ANTMINER C1 Discussion and Support Thread

[IITravel01]

Anyone know the screw thread size for the radiator (to connect fans to it)?  I purchased some M3 .50 (the same size my other radiators from another brand) and some M4 .70 screws (the size of the one on the Antminers) today, but neither is correct, it seems to be somewhere in between.

The screw is custom-made and not standard,you can't purchase it from market yourself.

Why would you do that?  What if someone like me wants to add 120 by 120 by 15mm fans to the front and back in a push/pull setup?  I'd need 24 screws that are 16 to 20mm and now find that they can't be ordered.

[rpandassociates]

i wonder if this could work http://www.grcooling.com/

also of worthy reading http://www.scientific-computing.com/features/feature.php?feature_id=324

[opentoe]

I have another question. My father owns 3 C1's and one of his pumps is producing high amounts of foam/bubbles. Is there a trick to get rid of these foam/bubbles? It was actually running fine since he got them, but this foam/bubble thing just started. We are using this coolant.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ESNVNHE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



I also want to thank BitmainWarranty for such a fast turn around on my broken pump. I reported it broken yesterday and today I received a replacement pump. I'll be installing it tomorrow.
Thank you.

It must be filled enough such that the return tube's flow diverter is submerged.

He has three C1's. He knows how to operate and maintain them and knows he needs enough coolant in the reservoir. I made sure of that myself. But today his pump just stopped working. It would only run for about 20 minutes then do a complete stop. The pump was the problem and that was what was making all the damn bubbles. It was causing cavitation somewhere, creating all the bubbles and foam. No other moving parts in the system, so the pump is prime suspect, especially when it just fails to operate, something must be wrong inside. So right after one of my pumps died, his died two days later. Syscooling, these pumps are rated for 50,000 hours. That's 2 full years of operating at 24/7 365 days a year. If you are manufacturing them yourselves, better start using better materials or re-design to eliminate failures so early.

[opentoe]

Anyone know the screw thread size for the radiator (to connect fans to it)?  I purchased some M3 .50 (the same size my other radiators from another brand) and some M4 .70 screws (the size of the one on the Antminers) today, but neither is correct, it seems to be somewhere in between.

The screw is custom-made and not standard,you can't purchase it from market yourself.

That really sucks. Your almost better off maybe using some kind of glue or really skinny tie-wraps. I mean the screws "have" to have a size. They can't be custom to the point where their size isn't on the metric or imperial scale.

[opentoe]

BitmainWarranty, I think I have a problem with my replacement pump or some yet explained issue that we need to resolve. The pump I just replaced is now doing the same exact thing that my father's pump is doing, making a bubble bath. I'm pretty sure I can visually see the problem and will attach a picture showing you what I mean. What the coolant enters the reservoir from the radiator and hits the diverter it causes cavitation/bubbles. And when that keeps happening the bubbles/foam are a constant and that is not good for the pump itself. If the pump keeps pumping bubbles, it will eventually fail very soon. I even have changed the hoses AND changed the position of them also. Put the top hose on the bottom and the bottom on the top. Same thing. Bubbles. This is very strange, since both of my other C1's have no bubbles at all. I have used the same exact coolant (the same being used in my others C1's) and even emptied that coolant out and used another new bottle for testing. In the picture I provided, I circled a huge bubble that the diverter makes when it gets hit with the incoming coolant. This particular C1 always had 'some' bubbles, but not like this. My other two C1's have zero bubbles. Nothing at all. The only thing I can think of is a defective pump again OR something in my loop is causing micro-bubbles inside the radiator or C1 itself that I cannot see. Is there anyway I can get an RMA for the pump I just received and when I send back my original broken pump I can send back both of them.

I made the image very large so it is easy to see. You'll see one very large bubble circled along with all the other small ones all over.

EDIT: I just changed all hoses, made sure all connections were solid and everything was fine. Still a bubble making machine. I would love to figure this out.

EDIT#2: When I opened the tyvex bag the pump was shipped in the pump box was broken open completely and the pump was out of the box. It was still wrapped in the thin bubble wrap but it could have been possibly damaged during shipping. The pump box didn't seem to be taped properly, hence the box coming open.

