Maintaining the Antminer S17+ is essential for ensuring optimal performance and longevity. This guide provides information on how to identify and troubleshoot common issues that may arise, as well as step-by-step instructions for performing routine maintenance tasks. It also includes a flowchart to help you quickly identify potential problems and determine the best course of action. With this guide, you can keep your Antminer S17+ running smoothly and efficiently.
Preparation and Maintenance Guidelines
It’s essential to take the time to properly prepare and maintain components before, during, and after installation. This includes applying thermal gel for better heat transfer, forming air ducts for better airflow, connecting power supplies in the correct sequence, fixing chips to prevent overheating, and ensuring test fixtures meet production requirements. Additionally, these guidelines should also include instructions on cleaning components with approved solvents such as isopropyl alcohol or distilled water, as well as how to store components away from extreme temperatures and humidity levels safely. Finally, regularly scheduled maintenance checks should be carried out every few months or at least annually to guarantee the proper functioning of all parts within the system.
Preparation Requirements for Repair Platform, Tools, and Equipment
I. Platform Requirements
The necessary requirements for the platform include a workbench for repairing rubber sheets that must be properly grounded. In addition, an anti-static wrist strap and grounding are also required to prevent static electricity from damaging the materials being worked on.
II. Equipment Requirements
Constant temperature soldering iron (350-360℃) with a specific head for small patches such as chip resistors and capacitors
Heat gun and BGA rework station for disassembling and soldering chips and BGA components
Multimeter, soldering steel pin, and shrink tubing for easy measurement (Fluke 15b+ recommended)
Oscilloscope, Agilent recommended
Hash board tester fixture
Low-temperature solder paste (Alpha OM550), flux, water, and anhydrous alcohol for cleaning panel and soldering residues
Thermal conductive paste for chips and heat sinks after maintenance (may vary by model)
Tin-planting steel mesh, ball-planting steel mesh, solder wire, and solder balls (0.4mm diameter recommended) for chip replacement
Plant tin on chip pin and BSM surface before soldering to the hashboard
Mechanic lead-free circuit board cleaner cleans up the flux residue after maintenance.
Thermally conductive gel is used to apply to the chip surface after repair.
Ball-planting steel mesh, desoldering wick, and solder balls (the recommended ball diameter is 0.4mm).
When replacing a new chip, it is necessary to tin the chip pins and then solder them to the hash board. Apply thermally conductive gel evenly on the chip’s surface, then lock the heatsink.
Serial port code scanner.
Serial port adapter board RS232 to TTL adapter board 3.3V.
Self-made short-circuit probe (use the pins for wiring and welding and heat the shrinkable sleeve to prevent short-circuit between the probe and the small heatsink).
V. Common Maintenance Spare Material Requirements
0402 resistor (0R, 10K, 4.7K,)
0402 capacitor (0.1uF, 1uF)
Maintenance Requirements
Maintenance personnel are required to possess a certain level of electronic knowledge, with at least one year of maintenance experience and expertise in soldering technologies such as BGA, QFN, and LGA packages.
After repairing a hash board, it must undergo at least two tests to ensure that it is functioning correctly. If it fails either of these tests, it will be rejected.
When replacing a chip, it is essential to pay close attention to the operation method to avoid any obvious deformations of the PCB board. It is necessary to check for any open or short circuits, or missing parts in the replacement parts and their surroundings.
Before starting any maintenance work, it is important to check the tools and test fixtures, ensuring they are working correctly. It is also necessary to determine the test software parameters for the maintenance station, version of test fixtures, and other relevant details.
After the repair and replacement chip tests, it is essential to perform a full chip check before proceeding to the functional test. The functional test must ensure that the double-sided heat sinks are soldered correctly and that the cooling fan is operating at full speed. It is necessary to form air ducts by putting three hash boards together when using the chassis cooling function. Even for single-sided production tests, the formation of air ducts is crucial.
When measuring signals, it is advisable to use two fans to dissipate heat and maintain full speed. Using a laser tachometer to test the fan speed is recommended.
