ANTMINER S4 Discussion and Support Thread

[IYFTech]

So I shouldn't bother setting expiry and scan-time?

Well, they're sort of left over from the CPU/GPU mining days - asics shouldn't need them, I don't think they'll do any harm though, but I'm not sure tbh as I've never used those commands with asics.

[dogie]

Does the new firmware incorporate what CK has submitted

No

Does the new firmware incorporate what CK has submitted

Unknown, CK might have to make a few tweaks.

Anyone know if the changes CK made will be put into an official Bitmain update so it is not lost on hard-boot?

In time, engineers have only just seen the code and will have to investigate the changes.

As for US residential powerlines... this should be a major design concern for Bitmain or any other miner mfgr because PSU's do NOT like low lines... In Detroit area home power is 110v - not 120 - and during summer will often drop to 100-105v. The '220v' incoming reflects the same drops. This year it got so bad (hit 95v for 2 weeks) I had to wire in a boost transformer to make up the difference...

I'm not sure anything can be done for that. The vast majority of the market doesn't have that problem, and one which will affect all electronics.

[Yun789]

just got my tracking number too.. but here's the question, do they expect us to pay for the import duty? and same with sending their psu back to them as suggested in the last email? cause thats gonna hurt my wallet if i have to pay for that again..

Duty? Not in the US at least. Is part of the shipping cost.
As for returns/replacements. No duty as long as parts are marked as warranty replacements. Even if Bitmain wants to old one back as long as marked as a Return no duty applies (plus if any did would be their problem, not yours)

the last time i had an issue with the s2 they took the old hashboard back, they were meant to pay the duty, they didnt pay it, and ups were up my ass for the money, so in the end i had to pay for that too

... We ship things to/from Asia all the time and never came across that before. I'd try and go after Bitmain for the monies. If anything to make it more palatable to them (though it IS their responsibility) email support an offer to buy a set of s3's if they deduct the current btc value of the duty?

The sender has the responsibility as marking it "warranty replacement part" .. I think if you do that the duty should be waved . mark the value of the defective part "0.00"

No?

Yeah I tried to do that, but UPS were being pricks and wouldn't take the part with it valued at 0.00, i had to arrange a delivery a good 3 times, and eventually i had to put a number on it higher than 0

[Yun789]

Btw, does anyone know if the new update allows you to mine on eligius now?

[dogie]

Btw, does anyone know if the new update allows you to mine on eligius now?

I'm testing eligius with 1 S4 right now, it assigned 2048 diff shares pretty quickly, looking good so far. I;ll post back with stats soon. Any other pools anyone wants tested while I'm at it?

[Yun789]

Btw, does anyone know if the new update allows you to mine on eligius now?

I'm testing eligius with 1 S4 right now, it assigned 2048 diff shares pretty quickly, looking good so far. I;ll post back with stats soon. Any other pools anyone wants tested while I'm at it?

Im referring to bitmains firmware update, cause im a noob and dont know how to use ck's version, on that note, im testing it on eligius myself, so far seems to be working really well

[Prelude]

Btw, does anyone know if the new update allows you to mine on eligius now?

I'm testing eligius with 1 S4 right now, it assigned 2048 diff shares pretty quickly, looking good so far. I;ll post back with stats soon. Any other pools anyone wants tested while I'm at it?

Works perfectly with ck's custom cgminer. Haven't tried with the stock cgminer that comes with the new FW update.

[dkaufman]

Does Ck's custom S4 cgminer build located here: http://ck.kolivas.org/apps/cgminer/antminer/s4/4.6.1-141018/cgminer still need the difficulty manually set on the pools?

No it doesn't, that was one of the major fixes that went into it.

Ironic, then, that your build (141018) is dated two days after the timestamp on their latest, long-awaited firmware release: initramfs.bin.SD-20141016.tar.gz which, although timestamped October 16, was not actually released until the 27th...

I wonder if they *knew* the firmware that took them two weeks to package, and two more to test and release, was already obsolete, but chose to release it anyway, or if they're just that clueless...  Wait, no.  I don't actually wonder that at all -- I'm pretty sure I know!

-dave, remembering never to ascribe to malice that which can be explained by mere incompetence

[suchmoon]

So if I'm reading this right, S4 started a bit rough but may turn out to be a decent miner:

 - faulty PSUs are being replaced, hopefully new batches won't have the issue
 - thanks to ck it now works on most pools including p2pool
 - overclocks to 2.2+ TH without too much effort

The only thing left to take care of is the price.

[Prelude]

Pretty much.

[david99]

http://images70.fotosik.pl/304/e3f7c3440ae716b7gen.jpg

[NotFuzzyWarm]

As for US residential powerlines... this should be a major design concern for Bitmain or any other miner mfgr because PSU's do NOT like low lines... In Detroit area home power is 110v - not 120 - and during summer will often drop to 100-105v. The '220v' incoming reflects the same drops. This year it got so bad (hit 95v for 2 weeks) I had to wire in a boost transformer to make up the difference...

I'm not sure anything can be done for that. The vast majority of the market doesn't have that problem, and one which will affect all electronics.

'All electronics' - and more. Gas clothes dryers and stoves did not want to work either because the igniters would not come up to temp...

In this instance the problem only really affects PSU's being pushed to near max output. What to be done? Easy answer, appropriately de-rate the PSUs like HP did with their CS server PSU's so it can run on a low line and still produce required power. Then it is just a matter of balancing cost/benefit. Frankly, given how vocal folks can be here when there is an issue I'd err on making sure they can go down to at least 100v to cover wiring in old homes & apartments.

[dogie]

As for US residential powerlines... this should be a major design concern for Bitmain or any other miner mfgr because PSU's do NOT like low lines... In Detroit area home power is 110v - not 120 - and during summer will often drop to 100-105v. The '220v' incoming reflects the same drops. This year it got so bad (hit 95v for 2 weeks) I had to wire in a boost transformer to make up the difference...

I'm not sure anything can be done for that. The vast majority of the market doesn't have that problem, and one which will affect all electronics.

'All electronics' - and more. Gas clothes dryers and stoves did not want to work either because the igniters would not come up to temp...

In this instance the problem only really affects PSU's being pushed to near max output. What to be done? Easy answer, appropriately de-rate the PSUs like HP did with their CS server PSU's so it can run on a low line and still produce required power. Then it is just a matter of balancing cost/benefit. Frankly, given how vocal folks can be here when there is an issue I'd err on making sure they can go down to at least 100v to cover wiring in old homes & apartments.

1400w miners aren't designed for old homes and apartments, and its not fair to make every customer pay another $20 a unit for that small minority. Frankly I'm surprised your derating problem is even legal in the US.

[Prelude]

As for US residential powerlines... this should be a major design concern for Bitmain or any other miner mfgr because PSU's do NOT like low lines... In Detroit area home power is 110v - not 120 - and during summer will often drop to 100-105v. The '220v' incoming reflects the same drops. This year it got so bad (hit 95v for 2 weeks) I had to wire in a boost transformer to make up the difference...

I'm not sure anything can be done for that. The vast majority of the market doesn't have that problem, and one which will affect all electronics.

'All electronics' - and more. Gas clothes dryers and stoves did not want to work either because the igniters would not come up to temp...

In this instance the problem only really affects PSU's being pushed to near max output. What to be done? Easy answer, appropriately de-rate the PSUs like HP did with their CS server PSU's so it can run on a low line and still produce required power. Then it is just a matter of balancing cost/benefit. Frankly, given how vocal folks can be here when there is an issue I'd err on making sure they can go down to at least 100v to cover wiring in old homes & apartments.

1400w miners aren't designed for old homes and apartments, and its not fair to make every customer pay another $20 a unit for that small minority. Frankly I'm surprised your derating problem is even legal in the US.

Maybe, maybe not. A lot of places in the world suffer from brownouts which can bring voltage plummeting down to ~90v. For anywhere in Canada/USA to be a constant 100v instead of 120v to me is ridiculous. Detroit is a special situation though, I suppose.

I'm fortunate enough to have one of the best electrical utility companies in the world (Hydro Quebec) servicing me, so I don't have to worry about low voltage situations. I draw a constant ~100-120A from my 200A home electrical installation, and still show 118v/236v at the wall. That being said, I would gladly pay an extra $20 per miner if it meant having an actual quality PSU in the unit. When it comes down to it, these high wattage power supplies almost have enough current to arc weld. I have absolutely no faith in a no-name Chinese power supply company, and my worries were proven right with the S4. I don't care if it's made in China, as long as it caries a known brand name with specs and reputation that I can look up. I'll pay extra every day if it means getting a hassle free PSU from the likes of Seasonic, Flextronics, Delta, Super Flower, etc. Apluspower Co. doesn't inspire any faith at all, and is a fire hazard in my books.

I'd like to believe that the revised power supplies from B2 will solve the issue, but there have already been reports of burnt out/DOA PSUs. I'll be replacing mine with 2000w Deltas to be safe, and when I sell them they will still have working OEM PSUs.

[dogie]

Maybe, maybe not. A lot of places in the world suffer from brownouts which can bring voltage plummeting down to ~90v. For anywhere in Canada/USA to be a constant 100v instead of 120v to me is ridiculous. Detroit is a special situation though, I suppose.

I'm fortunate enough to have one of the best electrical utility companies in the world (Hydro Quebec) servicing me, so I don't have to worry about low voltage situations. I draw a constant ~100-120A from my 200A home electrical installation, and still show 118v/236v at the wall. That being said, I would gladly pay an extra $20 per miner if it meant having an actual quality PSU in the unit. When it comes down to it, these high wattage power supplies almost have enough current to arc weld. I have absolutely no faith in a no-name Chinese power supply company, and my worries were proven right with the S4. I don't care if it's made in China, as long as it caries a known brand name with specs and reputation that I can look up. I'll pay extra every day if it means getting a hassle free PSU from the likes of Seasonic, Flextronics, Delta, Super Flower, etc. Apluspower Co. doesn't inspire any faith at all, and is a fire hazard in my books.

I'd like to believe that the revised power supplies from B2 will solve the issue, but there have already been reports of burnt out/DOA PSUs. I'll be replacing mine with 2000w Deltas to be safe, and when I sell them they will still have working OEM PSUs.

Its worth noting that there is nothing wrong with those B1 PSUs for computer use - the problem was caused by the unusual loading pattern miners have. This turned would would be considered sensible cost saving [/earlier development] into a failure mode.

[MrGreenHat]

sorry for all the troubles.
please contact me via email, my email address: ting.shao@bitmaintech.com
you might have contacted info@bitmaintech.com before, can you please let me know your email address and order id, i will track your order in the mailbox and email system and confirm with my colleague again.
and i think it better if you could please send us a video to let us get to know the situation.

I received a Batch 2 with a PSU that was DOA on Thursday, October 16th. BITMAIN support apparently didn't believe me for the first several days as they were "sure" that my S4 was sent out in the batch with the new PSU's. I finally got my replacement PSU today and it seemed to work OK for about 3 hours (although I did notice that one of the four hashing boards wasn't hashing), so I decided to re-arrange the PCI-E cables (there are like atleast 8, and you only need 5, one for control board and one for each of the hashing boards) and guess what happened?


The brand new PSU that arrived today now will only power the control board. If I try to connect even one PCI-E cable to anything other than the control board, the PSU shits the bed and the green "Run" LED shuts off and the red LED light turns on where it says "fault" and the orange LED goes solid where it says "Alert". Not only that, but I can no longer power the unit using my own PSU's (which are actually used to power my S3+'s, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered with asking for a new PSU in the first place), which  I was able to do until this new PSU arrived. However, the PSUs still power my S3+'s, fortunately. I have yet to hear back from BITMAIN support staff concerning today's new issue, but they refused to compensate me for my 12 days of lost mining, and I don't anticipate that I will get the result that I want at this point, which is a complete refund, because I have spent HOURS of my own time (which is valuable to me) fixing a miner that was advertised as "plug-n-play". my fingers have been cut up by the fucking heat sinks and I'm going to have a hell of a time removing the blood stains from carpeting/clothing. Since when is it the customers responsibility to fix a broken miner? I have been an extremely loyal BITMAIN customer up to this point, but now, I am going to do all that I can to make sure that no one has to deal with what I have had to put up with.

So for anyone considering buying an S4, let me be the first to warn you, they are pieces of shit. They use cheap, unreliable, non-brand name PSU's, and at this point I have about as much faith that they will do the right thing and give me a refund as I do that BFL will give me a refund.