[rpandassociates]

I would suspect air coming in somewhere for sure. Maybe a oring leaking air in? possible water block crack? somewhere you have air being sucked in, and fluid dynamics would say its on the return side, if it waas on the feed side it would be leaking out. But since its on the return side its sucking in.

fluids being pushed -----> presssure ---> leaks out
fluids being pulled <---- <vaccumm <--- air seeps in

Just a theory

[jackbox]

BitmainWarranty, I think I have a problem with my replacement pump or some yet explained issue that we need to resolve. The pump I just replaced is now doing the same exact thing that my father's pump is doing, making a bubble bath. I'm pretty sure I can visually see the problem and will attach a picture showing you what I mean. What the coolant enters the reservoir from the radiator and hits the diverter it causes cavitation/bubbles. And when that keeps happening the bubbles/foam are a constant and that is not good for the pump itself. If the pump keeps pumping bubbles, it will eventually fail very soon. I even have changed the hoses AND changed the position of them also. Put the top hose on the bottom and the bottom on the top. Same thing. Bubbles. This is very strange, since both of my other C1's have no bubbles at all. I have used the same exact coolant (the same being used in my others C1's) and even emptied that coolant out and used another new bottle for testing. In the picture I provided, I circled a huge bubble that the diverter makes when it gets hit with the incoming coolant. This particular C1 always had 'some' bubbles, but not like this. My other two C1's have zero bubbles. Nothing at all. The only thing I can think of is a defective pump again OR something in my loop is causing micro-bubbles inside the radiator or C1 itself that I cannot see. Is there anyway I can get an RMA for the pump I just received and when I send back my original broken pump I can send back both of them.

I made the image very large so it is easy to see. You'll see one very large bubble circled along with all the other small ones all over.

EDIT: I just changed all hoses, made sure all connections were solid and everything was fine. Still a bubble making machine. I would love to figure this out.

EDIT#2: When I opened the tyvex bag the pump was shipped in the pump box was broken open completely and the pump was out of the box. It was still wrapped in the thin bubble wrap but it could have been possibly damaged during shipping. The pump box didn't seem to be taped properly, hence the box coming open.

Based on your photo it looks like you might not have enough fluid in the pump. It should be almost to the top where the input and output ports are completely submerged in fluid. It looks like the fluid is only about 3/4 of the way covering the inlet/outlet and that would introduce air into the cooling system, which is definitely something you don't want.

[rpandassociates]

Also worth trying
open the fillport
turn the radiator 360 degress make sure there is no air in it. When setting mine up i had a large amount of air trapped in the radiator until i spun it and the bubble ran out

observer the hosing while running do you see bubble traveling in them or is it only at the pump that they form.

If only at the pump
then check that return feed oring
I lubricated mine with spit before screwing them in, i use white lithium grease when installing o-rings in automobiles, but since i did not know its reaction with theplexi resivor i used some spit
Orings can be problematic when installing if they are not lubricated, lesson learned from paintball and auto mechanics if they roll or get nicked  they can let air seep in or escape, paintball 101 I spit on my paintball orings when changing tanks

and try a non bubbler pump from the other units? if your still getting air bubbles then its somewhere else along the line.

[dogie]

Based on your photo it looks like you might not have enough fluid in the pump. It should be almost to the top where the input and output ports are completely submerged in fluid. It looks like the fluid is only about 3/4 of the way covering the inlet/outlet and that would introduce air into the cooling system, which is definitely something you don't want.

It would help, but the flow diverter helps create a higher than expected fluid level on the return. You can see it in the picture that its filled.

What the coolant enters the reservoir from the radiator and hits the diverter it causes cavitation/bubbles.

That's not what cavitation is.

What is more likely is that the system hasn't been sufficiently bled. Air in the system breeds more air = more bubbles in a vicious cycle. You will likely have to twist and turn both the C1 and radiator while running to get the large air pockets out. As also mentioned below, although you can keep the cap on. Just be careful you're reservoir doesn't get too low and there could be a good 300ml of air in your system which would empty it 2x.

Also worth trying open the fillport turn the radiator 360 degress make sure there is no air in it. When setting mine up i had a large amount of air trapped in the radiator until i spun it and the bubble ran out.

[opentoe]

Right now my bubble problem seemed to resolve itself. After shaking the radiator and turning it around and back and forth it looked like the last of the air is out of the system. I let the system run for 24 hours and the bubbles subsided. I believe the cause was me, being impatient and not waiting long enough and/or not trying hard enough to get all the air out of the radiator. Temps are 37-38, but hashing went down for some reason to around 900, and I have 5 X's. Miner is already at 755v. Is there another trick to get hashing speed back up to 1000+? What happens if I change the freq to 256 and put the volts back to 725?


Also, I still think the pump was partially damaged during shipping. It does make a light grinding noise when it runs. It shouldn't be making that noise, as my other two are silent. Can I purchase one of these pumps from the Colorado service center? I know this replacement has a 90 warranty, but my guess that grinding noise is going to get worse and just fail, since it is the same exact noise my other failed pump. I guess time will tell.

I posted another picture of the same bubble pump, but around 30 hours later.

[dogie]

Right now my bubble problem seemed to resolve itself. After shaking the radiator and turning it around and back and forth it looked like the last of the air is out of the system. I let the system run for 24 hours and the bubbles subsided.

Yeah that sounds about right. Sometimes you really have to rubik's cube the hell out of radiators/blocks to get the air to go through the entire path.

Temps are 37-38, but hashing went down for some reason to around 900, and I have 5 X's. Miner is already at 755v. Is there another trick to get hashing speed back up to 1000+? What happens if I change the freq to 256 and put the volts back to 725?

1) Try a hard reset (power supply)
2) Voltage to 725 and a hard reset
3) If that board STILL is dropping out, PM BitmainWarranty to arrange an RMA. Be sure to link to your post describing the issues, what type and how many miners you wish to have repaired/replaced and your bitmaintech.com order number. You'll only have to send back that individual hashing board, although make sure you've got some thermal paste to reapply the new PCB.

Also, I still think the pump was partially damaged during shipping. It does make a light grinding noise when it runs. It shouldn't be making that noise, as my other two are silent. Can I purchase one of these pumps from the Colorado service center? I know this replacement has a 90 warranty, but my guess that grinding noise is going to get worse and just fail, since it is the same exact noise my other failed pump. I guess time will tell.

I posted another picture of the same bubble pump, but around 30 hours later.

That could also be a nice bubble in the impeller, which will tend to stay there. Tilt it about and see if you can get it out (outlet facing up if possible). I'm unsure if you can purchase additional pumps from the US but they do have replacements there if you need them.

[rpandassociates]

Ah water pumps
Glad to hear you got the bubbler to subside I figured it was either trapped air in the radiator or a return air feed leak.

There are tons of replacement pump options available but these are by far the cheapest pumps on the market. Swifttech makes some nice pumps but they are pricey. Check ebay  and search syscool and swifttech as well as koolance. In theory any 12v water pump would work as long as it meets the minimum specs of the syscool pump

[syscooling]

Anyone know the screw thread size for the radiator (to connect fans to it)?  I purchased some M3 .50 (the same size my other radiators from another brand) and some M4 .70 screws (the size of the one on the Antminers) today, but neither is correct, it seems to be somewhere in between.

The screw is custom-made and not standard,you can't purchase it from market yourself.

Why would you do that?  What if someone like me wants to add 120 by 120 by 15mm fans to the front and back in a push/pull setup?  I'd need 24 screws that are 16 to 20mm and now find that they can't be ordered.

That is decided by radiator,standard screw doesn't match.Latter I will give you some adivce.

[syscooling]

Anyone know the screw thread size for the radiator (to connect fans to it)?  I purchased some M3 .50 (the same size my other radiators from another brand) and some M4 .70 screws (the size of the one on the Antminers) today, but neither is correct, it seems to be somewhere in between.

The screw is custom-made and not standard,you can't purchase it from market yourself.

Why would you do that?  What if someone like me wants to add 120 by 120 by 15mm fans to the front and back in a push/pull setup?  I'd need 24 screws that are 16 to 20mm and now find that they can't be ordered.

That is decided by radiator,standard screw doesn't match.Latter I will give you some adivce.

I got it wrong,the screw is standard screw,#6-32,American standard.

[opentoe]

Right now my bubble problem seemed to resolve itself. After shaking the radiator and turning it around and back and forth it looked like the last of the air is out of the system. I let the system run for 24 hours and the bubbles subsided.

Yeah that sounds about right. Sometimes you really have to rubik's cube the hell out of radiators/blocks to get the air to go through the entire path.

Temps are 37-38, but hashing went down for some reason to around 900, and I have 5 X's. Miner is already at 755v. Is there another trick to get hashing speed back up to 1000+? What happens if I change the freq to 256 and put the volts back to 725?

1) Try a hard reset (power supply)
2) Voltage to 725 and a hard reset
3) If that board STILL is dropping out, PM BitmainWarranty to arrange an RMA. Be sure to link to your post describing the issues, what type and how many miners you wish to have repaired/replaced and your bitmaintech.com order number. You'll only have to send back that individual hashing board, although make sure you've got some thermal paste to reapply the new PCB.

