ANTMINER S3+ Discussion and Support Thread

[pekatete]

Let's see.  Two aluminum slabs the dimensions of S3 heatsinks drilled and tapped to fit S3 boards, additional thru holes to sandwich two slabs together.  Copper tubing loops dragon-like sandwiched between the aluminum slabs contacting the slabs well with heatsink compound.

Hey! I had a similar design but could not find square copper tubes cheaply and easily (I probably did not look hard enough).
My plans were those of milling 1/2 the length of the tubes as tracts on 2 aluminium slabs (thus the square tubes) and laying those tubes inside one slab then laying the other slab on top, and then fashioning my own radiator, again from the copper tubing tied to some mesh but these never left the drawing board for the above reason.

EDIT: If bitmain start selling boards on their own, this is one project I will revive as I was planning on doing this with the S1 boards I had left over from my upgraded ones. I now run them underclocked and air cooled ... but would have been a good pilot project for the S3 / S5 boards.

[MyRig]

Hummm..  S3 and S5 hashing PCB only sale?  That may be hard with warranty as improper heat sink or heat management may kill the chips on the PCB.

sold as is may be... still, let me send your idea in as well.  Thank you for the input!!   

Let's see.  Two aluminum slabs the dimensions of S3 heatsinks drilled and tapped to fit S3 boards, additional thru holes to sandwich two slabs together.  Copper tubing loops dragon-like sandwiched between the aluminum slabs contacting the slabs well with heatsink compound.

Hey! I had a similar design but could not find square copper tubes cheaply and easily (I probably did not look hard enough).
My plans were those of milling 1/2 the length of the tubes as tracts on 2 aluminium slabs (thus the square tubes) and laying those tubes inside one slab then laying the other slab on top, and then fashioning my own radiator, again from the copper tubing tied to some mesh but these never left the drawing board for the above reason.

EDIT: If bitmain start selling boards on their own, this is one project I will revive as I was planning on doing this with the S1 boards I had left over from my upgraded ones. I now run them underclocked and air cooled ... but would have been a good pilot project for the S3 / S5 boards.

[pekatete]

Hummm..  S3 and S5 hashing PCB only sale?  That may be hard with warranty as improper heat sink or heat management may kill the chips on the PCB.

sold as is may be... still, let me send your idea in as well.  Thank you for the input!!   

No warranty is not a problem at all! I trust bitmain would not sell me a defective board, in the same way that when I buy a complete unit from them, I know the warranty may not cover my overclocking .... I still overclock them!

[soy]

Let's see.  Two aluminum slabs the dimensions of S3 heatsinks drilled and tapped to fit S3 boards, additional thru holes to sandwich two slabs together.  Copper tubing loops dragon-like sandwiched between the aluminum slabs contacting the slabs well with heatsink compound.

Hey! I had a similar design but could not find square copper tubes cheaply and easily (I probably did not look hard enough).
My plans were those of milling 1/2 the length of the tubes as tracts on 2 aluminium slabs (thus the square tubes) and laying those tubes inside one slab then laying the other slab on top, and then fashioning my own radiator, again from the copper tubing tied to some mesh but these never left the drawing board for the above reason.

EDIT: If bitmain start selling boards on their own, this is one project I will revive as I was planning on doing this with the S1 boards I had left over from my upgraded ones. I now run them underclocked and air cooled ... but would have been a good pilot project for the S3 / S5 boards.

Of course now we see using a half round routing bit to run tracks for the copper tubing in the aluminum slabs.  Having the faces flush would really be better so as to reduce warping due to temperature differences that might lift the slap from the PCB.

[dog1965]

Watch that condensation if you are going to use a Freon system.


look at the c1 slap pump Freon through it instead of water or anti-freeze mixed with water. hmmm lines are pressurized to 100 p.s.i  how would you put them on ?

[dog1965]

How are these stats not even 24 hours yet.

[soy]

Watch that condensation if you are going to use a Freon system.


look at the c1 slap pump Freon through it instead of water or anti-freeze mixed with water. hmmm lines are pressurized to 100 p.s.i  how would you put them on ?

Personally going to Freon would be too much given that it will vaporize if free and without a compressor how is it better than 50/50 auto antifreeze/water (the non-hole plugging antifreeze)?  Maybe it has good thermal carrying characteristics (under pressure) but so does water/antifreeze (non-pressurized).  With a pre-cooling radiator outside, heck even an old junkyard radiator would work (leaking, plugged with J B Weld).  For some months I have a window fan exhausting heat before I turn on the AC.  Mid-summer, a window fan outside on low pushing air thru a car radiator before it's routed back in to the stock fans/radiator might not be too costly if there were multiple machines.

[pekatete]

Of course now we see using a half round routing bit to run tracks for the copper tubing in the aluminum slabs.  Having the faces flush would really be better so as to reduce warping due to temperature differences that might lift the slap from the PCB.

I was looking to fashion the aluminium slabs on my very own CNC mill and was more confident of achieving the (percieved) required accuracy with square routing, leave alone that I do not have a half round routing bit! Saying that, I was also looking to run the tube over the chips, embedded or not in an aluminium slab, (on the S1 board) and a round tube would not have worked.

On having the faces flush, yes I suppose that would reduce the warping, but I never got that stage for that to be an issue.

[soy]

Of course now we see using a half round routing bit to run tracks for the copper tubing in the aluminum slabs.  Having the faces flush would really be better so as to reduce warping due to temperature differences that might lift the slap from the PCB.

I was looking to fashion the aluminium slabs on my very own CNC mill and was more confident of achieving the (percieved) required accuracy with square routing, leave alone that I do not have a half round routing bit! Saying that, I was also looking to run the tube over the chips, embedded or not in an aluminium slab, (on the S1 board) and a round tube would not have worked.

On having the faces flush, yes I suppose that would reduce the warping, but I never got that stage for that to be an issue.

Was the idea to have a channeled heatsink on each board positioned as they are now in the S3's?  I confess the sandwiching idea comes from looking at the C1.  But that cover doesn't look like it would lend itself to modification with a nibbler for new PCIE positions.

[pekatete]

Was the idea to have a channeled heatsink on each board positioned as they are now in the S3's?  I confess the sandwiching idea comes from looking at the C1.  But that cover doesn't look like it would lend itself to modification with a nibbler for new PCIE positions.

No, the 2 slabs would sit in the middle joined together (just like the C1), so the backs of the boards would have full contact with the un-channeled faces of the slabs. Then over the chips would be copper tubing with a separate routed heatsink sitting atop them.

I have to say that with the S1 boards' design, the idea behind the top heatsink had a flaw in that the copper tubing would have to sit atop another copper square the size of the chip to lift it clear of the resistors either side (which would probably have made it more expensive and fiddly). Add to that, there would not be any board contact on that side to the heatsink (a missed cooling opportunity maybe). For the new S5 boards, it seems to be well laid out such that the chips are on one / internal side and the supporting circuitry attachements on the outer side.

[dog1965]

I am working on a excellent Idea which is working very well and only Takes Between 1-2 hours to do. not saying anything  To Many credit Stealers and design thieves out here.


 

[soy]

C1 uses a similar looking PCB to S3 or S3+ hashing PCB, but it is little different, so Please DO NOT mix them as the connector even facing differently.

just FYI  

So if the PCB layout is different with the connector pinout different, it could mean that there are other differences that prohibit a half C1 cooler being used for a pair of S3+ boards, like the PCB mounting screws placed elsewhere.  Any knowledge if this is so?  Thanks.

Although the cover is heavy enough that a nibbler might not cut it for adding PCI-E connector ports, a Dremel with a number of small cutting disks might get it done.

[dog1965]

I would have to look at the boards and heat sinks the C1 and S3 boards look identical "heat sink wise" from pictures I cant tell and I don't have a S5 yet to try it.

[soy]

Putting the 4 hashing boards from two S3+'s into a single box - one could mount a second controller board and remove the stick-on cover over the second RJ45 hole.  It would be as if running the two S3+'s, two ethernet cables, but the water or liquid cooling would be a plus especially taking advantage of putting the heat outside while the machine is inside.

Removing the sticker wouldn't be enough to allow the RJ45 access to be used as the controller boards would overlap.  Perhaps cutting away above the RJ45 access and putting the second controller board on standoffs would allow both to fit.

[pekatete]

Putting the 4 hashing boards from two S3+'s into a single box - one could mount a second controller board and remove the stick-on cover over the second RJ45 hole.  It would be as if running the two S3+'s, two ethernet cables, but the water or liquid cooling would be a plus especially taking advantage of putting the heat outside while the machine is inside.

If you are not afraid to pull your soldering gun out, you can run all 4 boards off one controller.

[soy]

Watch that condensation if you are going to use a Freon system.


look at the c1 slap pump Freon through it instead of water or anti-freeze mixed with water. hmmm lines are pressurized to 100 p.s.i  how would you put them on ?

If the freon is being used in the standard pump system of a C1, without it converting to gas and getting compressed back to liquid, I don't see it getting any cooler than the ambient at the radiator.  If it doesn't get colder than that ambient then there won't be condensation.

[dog1965]

I was talking about taking a old Air conditioner and modify it buy putting the c1 block inline instead of the cold radiator and keep everything else in the AC the same.

[soy]

Well maybe not.  Pricing aluminum stock online I see a piece 1/2"x6"x12" costs $79.99. 

[ZiG]

Well maybe not.  Pricing aluminum stock online I see a piece 1/2"x6"x12" costs $79.99. 

Yes ...in USA...

$7.99 in China...

ZiG

[Duce]

The C1 water cooling block does Look like it would fit on a S3 hashing board but the price of them would be to expensive unless you can get them Custom made for cheap.

Then you still have to buy pump , Connectors , tubing.

Just buy a C1 outright its cheaper. plus you get double the speed anyway.

C1 boards are S3 boards, just a bit clocked up.

From BitmainWarranty: "C1 uses a similar looking PCB to S3 or S3+ hashing PCB, but it is little different, so Please DO NOT mix them as the connector even facing differently."

So the C1 boards are NOT S3 boards just a bit clocked up correct? Just for clarification please.