This is nothing short of criminal. Just because up until the past few weeks BITMAIN has had a relatively spotless reputation doesn't mean that you should blindly believe that they will continue to take care of their customers when its obvious that something is VERY VERY WRONG.

Look at all the poor people who are stuck with S2's waiting for firmware. OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE, haven't you noticed that BITMAIN has been making a hell of a lot of promises that they can't keep?  
Has anyone actually received compensation for their downtime? Where is BITMAIN, the user? not BITMAIN SUPPORT or DOGIE, but BITMAIN. If you are reading this, this is a WONDERFUL opportunity to explain yourself and get your shit together.

I sent you an email 24 hours ago and have yet to receive a response.
I have not received a response from BITMAIN support in over 48 hours.
In my email, I  apologized for getting so upset and expressed to you that I am willing to do anything at this point to get this miner running. I asked you specifically what to take a video of, whether you wanted a video of me trying to unsuccessfully power the unit with the DOA PSU, the replacement PSU that died after a few hours, or my own PSU's (which, as I said, are now no longer able to power the unit for some strange reason ever since the replacement PSU died, but they still power my S3s).
In twelve hours, I will have had my Antminer S4 for TWO weeks, but I haven't been able to mine more than a few hours, and no one at BITMAIN support seems to care.
 
I want to be like others in this thread and be able to come here and post that all is well and that you have taken care of the issues I have had and that I'm hashing away, but I can't if you aren't going to communicate with me. If you haven't noticed, I'm very frustrated about this, and it only makes it worse to see that you seem to be ignoring my requests for help. Even though you sent me a defective product, I am willing to do what I have to do to get this thing working, but it doesn't appear that I am going to receive any support from the BITMAIN team.

Who wants to buy my S4? I'll sell it for 3.179 BTC, exactly how much I paid, including shipping, (bitcoin was actually worth more when I ordered the miner than it is now, but I don't even care, I just want out of this mess.) I will be up front with you and tell you that you're going to need to do an RMA to replace the PSU for the second time. Good luck, hopefully they'll be better to you than they have been to me. Send me a PM if you are interested.

In the meantime, I would appreciate some communication from BITMAIN and friends!

[edgar]

ive been waiting patiently since JUNE for compensation which bitmain had finally offered to pay for four dead PSUs (actually i RMAd the first one, but the replacemnet which took 2 weeks was DOA & dented too, so its 5..) after MUCH MUCH sdtruggle and effort

since JULY, bitmain offered S2 upgrades 'soon' i asked every few weeks, and always told soon. so i refused the cash refund..

2 days ago he insists there will be NO S2 upgrades and i should consider S4 (even though its yet another overpriced lump which will arrive busted up, buckled & in need of serious fixing!!)

he also insists that 1 'coupon'  which must be his new buzzword can only be used per one S4!

so, while im owed over 1000USD since more than 4 months ago, he insists i spend over 4000 USD PLUS hosting, to receive this 'compensation'

i would advise extreme caution when dealing with this guy - empty & broken promises are abundant.


Bitmain! i paid for 4 new PSUs because every single one you have ever sent me was insufficient aka SHIT - you owe me this money as we agreed.

i promise you that i will not give up until you have reimbursed me.

[deleterase]

Its worth noting that there is nothing wrong with those B1 PSUs for computer use......

No it isn't. Who cares if they might work on a PC?

Stop brown nosing up to your boss with pathetic posts trying to make excuses for them.

They're crap.  

[pikachuy]

Anyone have any clue on how to add custom scripts through SSH or cron jobs? For example, reboot every 7 days...

I've tried changing stuff through SSH but it doesn't get saved on a reboot? Seems like bitmain made a factory image to be restored on every restart (except for your own settings).

[dogie]

I have not received a response from BITMAIN support in over 48 hours.

Will be answered soon, and / or Tim will expedite it.

In my email, I  apologized for getting so upset

Thats not a problem, won't affect anything.

you're going to need to do an RMA to replace the PSU for the second time

From what you suggested before, it didn't sound like a PSU issue as your non Bitmain PSU was also not able to power the miner, correct? If you're in the US then BitmainWarranty can do a unit swap for you.