Also, I still think the pump was partially damaged during shipping. It does make a light grinding noise when it runs. It shouldn't be making that noise, as my other two are silent. Can I purchase one of these pumps from the Colorado service center? I know this replacement has a 90 warranty, but my guess that grinding noise is going to get worse and just fail, since it is the same exact noise my other failed pump. I guess time will tell.

I posted another picture of the same bubble pump, but around 30 hours later.

That could also be a nice bubble in the impeller, which will tend to stay there. Tilt it about and see if you can get it out (outlet facing up if possible). I'm unsure if you can purchase additional pumps from the US but they do have replacements there if you need them.

What's happening is after I wiggle the heck out of my radiator and get ALL the air out of it, work great for a little bit but after a good 10-12 hours the radiator accumulates air pockets. Large enough that I can see my reservoir raise up a little bit. If I shake gently turn the radiator upside down again I can see a huge amount of air bubbles come back out of the radiator. So, somewhere inside the radiator air is being trapped once when there was liquid by itself. Does it matter what port you have the incoming flow going into the radiator, top or bottom? I've seen pictures of both. I'll just wait and see what happens. There is a 90 day warranty on this pump which died from a pump that had a one year warranty on it. Warranties just dropping like flies here. I went from 8 months to 3 months. This is why the consumer always feels we've turned around and bent over. Sorry, but the original warranty "should" still be in place, not lowered.

I'll try the hard reset later. You mean the small hole above the Ethernet port?

[opentoe]

Ah water pumps
Glad to hear you got the bubbler to subside I figured it was either trapped air in the radiator or a return air feed leak.

There are tons of replacement pump options available but these are by far the cheapest pumps on the market. Swifttech makes some nice pumps but they are pricey. Check ebay  and search syscool and swifttech as well as koolance. In theory any 12v water pump would work as long as it meets the minimum specs of the syscool pump

I know. The quality is pretty low. I did buy one from ebay for $40 just to see how it performs and for a secondary back up. All brand name pumps are mega expensive since it really is supposed to be a high quality product.

[Beachguy]

A few comments about the bubble thing.........

When I set mine up and I saw many pages back in this thread (I read the whole thread twice) where a poster recommended running the pump directly off the pSU so you could bleed the whole system before firing up the miner. Made sense to me.
 I did this as he said with the cap OFF to bleed all the air from the system, running the pump ....but again, the miner itself wasn't running.

It took me over 20 minutes to get most of air out of the system. I would lift and turn every which way the miner (before hooking power cables up makes it easier) and the radiator until I got it to run cleanly. Then I let it run settled for a while, added water and did it some more. After one hour I was satisfied, capped it off and its been nice and cool 36~40.

I strongly suspect that trapped air is the problem for most people overheating boards as well. Think of all the places for air to hide in the water blocks and small radiator tubes. Also, the air moves around and collects before finally making it to the tank.

As far as pressure in the system.....of course there is. You also want it as it, along with most coolants, raises the boiling point.
Your car's cooling system couldn't handle the high temp from the engine without being pressurized.
It also has a cap with a relief it the system gets too hot.
It's also why the cap says DON'T remove it on a hot system.


edit - to make clear about boiling points.

[dogie]

So, somewhere inside the radiator air is being trapped once when there was liquid by itself. Does it matter what port you have the incoming flow going into the radiator, top or bottom? I've seen pictures of both.

Optimal layout is inlet to reservoir on the bottom and outlet on the top, as that would prevent any air accumulating in it. Bubbles always want to rise and will resist quite a bit of flow to avoid travelling downwards. If you're tubes are the wrong way round, you should be able to swap the screws the feet are on without too much trouble and simply flip it over without having to touch the tubing.

I'll try the hard reset later. You mean the small hole above the Ethernet port?

By hard reset I mean power off at the PSU. By soft reset I mean "reboot" from the OS.

[Xyver]

Hello, I'm actually trying to UNDERclock the C1, but the SSH isn't working... I'm trying to follow the same steps that I would to under/overclock a S3, but its not working.

I can get in, end up at root@AntC1:~#, but when I try to vim /etc/config/asic-freq/ it says vim not found, and if I try to use vi it opens a blank document.

Any ideas?

[IITravel01]

Hello, I'm actually trying to UNDERclock the C1, but the SSH isn't working... I'm trying to follow the same steps that I would to under/overclock a S3, but its not working.

I can get in, end up at root@AntC1:~#, but when I try to vim /etc/config/asic-freq/ it says vim not found, and if I try to use vi it opens a blank document.

Any ideas?

Why aren't you just going into the GUI menu and selecting the Advanced tab?