A Guide for General Mining & Antminer Troubleshooting

When it comes to mining cryptocurrencies, Antminer machines are popular among most mining communities. The Antminers come in different models. It is easy to set up any Antminer model for mining. However, the set-up instructions remain the same for all models. In this guide, we will share the general instruction to set up an Antminer. These instructions are applicable to all the models of the Antminer.

In this guide, we will use the Antminer S9 model as an example. You can apply these troubleshooting tips to all other Antminer models also.

Things to Prepare

1. Be ready with the power supply – When you choose a power supply unit, ensure that it is rated at least 20 percent higher wattage than the recommended load condition. It will ensure that the power is stable to the Antminer at all times. You can also consider using several power supply units to provide the power to the miner if the power from one unit is not sufficient.
2. You need to connect the router to the Antminer with the help of an ethernet cable.
3. You need to ensure that the miner and the computer are always in the same network. You will need the computer only for configuring the miner. After configuration, you will not need the computer.

Miner Connections Check

1. Once you receive the miner, you need to do a thorough check on the miner to ensure that all the cables are connected properly. Sometimes, the cables in the miner can go loose or come out during the shipping process. So, you need to double-check the cable connectivity.
2. You will find 10 numbers of 6-pin ports on the Antminer. You will have to make use of all these 6-pin ports. You need to connect all these 6-pin ports with your power supply unit. Also, ensure that the 6-pin port makes a connection with the small green color controller board in the system.

3. This step is very important. You will be able to find three hash boards in the miner system. Each of these hash boards will have three numbers of 6-pin ports. If you are planning to use more than one power supply unit to feed power to the miner, you must ensure that only one power supply is always connected to each of these hash boards. Never try to connect multiple power supply units to a single hash board. You must double-check and ensure that only one power supply is connected before powering ON.

4. Now, you will have to insert the ethernet cable into the miner. After that, you are done with all the connections.

Configuring the Miner

1. Switch ON the Miner – One important point that you need to take care of is, if you are using multiple power supply units for the miner, you need to ensure that the power that is going on to the small green board in the miner needs to be switched ON at last only. You need to follow this power sequence whenever you are using multiple power supply units.
2. You need to wait for at least 2 minutes after switching ON the power supply.
3. You can use your computer to find the IP address of the miner. There are multiple ways to check the miner’s IP address. You can use any of the IP checking methods to know the IP. More information: https://inovatecmining.co/crypto-miner-ip-address/ 
4. Go to the configuration page of the miner and log in using the admin username and password. You can enter the IP address of the miner in the internet browser. Both the password as well as the username will be root by default. It is for a fresh miner from the manufacturer.

5. You will have to move to the Miner status page now. Go on refreshing this page till you see some data. Data details include miner account, pool, speed, etc. These parameters will get displayed on the page. In order to start the mining process, the miner will need only a few more minutes. Check more information for miner status: https://inovatecmining.co/antiminer-series-miner/
6. Now, move to the Miner configuration page. Here, you will have to set the pooling address of the miner, account of the miner, and password for the miner. Once you set all these parameters, you can go ahead and click on the “Save & Apply” button to save all the parameters.
7. You need to check and ensure that you are mining the right currency at the right mining pool. See more information how to select the right mining pool: https://inovatecmining.co/mining-pool-selection/
8. Go to the homepage of the mining pool to know the right address of the pool. If you need any additional information, you can always go to the help section of the mining pool.
9. Now, you need to go to the Miner Status page. Continue refreshing this page until you see some data.
10. You can see the hash speed in the Summary section that comes inside the Miner status tab.

11. If you consider the case of two Antminer models, S9 and S7, there will be some difference in the miner status page. For example, if you see the two temperature columns, it will be Temp (PCB) and Temp (Chip) in S9.

12. The Temp (PCB) column will show the temperature value of the circuit board. The Temp (Chip) will show the temperature of the ASIC chip.
13. If you are not seeing any data for a very long time or if you hear any beep sounds, you will have to restart the miner. First, switch OFF the miner completely. Then, please wait for a minute and switch it ON again.

Tips for Mining

1. Dissipation of heat – If you are planning to put multiple miners in the same place, you will have to take care of the airflow to dissipate the heat coming out of the miners.
2. Power overload – Sometimes, you may find it easy to plug multiple Antminers into a single power strip. But you must check the power specification of the power strip before plugging them in. For example, if the power strip is rated for 2200 W and your miner’s power consumption is around 1400 watts, you can’t plug two or more miners into the same power strip. If you do that, there will be dips in power, and the miner will not function as intended. It can even damage the miners.
3. You need to take adequate precautions while using the Antminer. Check more information on how to do that: https://inovatecmining.co/precautions-for-cryptocurrency-miner/
4. You will have to follow all the maintenance instructions shared by the Antminer technicist. See more information on how to do it exactly: https://inovatecmining.co/professional-miner-maintenance-suggestions-from-antminer-technicist/
5. You need to ensure that the temperature in the miner is always within the recommended limits. You need to control the ambient temperature accordingly.
6. Factors that Undercuts Your mining Outcome: https://inovatecmining.co/what-are-the-different-factors-that-reduce-mining-outcome/
7. Operation and maintenance manual of cryptocurrency mining farms: https://inovatecmining.co/crypto-mining-farms-maintenance/
8. Crypto Miner Cooling: https://www.eastshoremining.com/practical-guide-for-miner-cooling/
9. Practical Guide for Mining Noise Control: https://inovatecmining.co/crypto-mining-noise/

Troubleshooting

You can see improper functioning on the following parts in a mining system.