During the measurement and maintenance of the front and back of the hash board, the steel windshield should be under 21V voltage. It is essential to keep the maintenance table clean and insulated to prevent any short circuits during maintenance.
When replacing a new chip, it is important to apply solder paste on the pins and the BSM surface to ensure that the chip is pre-tinned before soldering to PCBA for maintenance.
Fixtures at the maintenance end should adopt Repair_Mode mode and config configuration files tested in non-scanning mode. After passing the test, the production end should start the production line from the test piece, while the after-sale end should be installed and aged normally (installed at the same level). The test configuration file can be obtained from TE.
Overview of Antminer S17+ Components
S17+ Hashboard Structure
The S17+ hash board consists of 65 BM1397 chips, which are divided into 13 groups, each consisting of 5 ICs. The BM1397 chip used in the S17+ hash board operates at a voltage of 1.5V. The boost circuit U6 outputs 24.5V, which powers the LDO, and the LDO outputs 1.8V. The last third and third groups are powered by 24.5V DCDC to output 1.8V, while the other groups are powered by 21V divided voltage to provide 1.8V through DCDC. The remaining 0.8V is provided by the 1.8V of this domain via the LDO output.
Boost Circuit of S17+ Hashboard
The boost circuit of the S17+ hash board is powered by the power supply, and boosts from 21V to 24.5V.
Signal Direction of S17+ Chip
CLK (XIN) Signal Direction: The CLK signal is generated by the Y1 25M crystal oscillator and transmitted from chip 01 to chip 65. During operation, the voltage is 1.45-1.65V (measured by oscilloscope), and the voltage measured by a multimeter is about 0.7-0.9V.
TX (CI, CO) Signal Direction: The TX signal is input from pin 7 (3.3V) of the IO port, transferred to IC U2 through level conversion, and then transmitted from chip 01 to chip 65. The voltage is 0V when the IO line is not inserted, and 1.8V during operation.
RX (RI, RO) Signal Direction: The RX signal is transmitted from chip 65 to chip 01, returned to pin 8 of the signal cable terminal via U1, and then returned to the control board. The voltage is 0.3V when the IO line is not inserted, and 1.8V during operation.
BO (BI, BO) Signal Direction: The BO signal is transmitted from chip 01 to chip 65, and the voltage measured using a multimeter is 0V.
RST Signal Direction: The RST signal is input from pin 3 of the IO port, and then transmitted from chip 01 to chip 65. The voltage is 0V without IO signal or in standby, and 1.8V during operation.
Antminer S17+ Structure
The miner consists of three hash boards, one control board, APW9+ power supply, and four cooling fans.
Identifying Common Issues with Hashboards and Troubleshooting Procedures
Phenomenon 1: The detection chip on a single hash board test shows 0
To troubleshoot this issue, we need to follow the steps mentioned below:
Step One: Check the power output
Check the power output at the location specified.
Ensure that the power output is within the expected range.
If the power output is not within the expected range, further troubleshooting will be required.
Step Two: Check the voltage domain voltage output
Check the voltage output in each voltage domain, which should be around 1.6V.
Ensure that there is a domain voltage when power is supplied at 21V.
Measure the output of the power supply terminal of the hashboard.
Determine if the MOS is shorted by measuring the resistance between pins 1, 4, and 8.
If there is power supply at 21V but no domain voltage, continue to check downward.
Measure the voltage output of D5/D8, which should be between 23-24.5V.
If the voltage output is not within the expected range, further troubleshooting will be required.
Step Three: Check the PIC circuit
Measure whether the second pin of U3 has an output, which should be approximately 3.2V.
If there is no output or the voltage is not within the expected range, check the connection status of the fixture cable and the hash board.
If the connection status is ok, re-program the PIC.
If there is an output of approximately 3.2V, proceed to troubleshoot further.
Check the output of signal pins (CLK/CI/RI/BO/RST) and compare with the expected voltage values as per the signal direction.
If the voltage values do not match the expected range, compare them with the measured values of adjacent groups.
If the signal output is not within the expected range, further troubleshooting will be required.
