ANTMINER S4 Discussion and Support Thread

[sloopy]

I decided to change my mind. Previously I stated BITMAIN would no longer hear from me after I received the 2nd Batch 2 S$ PSU replacement. This has been one of many PSU failures. I ran one week out of three with that particular S4. As the customer int his situation I feel I can retract, and move forward with my opinions. It isn't as though anyone from BITMAIN was communicating with me anyway.

I am no longer surprised by reading things like this about the fan, or the previous post regarding the firmware having voltage selection removed. BITMAIN should take a few lessons from several community members. They should hire some of the folks from this forum to be involved in every step of the next generation. The operation must be ran by someone who has little to zero experience building a company. *NOTE* I didn't say open a store, I said build a company. Very different.


Prelude, thank you for taking the time to share. Please let me know which replacement fans you are using. I am going to check all of my units now. I will always share anything useful if I find such.

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[Prelude]

Prelude, thank you for taking the time to share. Please let me know which replacement fans you are using. I am going to check all of my units now. I will always share anything useful if I find such.

For now, I haven't replaced any. The fans which have stopped spinning entirely I've repaired by replacing the lock ring, and re-oiling them. Had to sacrifice 3 perfectly good fans to take their lock rings. 

I just finished re-oiling 8 fans across 2 S4s. As troublesome as it is, I sincerely think it's something everyone should do. Half of the fans were filled with dusty crap as pictured earlier, while the others still looked brand new. Some of the bearing were a little stiff, and their fan hubs had a very rough "travel" when you push them inwards. Re-oiling them seems to have helped a lot. Hopefully this will save them from their inevitable fate.

If you do re-oil them, you won't be able to reuse the black sticker that was covering the fan. Having nothing better on hand, I used duct-tape to cover the hole and keep the oil "sealed" in. I used Amsoil 5W-20 synthetic oil, which probably isn't the best for re-oiling a fan bearing but once again, it's what I had on hand and it's always worked great for me in the past.

I'd like to state that I don't think this is Bitmain's fault, as they didn't manufacture these fans. It would be nice of them to extend the 3 month warranty for the fans, though, as these seem to be failing pretty close to the 3 month mark. A quality fan usually has a MTBF of 50000 hours, these are having a hard time reaching 2160 hours. The same could probably be said of the PSUs.

[mdude77]

I'd like to state that I don't think this is Bitmain's fault, as they didn't manufacture these fans. It would be nice of them to extend the 3 month warranty for the fans, though, as these seem to be failing pretty close to the 3 month mark. A quality fan usually has a MTBF of 50000 hours, these are having a hard time reaching 2160 hours. The same could probably be said of the PSUs.

I think you give Bitmain too much credit.  They probably used the cheapest fans that would just barely fit the bill.  Like the PSU..

M

[bittalc1]

Prelude, thank you for taking the time to share. Please let me know which replacement fans you are using. I am going to check all of my units now. I will always share anything useful if I find such.

For now, I haven't replaced any. The fans which have stopped spinning entirely I've repaired by replacing the lock ring, and re-oiling them. Had to sacrifice 3 perfectly good fans to take their lock rings. 

I just finished re-oiling 8 fans across 2 S4s. As troublesome as it is, I sincerely think it's something everyone should do. Half of the fans were filled with dusty crap as pictured earlier, while the others still looked brand new. Some of the bearing were a little stiff, and their fan hubs had a very rough "travel" when you push them inwards. Re-oiling them seems to have helped a lot. Hopefully this will save them from their inevitable fate.

If you do re-oil them, you won't be able to reuse the black sticker that was covering the fan. Having nothing better on hand, I used duct-tape to cover the hole and keep the oil "sealed" in. I used Amsoil 5W-20 synthetic oil, which probably isn't the best for re-oiling a fan bearing but once again, it's what I had on hand and it's always worked great for me in the past.

I'd like to state that I don't think this is Bitmain's fault, as they didn't manufacture these fans. It would be nice of them to extend the 3 month warranty for the fans, though, as these seem to be failing pretty close to the 3 month mark. A quality fan usually has a MTBF of 50000 hours, these are having a hard time reaching 2160 hours. The same could probably be said of the PSUs.

