Precautions for Cryptocurrency Miner

This article will illustrate some precautions for routine operation of cryptocurrency miners based on the Antminer. For the operation and maintenance of large-scale cryptocurrency mining farms, please refer to the article Operation and Maintenance Manual of Cryptocurrency Mining Farms.

ESD Protection

The flat cable and fan interface on control board are directly connected to IC pins. If these interfaces are touched without releasing the carried ESD, the IC pins are easily damaged to cause failure of the miner which can only be returned to the manufacturer for repairment.

Power Off before Maintenance

Power off the miner before miner installation or maintenance, otherwise the hashboard or control board will be damaged and can only be returned to the manufacturer for repairment.

Power-on Sequence

Power on hashboard first, then control board. If one power supply for one miner, power on directly after the hashboard and control board have been connected.

Direction of 6PIN Interface

Pay attention to the direction of 6PIN cable before connection, otherwise the power protection may be triggered, control board or hashboard may be damaged.

Power Supply

It’s recommended to connect one power supply to one miner.

One miner can be connected to one or multiple power supplies, but multiple miners shall not be connected to multiple power supplies.

One hashboard can only be driven by one power supply. It’s prohibited to provide multiple power supplies for one hashboard.

Power Consumption

When the actual output of power supply cannot meet the needs of miners, the miner will be under performs.

It is recommended that the power supply should be 20% higher than the power consumption of miners.

Specification of Power Cord

At 220V, it is recommended to use a power cord of 10A or above with a length of 1.5m or less.

At 110V, it is recommended to use a power cord of 17A or above with a length of 1.5m or less.

Interface of Power Cord

The Antminer APW series PSU adopt the C13 connector (conventional desktop power plug). For other specifications of power supply, please consult the manufacturer.

Dust Prevention

When the air duct before the heat sink of the miner is blocked, the miner’s working performance will be affected. It’s easy to trigger temperature protection and halt the miner. In other words, don’t allow too much dust accumulated on the heat sink of the miner.

In spring, catkins are easy to accumulate to block the air inlet, be sure to install dust mesh on the windows of the mining farm.

Moisture Prevention

When water curtain is used, the large amount of accumulated dust will absorb the moisture to corrode the hashboard, in some serious cases, the hashboard might be completed damaged.

It’s recommended to keep the humidity below 65%. Due to large salt content in the air in coastal regions, the hashboard will be easily corroded by heavy dust accumulation.

Network Outage

If the network problem can be solved within 15 minutes, no need to power off the miners.

If the network problem cannot be solved within short time, please power off the miners in time, especially when the network connection is unstable, miner crash or other failures may occur.

Router Load

Please consult the router manufacturer for the router load. It’s recommended to make it clear before miner procurement.

Low Temperature Environment

When the indoor temperature of mining farm is lower than 5°C, hash speed may decrease or the miners are under performance.

High Temperature

Miners running in high temperature for a long time are easy to be damaged. It is recommended to maintain the environment temperature between 5°C to 35°C.

Network Connection

Antminers can be connected to LAN through cables only, WIFI is not supported(Except Antminer S1).

Specifications of Network Cable

Conventional RJ45 cable in any specifications

Sequence of Power Wiring

No sequence requirement on the 6pin cable connecting miner and power supply, if only no reverse or pseudo connection.

What’s the voltage for the miner?

The input of miner is 12V DC, which needs to be converted by power supply.
The power supply for miner is usually single-phase 220V AC (China)

POE Function

Do not connect the switch or router with POE function directly to miners, otherwise the control board may be damaged. It won’t be a concern for home mining.

Ground Wire

Ungrounded wires can result in electric leakage and damage of power supply or miners. It won’t be a concern for home mining.

Lightning Strike

Be sure to take lightning protection, otherwise all equipment will be damaged. It won’t be a concern for home mining.

Appendix

Series articles on crypto miner maintenance: