2 S3's and they're overclocked and pulling 374w each, then that's about 750w, so you should be looking for something in the range of 1200-1500w in platinum or gold rated. (also keep in mind that some power supplies have multiple +12v rails that usually max. out at 30A each, which might not be enough for a overclocked S3, so a single +12v rail might be a better choice)
Also, if you want optimum efficiency, use a 240v source if available (some houses have a 220-240v line for washing/dryer, be sure to switch the selector on the power supply to the correct voltage before you plug it in) which should add about 2% addition efficiency.

Sorry to say this but you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

There is some inefficiency to account for in most PSUs but certainly not close to 50% on current PSUs. Most PSUs will happily run 24/7 at 80% (or more) of their rated watts. Some good quality PSUs will run 100%+.

Poor example: Bitmain used cheap 1000w Gold Enermax PSUs in their S2s. And those miners use 1000w pretty consistently. Mine pooped-out after two or three weeks but many others are still using them many months later.

[xstr8guy]

Anyone else made a deposit to hashnest.com recently and not received the deposit in account?

Have you seen the name of this thread?.. 

Hers, this is a little more helpful...

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=766448.0

[R4v37]

Anyone else made a deposit to hashnest.com recently and not received the deposit in account?

Have you seen the name of this thread?.. 

Hers, this is a little more helpful...

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=766448.0

he means, this thread is "ANTMINER S3 Discussion and Support Thread"
and that guy's talking bout hashnest

[tom99]

  yes, for S3 but same owner.

[allcoinminer]

What are recommended PSUs for Antminer S3 to buy - in Europe/US?

I don't know much about PSUs, so a link to a PSU 101 article (at least as it relates to bitcoin mining) would be welcome as well.

I read:
http://www.reddit.com/r/BitcoinMining/comments/24intr/best_corsair_psu_for_my_antminer_s1/ch7mntp

"Efficiency ratings describe the amount of electricity that the PSU loses as heat while powering the unit. Because miners are always on and consume a lot of power, more efficient units generally recover their higher purchase cost in less than a year. In nearly 100% of cases you'll save money by buying a platinum (or gold) rated PSU."

Sorry for quoting myself, but any help with this? From a total beginner level, like understanding power draw on the PSU. Thank you.

Something to remember, when you select a power supply(s) keep in mind that even if you select the best 80 Plus Platinum supply, you'll want to get one rated at about twice (optimum/peak efficiency of most power supplies is around 50-60% of rated power) of what you'll be pulling through it.  So if you have 2 S3's and they're overclocked and pulling 374w each, then that's about 750w, so you should be looking for something in the range of 1200-1500w in platinum or gold rated. (also keep in mind that some power supplies have multiple +12v rails that usually max. out at 30A each, which might not be enough for a overclocked S3, so a single +12v rail might be a better choice)
Also, if you want optimum efficiency, use a 240v source if available (some houses have a 220-240v line for washing/dryer, be sure to switch the selector on the power supply to the correct voltage before you plug it in) which should add about 2% addition efficiency.

Perhaps a better suggestion would be to look at the efficiency curve of the PSU since although your assertion about effeciency at 50% load is accurate the difference doesn't necessarily result in savings that offset needing to size up to a 1200-1500 when a 750-1000W will do.. For example for 80 Plus Platinum at 50% load it is a minimum of 92% while at 100% load it is 89%, and PSUs will move around above that bottom threshold.

I have a Corsair AX1200 high end power supply having min 90% efficiency at 50% load.
I loaded it with an overclocked S3 (s) running at 250Mhz and 500Ghs+.
The power consumption at Wall is around 400W at 220VAC.
I then connected it to a 12V DC Source directly omitting the Power Supply.
Now the power consumption is around 260Watts to 300Watts, the DC-DC converter's efficiency is near 90%.
So, I should assume from my findings that before PSU the S3 consumes <300Watts and at all 430W.
The ammeter used in both case where same and did testing multiple times with same results.
Antminer S3 <- 24VDC-12VDC Converter <- 24VDC Solar Charge Controller <-  <300W
Antminer S3 <- Power Supply                <- 24VDC Invertered to AC         <- 24VDC Solar Charge Controller <-    430W

[7queue]

Does anybody have the commands for installing nano on the s3 by putty?
Tried "opkg update" and "opkg install nano" but get errores on the first already

The repository in /etc/opkg.conf is incorrect, so it doesn't have any packages to install.  However even if you fix that (add /base to the path), there isn't a precompiled nano package for this openwrt variant. I suggest learning some basic vi skills, as it's the lowest common denominator in the editor world (any *nix machine will have vi).

What variant are they using with the S3?

8 )

[manicminer]

@Askit2: Thanks.

Meanwhile I learned I should buy a Gold certified PSU. Agree?

Now the question: Antminer's Google Translator supported customer service says if I use 1 big PSU to power 2 miners, they will generate only 800Gh/s. Compare that to 453Gh/s per single miner.

Should I run 2 miners from 1 or 2 PSUs? How the math all adds up?

[Soros Shorts]

So if you have 2 S3's and they're overclocked and pulling 374w each, then that's about 750w, so you should be looking for something in the range of 1200-1500w in platinum or gold rated.

A lot of people from the various hardware overclockers forums like to keep saying this. While it is probably fairly accurate statement, under most circumstances for Bitcoin mining it does not make financial sense to go for that extra 2-3% additional efficiency when you end up having to pay $100-200 more for the larger PSU just so that you can run it at 50% load.

[robyone]

I have a Corsair AX1200 high end power supply having min 90% efficiency at 50% load.
I loaded it with an overclocked S3 (s) running at 250Mhz and 500Ghs+.
The power consumption at Wall is around 400W at 220VAC.
I then connected it to a 12V DC Source directly omitting the Power Supply.
Now the power consumption is around 260Watts to 300Watts, the DC-DC converter's efficiency is near 90%.
So, I should assume from my findings that before PSU the S3 consumes <300Watts and at all 430W.
The ammeter used in both case where same and did testing multiple times with same results.
Antminer S3 <- 24VDC-12VDC Converter <- 24VDC Solar Charge Controller <-  <300W
Antminer S3 <- Power Supply                <- 24VDC Invertered to AC         <- 24VDC Solar Charge Controller <-    430W

do I understand correctly:
Antminer S3 <- 24VDC-12VDC Converter <- 24VDC Solar Charge Controller <-  <300W
Antminer S3 <- Power Supply                <- 220V power outlet <-    340W

?
Maybe then:
Antminer S3 <- 24VDC-12VDC Converter <- 220V power outlet <-  <300W
?

[Gogreen]

@Askit2: Thanks.

Meanwhile I learned I should buy a Gold certified PSU. Agree?

Now the question: Antminer's Google Translator supported customer service says if I use 1 big PSU to power 2 miners, they will generate only 800Gh/s. Compare that to 453Gh/s per single miner.

Should I run 2 miners from 1 or 2 PSUs? How the math all adds up?

if you wan to oc then one per s3 like rm650 gold.  or u can run 3 s3 on 2 rm650 normal speed

[Gogreen]

So if you have 2 S3's and they're overclocked and pulling 374w each, then that's about 750w, so you should be looking for something in the range of 1200-1500w in platinum or gold rated.

A lot of people from the various hardware overclockers forums like to keep saying this. While it is probably fairly accurate statement, under most circumstances for Bitcoin mining it does not make financial sense to go for that extra 2-3% additional efficiency when you end up having to pay $100-200 more for the larger PSU just so that you can run it at 50% load.

I kinda agree but is there any good reason to oc them?

[robyone]

I kinda agree but is there any good reason to oc them?

if you are lucky and have a stable unit, then you can get better GH/WATT relation.
check here for detailed info on this:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=699064.460

this is cut from the thread:

Code:

#option 'freq_value'    '0982'  #502Gh/s 402W/ 0.800W per GH
   #option 'chip_freq'     '250'
   #option 'timeout'       '16'
  
   #option 'freq_value'    '1306'  #490Gh/s 385W/ 0.786W per GH
   #option 'chip_freq'     '243.75'
   #option 'timeout'       '16'
  
   #option 'freq_value'    '0902'  #478Gh/s 367W/ 0.768W per GH
   #option 'chip_freq'     '237.5'
   #option 'timeout'       '17'
  
   #option 'freq_value'    '1206'  #465Gh/s 356W/ 0.766W per GH
   #option 'chip_freq'     '231.25'
   #option 'timeout'       '17'
  
   #option 'freq_value'    '0882'  #452Gh/s 346W/ 0.765W per GH
   #option 'chip_freq'     '225'
   #option 'timeout'       '18'
  
   option 'freq_value'    '1106'  #441Gh/s 340W Default/ 0.771W per GH
   option 'chip_freq'     '218.75'
   option 'timeout'       '18'

[Gogreen]

Thanks ,this is useful. I will test one of my s3 

[xstr8guy]

So if you have 2 S3's and they're overclocked and pulling 374w each, then that's about 750w, so you should be looking for something in the range of 1200-1500w in platinum or gold rated.

