Antminer S19 Pro Maintenance & Repair Guide

Maintaining an Antminer S19 Pro can seem like a daunting task, but with the right knowledge and tools it’s actually quite easy. In this guide we will provide step-by-step instructions on how to properly maintain your Antminer S19 Pro. We’ll cover topics such as routine inspections, troubleshooting hash boards, and using Putty software for diagnostics. With our guidance you’ll be able to keep your miner up and running at peak performance.

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

• To perform maintenance work, an anti-static maintenance workbench is required. It should be grounded, and an anti-static wristband and grounding are necessary.

II. Equipment Requirements

• Constant temperature soldering iron (350°C-380°C) with a pointed tip for soldering small patches such as chip resistors and capacitors.
• Hot air guns and BGA rework stations are used for chip / BGA disassembly and welding.
• Multimeter with welded steel pins and heat-shrinkable sleeves for easy measurement. The recommended model is the Fluke 15b+ multimeter.
• Oscilloscope. The recommended model is UTD2102CEX+. A network cable is required for an internet connection and a stable network.

III. Test Tool Requirements

ARC Kit

• ARC Antminer Hashboard Tester
• Lab PSU 10-30V / 1-15A

Bitmain Kit

• APW12 power supply: AP12_12V-15V_V1.2 and power adapter cable. It is recommended to use thick copper wire for the positive and negative poles of the power supply to connect the power supply and the power board and only limited to PT1 and maintenance test use.
• Use the test fixture of the V2.3 control board (test fixture material number ZJ0001000001). The positive and negative poles of the test jig need to be installed with discharge resistors. Using a cement resistance of 20 ohms and 100W or more is recommended.

IV. Maintenance Auxiliary Materials/Tools Requirements

• Solder Paste 138°C, flux, Mechanic lead-free circuit board cleaner, and anhydrous alcohol.
• 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

1. When replacing a chip, pay attention to the operation method. After replacing any component, check that the PCB board has no obvious deformation. Check the replacement and surrounding parts for missing, open, and short circuits.
2. Maintenance personnel must have electronic knowledge, at least one year of maintenance experience, and proficiency in BGA/QFN/LGA packaging and welding technology.
3. After repair, the hashboard must be tested more than twice, and all tests must pass.
4. Check the tools to ensure that the test fixture can work typically. Determine the parameters of the maintenance station test software, the version of the test jig, and other related parameters.
5. To test repairing and replacing the chip, test the chip first and then do the functional test after it passes. The functional test must ensure that the small heatsink is welded correctly, the large heat sink is installed, and the thermal adhesive gel is applied evenly. Two hash boards should be placed simultaneously to form an air duct when using the chassis to dissipate heat. For single-sided testing in production, the air duct must also be formed.
6. When measuring the signal, use fans to dissipate heat and ensure the fans are at full speed.
7. When powering on the hashboard, connect the negative copper cord of the power supply first, then the positive copper cord of the power supply, and finally, insert the signal cable.
8. When disassembling, reverse the order of installation. First, remove the signal cable, then pull the positive copper cord of the power supply, and finally, remove the negative copper cord. If you do not follow this order, it may cause damage to U1 and U2.
9. Before testing the pattern, the repaired hashboard must cool down before testing; otherwise, it will lead to testing NG.
10. Pre-tin the chip pins with solder paste to replace a new chip and then solder them to the PCB for repair.

Overview of Antminer S19 Pro Components

Overview of the S19 Pro Hash Board Structure

The S19 Pro hash board is made up of 114 BM1398 chips divided into 38 groups, each consisting of 3 ICs. The operating voltage of the BM1398 chip is 0.32V, and for seven of the groups, a boost circuit powers the LDO, which outputs 1.8V. The remaining groups are supplied by VDD12.6V through the LDO to provide 1.8V, and the voltage of each domain is reduced by 0.32V. All 0.8V is provided by the 1.8V output of this domain via LDO.

S19 Pro Hash Board Boost Circuit

The S19 Pro hash board uses a boost circuit to convert the 12.6V power supply to 20V

 

Signal Trend of S19 Pro Chip

The S19 Pro chip has four signal types: CLK, TX, RX, and RST. The CLK signal flows from the 25M oscillator to chip 01 through to chip 114, and the voltage range is 0.7V-1.3V. The TX signal flows from IO port 7 pin to IC U4, then transmits from chip 01 to chip 114, with a voltage of 0V when the IO cable is not inserted and 1.8V during operation. The RX signal flows from chip 114 to chip 01, returns to the signal cable terminal pin 8 through U2, and then returns to the control board, with a voltage of 0.3V when the IO signal cable is not inserted and 1.8V during operation. The BO signal flows from chip 01 to chip 114, and the multimeter measurement value is 0V. The RST signal flows from pin 3 of the IO port to IC U3 through level conversion and then transmits from chip 01 to chip 114 after level conversion. The voltage is 0V when no IO signal cable is inserted and the equipment is in standby, and it is 1.8V when operating.

