ANTMINER S3+ Discussion and Support Thread

[mindtrip]

Thanks, mindtrip. Obvious answer to a stupid question

Your welcome not to get into a lot of detail but usually outlets are all linked together on a circuit so if your wiring gauge is incorrect or an outlet is not wired correctly it can cause a high load at a particular point in the line in your case that hot outlet is probably in between the outlet your using and the breaker. If the wiring is old this is a concern. I personally ran new dedicated 20 AMP Circuits for all my mining locations to ensure 1> Correct gauge wire and outlets were used 2> nothing else i wasn't aware of was on that circuit 3> Peace of mind

I agree completely I have most circuits no more then 2000 Watts and nothing gets warm not the outlet or the breaker and have never blown a breaker and lost mining time 

[bennynjetz]

Need help here. Anyone running multiple S3s on the same circuit, and if so, what are you powering them with? I have 6 of the new batch 8 S3's, and they are all on the same circuit. Running two pairs with a Corsair CX750M each and the other two with an EVGA bronze 1300W. Thought this would work well, and they mine perfectly, but the one outlet in the room that isn't being used for anything is warm to the touch. This obviously isn't good. I was a noob before this running two overclocked S1s with one Corsair CX750M and have apparently bit off more than I can chew.

Any help from one of you vets would be highly appreciated 

Need to know what amp circuit the room is using.  A 15A circuit has a max of 1800 watts, but you should probably keep it under 1440 watts.  A 20A circuit has a max of 2400 watts, which is what I have, and they say to keep below 1920 watts, but I'm running a little over 2000 watts.  (80% of max for continuous load.)   You could have the wrong grade of wiring.  A lower grade wire will get hot, and could even cause a fire if not up to specifications.  For example, if wire that was rated for a 15A circuit was used with a 20A circuit.  Even with 2000 watts, my outlets are not hot to the touch, and barely warm.

Hey Missouri! Thanks for the input! The circuit is 15A actually. Spoke with the guru of all things electrical (my pops) and he said that the wiring  in my new house is total sh*t. **NOTE - don't assume that just because you've paid a ton for a new house that the wiring is exceptional**. Therefore, I am on the hunt for a good electrician to swing by and solve my problem for me. Adding another circuit (and possibly upgrading the current wiring) is in the cards because NOT mining is not haha. Thanks again! Cheers - \m/

[bennynjetz]

Thanks, mindtrip. Obvious answer to a stupid question

Your welcome not to get into a lot of detail but usually outlets are all linked together on a circuit so if your wiring gauge is incorrect or an outlet is not wired correctly it can cause a high load at a particular point in the line in your case that hot outlet is probably in between the outlet your using and the breaker. If the wiring is old this is a concern. I personally ran new dedicated 20 AMP Circuits for all my mining locations to ensure 1> Correct gauge wire and outlets were used 2> nothing else i wasn't aware of was on that circuit 3> Peace of mind

Thanks again, mindtrip. Yeah I'm just waiting for my guy to show up and laugh at the total sh*t nest behind my outlet covers here. We will see soon

[Biodom]

Need help here. Anyone running multiple S3s on the same circuit, and if so, what are you powering them with? I have 6 of the new batch 8 S3's, and they are all on the same circuit. Running two pairs with a Corsair CX750M each and the other two with an EVGA bronze 1300W. Thought this would work well, and they mine perfectly, but the one outlet in the room that isn't being used for anything is warm to the touch. This obviously isn't good. I was a noob before this running two overclocked S1s with one Corsair CX750M and have apparently bit off more than I can chew.

Any help from one of you vets would be highly appreciated  

Need to know what amp circuit the room is using.  A 15A circuit has a max of 1800 watts, but you should probably keep it under 1440 watts.  A 20A circuit has a max of 2400 watts, which is what I have, and they say to keep below 1920 watts, but I'm running a little over 2000 watts.  (80% of max for continuous load.)   You could have the wrong grade of wiring.  A lower grade wire will get hot, and could even cause a fire if not up to specifications.  For example, if wire that was rated for a 15A circuit was used with a 20A circuit.  Even with 2000 watts, my outlets are not hot to the touch, and barely warm.