A lot of people from the various hardware overclockers forums like to keep saying this. While it is probably fairly accurate statement, under most circumstances for Bitcoin mining it does not make financial sense to go for that extra 2-3% additional efficiency when you end up having to pay $100-200 more for the larger PSU just so that you can run it at 50% load.

I kinda agree but is there any good reason to oc them?

No. The difference in income between overclocked and standard settings is negligible with the increased electrical usage. These chips are already running near their max capacity.

[mahowi]

Does anybody have the commands for installing nano on the s3 by putty?
Tried "opkg update" and "opkg install nano" but get errores on the first already

The repository in /etc/opkg.conf is incorrect, so it doesn't have any packages to install.  However even if you fix that (add /base to the path), there isn't a precompiled nano package for this openwrt variant. I suggest learning some basic vi skills, as it's the lowest common denominator in the editor world (any *nix machine will have vi).

What variant are they using with the S3?

8 )

They are using barrier breaker. To repeat myself, here are the changes you have to do for installing packages again:

Pathes have changed on openwrt repository server, there are now 5 different pathes. You have to change /etc/opk.conf:

Code:

root@antMinerS3:~# cat /etc/opkg.conf
src/gz barrier_breaker http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/packages
src/gz base http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/base
src/gz luci http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/luci
src/gz routing http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/routing
src/gz management http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/management
src/gz telephony http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/telephony
dest root /
dest ram /tmp
lists_dir ext /var/opkg-lists
option overlay_root /overlay

Code:

opkg update && opkg install nano

should work after modification. You could do the changes also via webinterface of your Antminer.

P.S.: Works also on S1 the same way.

[7queue]

Does anybody have the commands for installing nano on the s3 by putty?
Tried "opkg update" and "opkg install nano" but get errores on the first already

The repository in /etc/opkg.conf is incorrect, so it doesn't have any packages to install.  However even if you fix that (add /base to the path), there isn't a precompiled nano package for this openwrt variant. I suggest learning some basic vi skills, as it's the lowest common denominator in the editor world (any *nix machine will have vi).

What variant are they using with the S3?

8 )

They are using barrier breaker. To repeat myself, here are the changes you have to do for installing packages again:

Pathes have changed on openwrt repository server, there are now 5 different pathes. You have to change /etc/opk.conf:

Code:

root@antMinerS3:~# cat /etc/opkg.conf
src/gz barrier_breaker http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/packages
src/gz base http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/base
src/gz luci http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/luci
src/gz routing http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/routing
src/gz management http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/management
src/gz telephony http://downloads.openwrt.org/snapshots/trunk/ar71xx/packages/telephony
dest root /
dest ram /tmp
lists_dir ext /var/opkg-lists
option overlay_root /overlay

Code:

opkg update && opkg install nano

should work after modification. You could do the changes also via webinterface of your Antminer.

P.S.: Works also on S1 the same way.

Thanks, there is so much information to dig through...

I was asking primarily for cross compiling, I wanted to see if I could solo mine straight from the ants.

I've the latest github master pull built of cgminer, replaced driver-bitmain.{c,h} with a prior version found in this branch, cgminer-kanoi-ants1-4.3.2a-85fcf0c, of Kanoi repo, and it is running fine.

Working on cgminer-api found on the controller next, no stats show in LuCI, api-example.c needs tweaking as it doesn't compile as is.

Are the kernel modules and LuCI sources available?

Looking at the schematics for the V1.2 S1 Controller the blades are tied to the UART on the PIC, the USB HUB seems to be there only to make cgminer happy. (Edit: sleep and coffee help one see how the USB is connected...)

I haven't an S3 or S1 upgrade kit yet to tinker with, besides this endeavor is in the name of pure fun!

Oh, If I use the original versions of driver-bitmain.{c,h} from github cgminer master branch all I get are errors.

8 )

[jpchrist]

If anyone is curious just how bad of a deal bitmains hashnest is, here are the number assuming their current maintenance fee, cost, 15% diff increase, and very optimistic btc value of 700.  Bottom line: you are nearly guaranteed to lose ~1/2 your investment.  Shame on you bitmain.

FYI: would need to average < 7% diff increase to turn a small profit.