1. Mining Pool
2. Network
3. Board
4. Controller
5. Firmware of the miner

You can do the following things to know the exact root cause of the issue.

1. Checking the cable connections – The first thing to check and ensure is the connection of the cables. You must ensure that there are no loose connections in the cable. You need to check the cable on the fan side as well as the 3 cables that connect the hash board. There is a chance that these cables can go loose during the shipping of the miner.
2. Check the Power Supply Unit Connection

You need to check and ensure that the power supply units are connected properly to the miners. Make sure that the power connection is proper between the 6-pin connector to the power supply.

Certain Antminer models come with integrated power supply units, like the Antminer S15 model, Antminer D5, etc. You must also check for the copper strip connection on the miner.

3. Check the Network connection – If you are using your home network for the mining pool, you need to check your home network and ensure that it is working correctly without any issues.
4. Check other machines connected to the same network – If you have any other devices connected to the same network, there is a chance that one of those devices might have taken the IP address of your Antminer. Therefore, it is recommended to remove all other devices from the mining network. It is to avoid IP address conflict as well as to safeguard your miner from hackers. It is always good to give a dedicated network for the miners.
5. If you are going to log in to the miner and access the configuration page, consider changing the internet explorer.
6. Change the Network of the Antminer – You can look for a new router for the Antminer or consider shifting the miner to a new place.
7. You can also consider switching to another mining pool.
8. Checking the Antminer – You need to do a thorough inspection of the Antminer after receiving it from the manufacturer. First, make sure that the heat sinks are in place. Then, you can check it easily by gently shaking the miner and see if it is fallen or not.
9. Checking the Power Supply Unit – You need to ensure that the power supply unit is working properly. For example, if you have purchased the 1600 watts power supply unit for the Antminer, you need to check and ensure that the voltage value is stable. The power supply must have a working voltage in the 205 Volt range. If it is the APW3++ power supply unit, the voltage will be in the range of 110 to 220 V. So, for the 200 to 240 V range; the rated power will be 1600 Watts. For the 100 to 140 Volt range, the rated power is 1200 watts. The power supply unit will not work if you don’t have a stable voltage. You can see that only the fans will be working. There won’t be any power output. If you face such a power issue, you must consider investing in a voltage stabilizer for your power supply unit.
10. Firmware update – You need to ensure that you are running the latest firmware on your Antminer. This firmware must be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website only. Never use any third-party firmware on the miner. See more info: https://inovatecmining.co/firmware-upgrade/
11. Resetting the miner – You can try resetting the miner in case of any problems. You can go for a hardware reset or a software reset. https://inovatecmining.co/antminer-reset-guide/
12. Reburn the image on the miner – You can also return the actual image files on the miner in case of any issues. There will be two files for burning. The .img file and the .imgc file. You need to use the appropriate burning tools to burn these images. https://inovatecmining.co/reinstall-system-images/
13. Replace the signal cables – You will find 3 signal cables in an Antminer. These 3 cables go from the hash boards to the controller board. Consider changing these three cables if you are facing any issues.

14. Swapping the controllers – If you feel that the controller board has some issues, you can consider replacing the existing controller board with a controller board from a working miner. It will help you to conclude whether the problem is due to the controller board or not. You can see the screws with a silver cover on top of the Antminer.

If you have Antminer models S5 or S7, you will be able to see a black chunk on the green board’s top side. You will have to switch both the black chunk as well as the green board.

If you have Antminer models S9, T9, or R4, you will only see the green board, which is the controller board.

You will have to remove all the screws on the silver cover. Take it out and see if you are able to loosen up the controller board. If yes, replace the board with another one from a working miner. Now, you will come to know whether the controller board is causing the issue or not.

15. Problematic board identification – You will have to disconnect all the signal cables that go to the hash boards. After that, connect only one board at a timer and see if it is working properly. It will help you to locate the non-working board easily.

If you find that the hash board is having the issue, you need to contact the manufacturer to get it fixed.

See the below links for more details:

• Troubleshooting for Antminer: hashing board
• Troubleshooting for Antminer: controller & fan
• Troubleshooting for Antminer – Common External Problems
• Miner Virus Prevention and Solutions