Hey Missouri! Thanks for the input! The circuit is 15A actually. Spoke with the guru of all things electrical (my pops) and he said that the wiring  in my new house is total sh*t. **NOTE - don't assume that just because you've paid a ton for a new house that the wiring is exceptional**. Therefore, I am on the hunt for a good electrician to swing by and solve my problem for me. Adding another circuit (and possibly upgrading the current wiring) is in the cards because NOT mining is not haha. Thanks again! Cheers - \m/

you supposed to run only 3 overclocked S3 on a 15A circuit (at 110/120V). You might barely run four, but at the regular speed (not overclocked).
Six is seriously pushing it-prone to disaster. However, check you circuits-I have two close by, so just connect three miners to one and the rest to another circuit.

[bennynjetz]

Need help here. Anyone running multiple S3s on the same circuit, and if so, what are you powering them with? I have 6 of the new batch 8 S3's, and they are all on the same circuit. Running two pairs with a Corsair CX750M each and the other two with an EVGA bronze 1300W. Thought this would work well, and they mine perfectly, but the one outlet in the room that isn't being used for anything is warm to the touch. This obviously isn't good. I was a noob before this running two overclocked S1s with one Corsair CX750M and have apparently bit off more than I can chew.

Any help from one of you vets would be highly appreciated  

Need to know what amp circuit the room is using.  A 15A circuit has a max of 1800 watts, but you should probably keep it under 1440 watts.  A 20A circuit has a max of 2400 watts, which is what I have, and they say to keep below 1920 watts, but I'm running a little over 2000 watts.  (80% of max for continuous load.)   You could have the wrong grade of wiring.  A lower grade wire will get hot, and could even cause a fire if not up to specifications.  For example, if wire that was rated for a 15A circuit was used with a 20A circuit.  Even with 2000 watts, my outlets are not hot to the touch, and barely warm.

Hey Missouri! Thanks for the input! The circuit is 15A actually. Spoke with the guru of all things electrical (my pops) and he said that the wiring  in my new house is total sh*t. **NOTE - don't assume that just because you've paid a ton for a new house that the wiring is exceptional**. Therefore, I am on the hunt for a good electrician to swing by and solve my problem for me. Adding another circuit (and possibly upgrading the current wiring) is in the cards because NOT mining is not haha. Thanks again! Cheers - \m/

you supposed to run only 3 overclocked S3 on a 15A circuit (at 110/120V). You might barely run four, but at the regular speed (not overclocked).
Six is seriously pushing it-prone to disaster. However, check you circuits-I have two close by, so just connect three miners to one and the rest to another circuit.

They aren't overclocked. They are straight outta the box. My wife is an interior designer, so all my miners MUST remain in my office so as not to interfere with her masterpiece haha. Not worried, though. I've got an electrician coming out here tomorrow and he's gonna put another circuit in here and I'll be back in business. Need a pro to look at it anyway. If the wiring is crap I need to know now before something terrible happens anyway. Thank you, mindtrip, for saving my family's life LOL

[nst6563]

They aren't overclocked. They are straight outta the box. My wife is an interior designer, so all my miners MUST remain in my office so as not to interfere with her masterpiece haha. Not worried, though. I've got an electrician coming out here tomorrow and he's gonna put another circuit in here and I'll be back in business. Need a pro to look at it anyway. If the wiring is crap I need to know now before something terrible happens anyway. Thank you, mindtrip, for saving my family's life LOL

If your electrician is running a complete new circuit you may consider a 220v circuit (or two) dedicated for your mining hardware.  You can run more off a 220v circuit, plus it's a little more efficient  (which is always an upside) to run the power supplies off of 220 vs 110.  I ran 2x220v circuits to where my miners are located and it was the best thing I ever did.  If you do this, just be sure that it is recognizable as a 220v circuit.  I have orange outlets and red stickers warning of the 220v circuit so 110v equipment isn't mistakenly plugged in (although I'm the only one that uses that area of the basement).

[pekatete]

Sorry I don't mean to seem lazy, but I have looked and can't find it. Can someone kindly post where the instructions are to set the frequency setting above/outside what is listed on the drop down menu using the new firmware?

I know some of you have had decent results with frequency settings above 250. ie. 262.5.

Would like to give it a shot.

Thanks!
Strato

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=750220

[soy]

Need help here. Anyone running multiple S3s on the same circuit, and if so, what are you powering them with? I have 6 of the new batch 8 S3's, and they are all on the same circuit. Running two pairs with a Corsair CX750M each and the other two with an EVGA bronze 1300W. Thought this would work well, and they mine perfectly, but the one outlet in the room that isn't being used for anything is warm to the touch. This obviously isn't good. I was a noob before this running two overclocked S1s with one Corsair CX750M and have apparently bit off more than I can chew.

Any help from one of you vets would be highly appreciated  

Couple of ways to run the cable to outlets.  Although a 20 amp circuit with 12-2 might have 15 amp outlets, the total allowed wouldn't change.  The 15 amp outlets have a couple of ways to clamp the wire.  They could have the solid #12 looped around an outlet screw and clipped, then another length of #12 wrapped around the other screw on that side and clipped, and run to another outlet, same on the other side of the outlet.  Or they could have pre-built the circuit for the room and stripped back the #12 for 3/4" and made a loop and only attached it to one screw, not clipping the wire but tough to route if you're using holes cut in the studs before the drywall goes up.  If looped and clipped the 15 amp outlet could conceivably see more than 15 amps thru the metal on the side having the two screws.  Or, and this is more likely to cause outlet heating, the electrician ran the cables to the empty boxes, the cables cut a foot or so beyond the box.  He stripped the #12-2, both the black and white, a half inch and pressed the wire into the hole in the back of the outlet, black to the side having the gilt colored screw and white to the side having the silver colored metal screw.  Then took the cable to the next outlet and did the same to the other pair of holes on the back of the outlet.  This type of daisy-chaining, using the push in holes, likely see the solid conductor making contact with a metal tab pressing on its side and is more likely to heat.  Not sure if a standard 15 amp outlet would accept #12, hold on I'll check...nope, #12 won't fit the hole in a 15 amp outlet.

[soy]

Thanks, mindtrip. Obvious answer to a stupid question

Your welcome not to get into a lot of detail but usually outlets are all linked together on a circuit so if your wiring gauge is incorrect or an outlet is not wired correctly it can cause a high load at a particular point in the line in your case that hot outlet is probably in between the outlet your using and the breaker. If the wiring is old this is a concern. I personally ran new dedicated 20 AMP Circuits for all my mining locations to ensure 1> Correct gauge wire and outlets were used 2> nothing else i wasn't aware of was on that circuit 3> Peace of mind

Yep. 

[Moria843]

They aren't overclocked. They are straight outta the box. My wife is an interior designer, so all my miners MUST remain in my office so as not to interfere with her masterpiece haha. Not worried, though. I've got an electrician coming out here tomorrow and he's gonna put another circuit in here and I'll be back in business. Need a pro to look at it anyway. If the wiring is crap I need to know now before something terrible happens anyway. Thank you, mindtrip, for saving my family's life LOL

If your electrician is running a complete new circuit you may consider a 220v circuit (or two) dedicated for your mining hardware.  You can run more off a 220v circuit, plus it's a little more efficient  (which is always an upside) to run the power supplies off of 220 vs 110.  I ran 2x220v circuits to where my miners are located and it was the best thing I ever did.  If you do this, just be sure that it is recognizable as a 220v circuit.  I have orange outlets and red stickers warning of the 220v circuit so 110v equipment isn't mistakenly plugged in (although I'm the only one that uses that area of the basement).

You should have used receptacles and matching plugs that make plugging in 120 V device impossible.

[visdude]

I think it's you who should check your facts.  I have installed antMiner_S320140826.bin (latest firmware on the Bitmain S3 support page) and am pretty sure that it does include 100M and 500M because I am currently using 243.75M.  If you're still not convinced, then that's your problem; sorry for trying to help out.  This was posted on the prior page, just before your post:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=671189.msg8882222#msg8882222

Just for shits n giggles becaise it proves ME right about 243.75, so whos checking whos facts now ?

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=699064.msg8370071#msg8370071

(Here are highlighted in red the lines with new frequency not included in the stock firmware.)

MBW, you are thinking of the next-to-latest firmware.  The last one before the S3+ firmware does not have the 243.75 setting, but the one for the S3+ (and S3 works fine with, too) DOES have 243.75.  I have one S3 with each.

Ok, so technically me and visdude are both wrong so apologies here.

You were wrong; I wasn't.  You did say "new firmware" which, for all intents and purposes, means the "latest firmware".  You're firmware description was obviously wrong but my interpretation of your firmware description was correct.

Accepting your mistake is commendable but to drag me into it is not cool especially when my intention was to help you out sincerely.  Again, be brave and accept your mistake on your own; don't drag me into it.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=671189.msg8883401#msg8883401

[nst6563]

They aren't overclocked. They are straight outta the box. My wife is an interior designer, so all my miners MUST remain in my office so as not to interfere with her masterpiece haha. Not worried, though. I've got an electrician coming out here tomorrow and he's gonna put another circuit in here and I'll be back in business. Need a pro to look at it anyway. If the wiring is crap I need to know now before something terrible happens anyway. Thank you, mindtrip, for saving my family's life LOL

If your electrician is running a complete new circuit you may consider a 220v circuit (or two) dedicated for your mining hardware.  You can run more off a 220v circuit, plus it's a little more efficient  (which is always an upside) to run the power supplies off of 220 vs 110.  I ran 2x220v circuits to where my miners are located and it was the best thing I ever did.  If you do this, just be sure that it is recognizable as a 220v circuit.  I have orange outlets and red stickers warning of the 220v circuit so 110v equipment isn't mistakenly plugged in (although I'm the only one that uses that area of the basement).

You should have used receptacles and matching plugs that make plugging in 120 V device impossible.

To each their own.  For me, since I'm the only one that uses that part of the basement, a simple label and or color code is just fine.  Not to mention that everything in that section can work off 220v.  If I were to sell the house, I'd most likely revert the breaker or remove the circuit altogether.

[klondike_bar]

They aren't overclocked. They are straight outta the box. My wife is an interior designer, so all my miners MUST remain in my office so as not to interfere with her masterpiece haha. Not worried, though. I've got an electrician coming out here tomorrow and he's gonna put another circuit in here and I'll be back in business. Need a pro to look at it anyway. If the wiring is crap I need to know now before something terrible happens anyway. Thank you, mindtrip, for saving my family's life LOL

If your electrician is running a complete new circuit you may consider a 220v circuit (or two) dedicated for your mining hardware.  You can run more off a 220v circuit, plus it's a little more efficient  (which is always an upside) to run the power supplies off of 220 vs 110.  I ran 2x220v circuits to where my miners are located and it was the best thing I ever did.  If you do this, just be sure that it is recognizable as a 220v circuit.  I have orange outlets and red stickers warning of the 220v circuit so 110v equipment isn't mistakenly plugged in (although I'm the only one that uses that area of the basement).

You should have used receptacles and matching plugs that make plugging in 120 V device impossible.

To each their own.  For me, since I'm the only one that uses that part of the basement, a simple label and or color code is just fine.  Not to mention that everything in that section can work off 220v.  If I were to sell the house, I'd most likely revert the breaker or remove the circuit altogether.

+1. 220V can run safely using 120V outlets/plugs and is often more cost-effective to use than the $20-100 alternative of specialty NEMA 6 equipment and adapters.

The real risk is absent-mindedly plugging something 120V in and overloading it. A coloured outlet with a warning label in the mining farm should be pretty safe from this concern

[aurel57]

Need help here. Anyone running multiple S3s on the same circuit, and if so, what are you powering them with? I have 6 of the new batch 8 S3's, and they are all on the same circuit. Running two pairs with a Corsair CX750M each and the other two with an EVGA bronze 1300W. Thought this would work well, and they mine perfectly, but the one outlet in the room that isn't being used for anything is warm to the touch. This obviously isn't good. I was a noob before this running two overclocked S1s with one Corsair CX750M and have apparently bit off more than I can chew.

Any help from one of you vets would be highly appreciated 

Need to know what amp circuit the room is using.  A 15A circuit has a max of 1800 watts, but you should probably keep it under 1440 watts.  A 20A circuit has a max of 2400 watts, which is what I have, and they say to keep below 1920 watts, but I'm running a little over 2000 watts.  (80% of max for continuous load.)   You could have the wrong grade of wiring.  A lower grade wire will get hot, and could even cause a fire if not up to specifications.  For example, if wire that was rated for a 15A circuit was used with a 20A circuit.  Even with 2000 watts, my outlets are not hot to the touch, and barely warm.

Hey Missouri! Thanks for the input! The circuit is 15A actually. Spoke with the guru of all things electrical (my pops) and he said that the wiring  in my new house is total sh*t. **NOTE - don't assume that just because you've paid a ton for a new house that the wiring is exceptional**. Therefore, I am on the hunt for a good electrician to swing by and solve my problem for me. Adding another circuit (and possibly upgrading the current wiring) is in the cards because NOT mining is not haha. Thanks again! Cheers - \m/

a lot of new homes are wired with 14 gauge wire and only rated for 15 amps. Don't forget to take in anything else on that same circuit as the lights etc.. I have 12 gauge wire and 20 amp circuits but still only run about 1500 watts. Not worth burning the house down. Also get some watt wall meters and you can see for sure just what your pulling at the wall.

[thatfunguy]

I received my two S3+'s today. One works, the other makes a ticking noise and I can't connect via LAN. I just sent an e-mail to bitmain.

Anyone had a similar problem?

[soy]

They aren't overclocked. They are straight outta the box. My wife is an interior designer, so all my miners MUST remain in my office so as not to interfere with her masterpiece haha. Not worried, though. I've got an electrician coming out here tomorrow and he's gonna put another circuit in here and I'll be back in business. Need a pro to look at it anyway. If the wiring is crap I need to know now before something terrible happens anyway. Thank you, mindtrip, for saving my family's life LOL

If your electrician is running a complete new circuit you may consider a 220v circuit (or two) dedicated for your mining hardware.  You can run more off a 220v circuit, plus it's a little more efficient  (which is always an upside) to run the power supplies off of 220 vs 110.  I ran 2x220v circuits to where my miners are located and it was the best thing I ever did.  If you do this, just be sure that it is recognizable as a 220v circuit.  I have orange outlets and red stickers warning of the 220v circuit so 110v equipment isn't mistakenly plugged in (although I'm the only one that uses that area of the basement).

You should have used receptacles and matching plugs that make plugging in 120 V device impossible.

To each their own.  For me, since I'm the only one that uses that part of the basement, a simple label and or color code is just fine.  Not to mention that everything in that section can work off 220v.  If I were to sell the house, I'd most likely revert the breaker or remove the circuit altogether.

+1. 220V can run safely using 120V outlets/plugs and is often more cost-effective to use than the $20-100 alternative of specialty NEMA 6 equipment and adapters.

The real risk is absent-mindedly plugging something 120V in and overloading it. A coloured outlet with a warning label in the mining farm should be pretty safe from this concern

Bull.  That would be like storing rubbing alcohol in a vodka bottle.

[soy]

The cgminer-avg-monitor restart cgminer at low hashrate is functioning but my S3 isn't cooperating.  I went out to shop and returned after a few hours.  It was restarting cgminer every half hour due to low hashrate until 5PM then passed at 5:30 and at 6PM but  then the hashrate started to drop.  It restarted again for low hashrate and woke up with two x's, one in each chain so no way it was going to pass the next restart. 

I think this might be memory that isn't cleared or chips that aren't reset rather than bad ASICs.  I've tried adding delay, e.g. sleep 60, but it still fails to restart properly.  I know a cold boot works.

What I have to do with my cable box and routers when there's an internet disconnect is use the br command & an X-10 transmitter on a linux machine to cycle cable modem and routers off and wake those up in order with the proper timeouts.  This works efficiently albeit the cycling is a bit noisy and I'd wish X-10 would move up to solid state relays.

Since a cold boot works almost every time, I'd like to use the same X-10 idea with an S3 but there is no ftp and although /etc/services lists ftp, connections are refused.  I don't know if I can just add any repository to whatever angstrom program lists repositories, this without fouling up the system with incorrect version programs.  I'm not even sure there is a br command for angstrom.

This all may be moot as I've purchased additional thermal compound and cleaner so I'm going to address the problem S3 once again tomorrow.  None the less I'd like to know how to get in and out of the S3 via ftp.  Assistance would be appreciated.

[tl121]

Last month I tried using a second 15 amp circuit in my house with a 12 gauge extension cord. The plug on the cord got warm.  At the time I was running two RMA1000's, each powering two S3's.  I then got a Contractor Grade extension cord and used that for the second power supply.  Now the cable stayed cool, but the outlet it plugged into got warm. I did some further investigation.  This entire circuit was daisy chained through a bunch of outlets and light switch boxes.  I could see a 5 volt drop when the miners were running.  Also, my previous suspicious of a "funny smell" on occasion were now continuous.

I called an electrician and got two new 20 amp circuits direct from my panel to two new outlets in the room where my miners reside.  At present these are running 8 S3's through four RMA1000's.  I have checked every connection on the AC and DC side and all the wires.  They are all cool to the touch. I am getting 3.9 TH out of these machines.

Be careful. Lots of homes have marginal wiring that may be just fine running a few 100 watt light bulbs.  This does not mean it will be safe for what amounts to an industrial application.  I spent $150 for the new circuits and view this as a good investment.

[TrevorS]

Need help here. Anyone running multiple S3s on the same circuit, and if so, what are you powering them with? I have 6 of the new batch 8 S3's, and they are all on the same circuit. Running two pairs with a Corsair CX750M each and the other two with an EVGA bronze 1300W. Thought this would work well, and they mine perfectly, but the one outlet in the room that isn't being used for anything is warm to the touch. This obviously isn't good. I was a noob before this running two overclocked S1s with one Corsair CX750M and have apparently bit off more than I can chew.

Any help from one of you vets would be highly appreciated 

My house wiring is solid and my GE breakers are 15A.  They can support up to 4 S3's, but five is too many.  Personally, I think three is the best choice.

[TrevorS]

They aren't overclocked. They are straight outta the box. My wife is an interior designer, so all my miners MUST remain in my office so as not to interfere with her masterpiece haha. Not worried, though. I've got an electrician coming out here tomorrow and he's gonna put another circuit in here and I'll be back in business. Need a pro to look at it anyway. If the wiring is crap I need to know now before something terrible happens anyway. Thank you, mindtrip, for saving my family's life LOL

If your electrician is running a complete new circuit you may consider a 220v circuit (or two) dedicated for your mining hardware.  You can run more off a 220v circuit, plus it's a little more efficient  (which is always an upside) to run the power supplies off of 220 vs 110.  I ran 2x220v circuits to where my miners are located and it was the best thing I ever did.  If you do this, just be sure that it is recognizable as a 220v circuit.  I have orange outlets and red stickers warning of the 220v circuit so 110v equipment isn't mistakenly plugged in (although I'm the only one that uses that area of the basement).

You should have used receptacles and matching plugs that make plugging in 120 V device impossible.

^^ Definitely!