Yesterday one of my fans also died . Today i must dissamble my unit.

[MyRig]

@bittalc1,

Sorry for the trouble.  We sent you PM.  Please check.  If its still under the warranty, please respond back to us. 

If it is out of the warranty, we should be able to provide the fan to  you for a small fee.

Thank you

[Prelude]

I'd like to state that I don't think this is Bitmain's fault, as they didn't manufacture these fans. It would be nice of them to extend the 3 month warranty for the fans, though, as these seem to be failing pretty close to the 3 month mark. A quality fan usually has a MTBF of 50000 hours, these are having a hard time reaching 2160 hours. The same could probably be said of the PSUs.

I think you give Bitmain too much credit.  They probably used the cheapest fans that would just barely fit the bill.  Like the PSU..

M

Oh, I'm sure they did. It would cost a fraction of a penny more for that rubber oil seal in the quantities they're buying.. Look at how much people were crying that the S4 was too expensive when it came out, imagine if they had put a quality PSU and 4 Delta fans. They have no choice to compromise, I guess. I'd be willing to pay a bit more for a quality PSU and fans, but most people would complain I imagine. The only quality parts in the S4 are the actual hash boards that were made by bitmain, the rest is outsourced lowest bid junk unfortunately. I'm sure bitmain thought those parts would be adequate for the job, but they had no way of telling for sure. Now they know.

[mdude77]

I'd like to state that I don't think this is Bitmain's fault, as they didn't manufacture these fans. It would be nice of them to extend the 3 month warranty for the fans, though, as these seem to be failing pretty close to the 3 month mark. A quality fan usually has a MTBF of 50000 hours, these are having a hard time reaching 2160 hours. The same could probably be said of the PSUs.

I think you give Bitmain too much credit.  They probably used the cheapest fans that would just barely fit the bill.  Like the PSU..

M

Oh, I'm sure they did. It would cost a fraction of a penny more for that rubber oil seal in the quantities they're buying.. Look at how much people were crying that the S4 was too expensive when it came out, imagine if they had put a quality PSU and 4 Delta fans. They have no choice to compromise, I guess. I'd be willing to pay a bit more for a quality PSU and fans, but most people would complain I imagine. The only quality parts in the S4 are the actual hash boards that were made by bitmain, the rest is outsourced lowest bid junk unfortunately. I'm sure bitmain thought those parts would be adequate for the job, but they had no way of telling for sure. Now they know.

I'm certain they have some space in their profit margin to sell at the same price, use higher quality components, and still make money (just not quite as much).

M

[Prelude]

I'd like to state that I don't think this is Bitmain's fault, as they didn't manufacture these fans. It would be nice of them to extend the 3 month warranty for the fans, though, as these seem to be failing pretty close to the 3 month mark. A quality fan usually has a MTBF of 50000 hours, these are having a hard time reaching 2160 hours. The same could probably be said of the PSUs.

I think you give Bitmain too much credit.  They probably used the cheapest fans that would just barely fit the bill.  Like the PSU..

M

Oh, I'm sure they did. It would cost a fraction of a penny more for that rubber oil seal in the quantities they're buying.. Look at how much people were crying that the S4 was too expensive when it came out, imagine if they had put a quality PSU and 4 Delta fans. They have no choice to compromise, I guess. I'd be willing to pay a bit more for a quality PSU and fans, but most people would complain I imagine. The only quality parts in the S4 are the actual hash boards that were made by bitmain, the rest is outsourced lowest bid junk unfortunately. I'm sure bitmain thought those parts would be adequate for the job, but they had no way of telling for sure. Now they know.

I'm certain they have some space in their profit margin to sell at the same price, use higher quality components, and still make money (just not quite as much).

M

Without a doubt. Hopefully they'll up the game a bit with the S6.

[Cyper_BLC]

hi guys,
Bitmains last S4 firmware has a HUGE BUG.(or they do this in their knowledge for sell alot of S5) We cannot change voltage !!!
if you want to do downclock you must to use previus version.
initramfs.bin.SD-20150129.tar this version is Bad for voltage settings...

THIS IS CONFIRMED ON MY ALL S4'S. IF YOU WANT TO DO DOWNCLOCK DONT UPDATE THIS FIRMWARE.!!!
this firmware making fixed voltage 0,725 V. this is BAD FOR WATTAGE ! BUT FPGA CHAIN1 PROBLEM IS GONE
(for me doesnt matter, i fixed chain1 problem myself)

BITMAIN, WHY DID THIS? WE NEED CONFIGURABLE VOLTAGE AND WE PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THAT !!!
FIX THAT SHT !!

[Prelude]

hi guys,
Bitmains last S4 firmware has a HUGE BUG.(or they do this in their knowledge for sell alot of S5) We cannot change voltage !!!
if you want to do downclock you must to use previus version.
initramfs.bin.SD-20150129.tar this version is Bad for voltage settings...

THIS IS CONFIRMED ON MY ALL S4'S. IF YOU WANT TO DO DOWNCLOCK DONT UPDATE THIS FIRMWARE.!!!
this firmware making fixed voltage 0,725 V. this is BAD FOR WATTAGE ! BUT FPGA CHAIN1 PROBLEM IS GONE
(for me doesnt matter, i fixed chain1 problem myself)

BITMAIN, WHY DID THIS? WE NEED CONFIGURABLE VOLTAGE AND WE PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THAT !!!
FIX THAT SHT !!

What was your solution for fixing the chain 1 issue?

I haven't tested lowering the voltage with this firmware yet, but hopefully bitmain will fix it if it is broken. The new firmware works MUCH better than the old one.

[jtoomim]

I've partially figured out the voltage setting issue. This is using smit's FW (from here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=940250.0;all), but I'm guessing the same issue exists with the new Bitmain FW. The problem appears to be in how cgminer.conf is written. If you get something like this (for a voltage of 700 mV), it won't work:

Code:

,
"api-listen" : true,
"api-network" : true,
"api-allow" : "W:0/0",
"bitmain-freq" : "7:200:0782",
"bitmain-voltage" : "700"
}

It needs to have a leading zero, or else cgminer won't take it and will use the default value instead:

Code:

"api-listen" : true,
"api-network" : true,
"api-allow" : "W:0/0",
"bitmain-freq" : "7:200:0782",
"bitmain-voltage" : "0700"
}

On smit's firmware, this is in /config/cgminer.conf. Probably the same location on 20150129. After you edit this, you may need to restart cgminer and then power cycle, or possibly just power cycle, I'm not sure which.

edit: You can probably also fix the issue by just pitting a zero first on the Advanced Settings page when choosing your voltage. I haven't tested that yet, though.

[jtoomim]

If you're editing cgminer.conf, you may find some of these other cgminer arguments interesting:

Code:

--bitmain-dev <arg> Set bitmain device (default: usb mode, other windows: COM1 or linux: /dev/bitmain-asic)
--bitmain-hwerror   Set bitmain device detect hardware error
--bitmain-checkall  Set bitmain check all
--bitmain-checkn2diff Set bitmain check not 2 pow diff
--bitmain-nobeeper  Set bitmain beeper no ringing
--bitmain-notempoverctrl Set bitmain not stop runing when temprerature is over 80 degree Celsius
--bitmain-auto      Adjust bitmain overclock frequency dynamically for best hashrate
--bitmain-homemode  Set bitmain miner to home mode
--bitmain-cutoff <arg> Set bitmain overheat cut off temperature (default: 60)
--bitmain-fan <arg> Set fanspeed percentage for bitmain, single value or range (default: 20-100)
--bitmain-freq <arg> Set frequency
--bitmain-voltage <arg> Set voltage
--bitmain-options <arg> Set bitmain options baud:miners:asic:timeout:freq
--bitmain-temp <arg> Set bitmain target temperature (default: 50)

A few of those (--bitmain-homemode, --bitmain-fan, --bitmain-temp) could make nice options for cgminer.conf for people who don't want their fans to burn out. I'm also curious if --bitmain-auto works.

[sloopy]

I decided to change my mind. Previously I stated BITMAIN would no longer hear from me after I received the 2nd Batch 2 S$ PSU replacement. This has been one of many PSU failures. I ran one week out of three with that particular S4. As the customer int his situation I feel I can retract, and move forward with my opinions. It isn't as though anyone from BITMAIN was communicating with me anyway.

I am no longer surprised by reading things like this about the fan, or the previous post regarding the firmware having voltage selection removed. BITMAIN should take a few lessons from several community members. They should hire some of the folks from this forum to be involved in every step of the next generation. The operation must be ran by someone who has little to zero experience building a company. *NOTE* I didn't say open a store, I said build a company. Very different.


Prelude, thank you for taking the time to share. Please let me know which replacement fans you are using. I am going to check all of my units now. I will always share anything useful if I find such.

...and I spoke too soon.
I sent a polite PM to BITMAIN Warranty:

Hi,

I hope you are well.
I would appreciate your help as soon as possible.
I thought the problem was corrected finally but I woke up this morning and the same S4 has another failed PSU. This is 3 total. This unit has been without its PSU more than with.

Please tell me what I need to do to have warranty claim.
I purchased through Zoomhash, but I have not processed any warranty claims through them. They have all been through Colorado. I am in the US.

There is obviously something else going on.
I run everything stock.
It stays clean.
It is on the same 240vAC / 50 amp circuit where I have an SP20 which runs fine.

I have been through a very hard time with this unit. I am writing in now in hopes I can hear what steps we can take to finally alleviate this issue from our lives. This has been going on since Dec 25. Today is Feb 8. I have changed the PS too many times.

Please do not take my comments on a personal note. I am simply frustrated as the last time I could not get anyone to communicate with me. I think BITMAIN should contact me as soon as possible and let me know what can be done to make this problem go away for good, and for all. I think this is a 'lemon'.

Now I am at a loss. Obviously there is something else going on with this unit and the power supplies they provide.
I plan to call Colorado this morning, but what would other customers do in my situation?
I am not the type of person to sell my problem away, I would rather lose the money and throw the thing in the trash, but I will not do so yet.
So please, as end users tell me what you guys recommend.
I plan to call Colorado this morning to see what they say, but I will venture a guess they want me to send them the broken PSU AGAIN, and once they receive it they will send me another within a week.
This is not acceptable.
I am not exasperating when I say the unit has not run more than it has run, which is something BITMAIN should address.

I spoke to a friend yesterday who is something close to a mentor. He said I should cut my losses (the most loss comes from the time I have spent exchanging power supplies and proving the power supply is at fault each time, which is 4 hours at a minimum x 3 failures. Not counting the down time the unit is not hashing, and a different product could be in its place happily hashing away like the rest of my farm.
I will sell the other S4 units I have at the cost I have left in them.
I think everyone knows the product I will use in replacement.

Before anyone states there must be something wrong with my power, line, etc, another S4 is in the place where this one was, along with an SP20, on the same circuit, both happy and hashing.
I am at a loss on how to get BITMAIN to do the right thing. They either need to replace the unit with a functioning one, send me two PSU so I have a backup for when the next one inevitably fails, or completely change it for some other product(s) with an equivalent hashrate / work per cycle.

I will not do anything else with the unit without direction from BITMAIN Warranty, but I know for a fact the unit runs fine with another power supply.

BITMAIN I again ask for communication and help.
Everyone else, I plead for your guidance to resolve this situation in a moral manner. In other words, please do not PM saying to sell it off, as again, I refuse to put someone else though this. Many people who would purchase it would not have the skills to do the things it will require anyway.

Another question for the forum members is, Should there not be some warranty extension? Consider I started it running the end of December and has been without its power supply going on 3.5 weeks. Not 3.5 weeks straight, but off and on through the many failures.

 

[Prelude]

I'd say you've got some really bad luck, combined with poor quality control by the PSU manufacturer. I've resigned to running my S4s with different power supplies, and keeping the originals for when I resell the units used.

Here's a picture of 4 of them running off of Delta 2000w server PSUs, happy and stable as can be:

[Prelude]

If you're editing cgminer.conf, you may find some of these other cgminer arguments interesting:

Code:

--bitmain-dev <arg> Set bitmain device (default: usb mode, other windows: COM1 or linux: /dev/bitmain-asic)
--bitmain-hwerror   Set bitmain device detect hardware error
--bitmain-checkall  Set bitmain check all
--bitmain-checkn2diff Set bitmain check not 2 pow diff
--bitmain-nobeeper  Set bitmain beeper no ringing
--bitmain-notempoverctrl Set bitmain not stop runing when temprerature is over 80 degree Celsius
--bitmain-auto      Adjust bitmain overclock frequency dynamically for best hashrate
--bitmain-homemode  Set bitmain miner to home mode
--bitmain-cutoff <arg> Set bitmain overheat cut off temperature (default: 60)
--bitmain-fan <arg> Set fanspeed percentage for bitmain, single value or range (default: 20-100)
--bitmain-freq <arg> Set frequency
--bitmain-voltage <arg> Set voltage
--bitmain-options <arg> Set bitmain options baud:miners:asic:timeout:freq
--bitmain-temp <arg> Set bitmain target temperature (default: 50)

A few of those (--bitmain-homemode, --bitmain-fan, --bitmain-temp) could make nice options for cgminer.conf for people who don't want their fans to burn out. I'm also curious if --bitmain-auto works.

--bitmain-homemode works
--bitmain-auto doesn't work
--bitmain-fan doesn't work

[sloopy]

I called BITMAIN support and spoke with a new guy. He sent me to the BITMAIN Zendesk to fill out a ticket.
Now I wait 

I use the 2000 watt PSU as my replacements as well.
I try to be fair to BITMAIN and use all of their equipment on the units with warranty left, but you are probably right. Once I test it I should leave it until it is sold.

[MyRig]

@sloopy,

If you could, please send your shipping info and Order ID and a telephone number via that ticket.  If you have already done so, please one more time with "sloopy" in it

If you have a spare PSU to power the unit, please DO so, as that will not void the warranty. 

Thanks

[Cyper_BLC]

hi guys,
Bitmains last S4 firmware has a HUGE BUG.(or they do this in their knowledge for sell alot of S5) We cannot change voltage !!!
if you want to do downclock you must to use previus version.
initramfs.bin.SD-20150129.tar this version is Bad for voltage settings...

THIS IS CONFIRMED ON MY ALL S4'S. IF YOU WANT TO DO DOWNCLOCK DONT UPDATE THIS FIRMWARE.!!!
this firmware making fixed voltage 0,725 V. this is BAD FOR WATTAGE ! BUT FPGA CHAIN1 PROBLEM IS GONE
(for me doesnt matter, i fixed chain1 problem myself)

BITMAIN, WHY DID THIS? WE NEED CONFIGURABLE VOLTAGE AND WE PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THAT !!!
FIX THAT SHT !!

What was your solution for fixing the chain 1 issue?

I haven't tested lowering the voltage with this firmware yet, but hopefully bitmain will fix it if it is broken. The new firmware works MUCH better than the old one.

Turkish solution :
seperate pic12F's J7 (chain1) connected tx signal from main tx signal and give tx signal from neighbor hashboard to j7 connected hashboard's pic12F. then "islem tamam" (volaaa) all boards are same voltage.

yes this firmware is good, but not very good, try this then you will understand simply:
read your freq (eg 200)
read your voltage (eg 0720)
read your wattage (eg 1350Watt) with meter
than change only voltage settings to "0650", reboot, now you are 200mhz 0650 V,
normally this config dont work properly but you will see almost same
you will say, this hashrate is impossible with this voltage only 0,650V (this works 175 mhz-1600Ghs)
than read wattmeter you will see 1350w again VOLTAGE NOT SETTED.

[MyRig]

Some Lucky Ants here  



* Bitmain Antminer S4 Block Find

[mdude77]

Some Lucky Ants here 

True that. 

That said, the temps look funny.

M