Antminer S19 Pro Structure

The whole miner is composed of three hash boards, one control board, APW12 power supply, and four cooling fans

Identifying Common Issues with Hashboards and Troubleshooting Procedures

Phenomenon 1: Single board test detection chip is 0

Check the power output

• Use a multimeter to measure the voltage output at the power output.
• Compare the measured voltage to the expected voltage value.
• If the measured voltage is significantly lower than the expected value, check the power supply connection to the hash board.
• If the power supply connection is correct, check the power supply unit for issues.
• If the power supply unit is not the issue, check the hash board for any component or wiring issues.
• Repair or replace any faulty components or wiring as needed.
• Repeat the power output check to verify that the issue has been resolved.

Check the voltage output in the voltage domain

• Use a multimeter to measure the voltage output in the voltage domain.
• The voltage of each voltage domain should be around 0.32V.
• If the voltage is not around 0.32V, check the power supply terminal of the hash board.
• Measure the resistance between pins 1, 4 and 8 to check whether the MOS is short-circuited.
• If 16V has power supply but no domain voltage, continue to check.
• Check the output of the power supply terminal of the hash board to verify that it is working properly.
• If there are still issues, check the hash board for any component or wiring issues.
• Repair or replace any faulty components or wiring as needed.
• Repeat the voltage output check to verify that the issue has been resolved.

 

Check the PIC circuit

• Use a multimeter to measure whether there is output on the second pin of U6 and the voltage is around 3.3V.
• If there is no output, check the connection status of the hash board tester cable and the hash board.
• Check whether the hash board is functioning properly and reprogram the PIC if necessary.
• If there is output on the second pin of U6, continue troubleshooting the issue.
• Check the welding quality of the PIC circuit.
• Check the components of the PIC circuit, such as capacitors and resistors, for issues.
• If there are still issues, check the hash board for any component or wiring issues.
• Repair or replace any faulty components or wiring as needed.
• Repeat the PIC circuit check to verify that the issue has been resolved.

 

 

Check the boost circuit output

• Use a multimeter to measure the voltage at C69 in the boost circuit.
• The voltage at C69 should be around 20V.
• If the voltage is not around 20V, check the boost circuit for any component or wiring issues.
• Check the components of the boost circuit, such as capacitors and resistors, for issues.
• Check the wiring of the boost circuit for any faults.
• If there are still issues, check the hash board for any component or wiring issues.
• Repair or replace any faulty components or wiring as needed.
• Repeat the boost circuit output check to verify that the issue has been resolved.

 

Check the output of each group of LDO 1.8V or PLL 0.8V

• Locate the LDO 1.8V or PLL 0.8V output groups.
• Use a multimeter to measure the voltage output of each group of LDO 1.8V or PLL 0.8V.
• The voltage output of each group should be within the expected range.
• If the voltage output is not within the expected range, check the LDO or PLL for any component or wiring issues.
• Check the components of the LDO or PLL, such as capacitors and resistors, for issues.
• Check the wiring of the LDO or PLL for any faults.
• If there are still issues, check the hash board for any component or wiring issues.
• Repair or replace any faulty components or wiring as needed.
• Repeat the LDO or PLL output check for each group to verify that the issue has been resolved.

Check the chip signal output (CLK/CI/RI/BO/RST) by referring to the voltage value range

• Locate the chip signal output (CLK/CI/RI/BO/RST).
• Use a multimeter to measure the voltage output of each signal.
• Refer to the voltage value range described by the signal trend.
• If the measurement encounters a large deviation of the voltage value, it can be compared with the measured value of the adjacent group to determine if there is an issue.
• Check the chip for any component or wiring issues.
• Check the components of the chip, such as capacitors and resistors, for issues.
• Check the wiring of the chip for any faults.
• If there are still issues, check the hash board for any component or wiring issues.
• Repair or replace any faulty components or wiring as needed.
• Repeat the chip signal output check for each signal to verify that the issue has been resolved.

 

If the EEPROM NG is displayed on the LCD screen of the hash board tester, check whether the welding of U10 is normal.

If the ‘PIC sensor NG’ is displayed on the LCD screen of the hash board tester and the tested temperature is abnormal, then follow the steps below to troubleshoot:

A) Check whether the 4 resistors of R217, R218, C22, and C23 are welding abnormally, and check whether the welding of PIN of U5 is normal.

B) Check whether the four temperature sensors of U5, R216, R219, R220, U7, R221R223, U8, R224R226, U9, R229~R231, and the matching resistance welding are abnormal, the location of the temperature sense is as shown in Figure 4-4 and 5-13, and whether the temperature sensor 3.3V power supply is normal.

Check the welding quality of the chip which connects sensor and the small heat sink. The deformation of large heat sink material will cause poor heat dissipation of the chip and affect the temperature difference.

Phenomenon 2: Single board detection chip is not complete

• To identify the problem, use a short-circuit probe to short-circuit the RO test point and the 1V8 test point between the first and second chip to find the chip.
• If the chip is not found, potential causes include abnormal LDO circuits, poor soldering of ASIC chips, abnormal circuits of U2, U3, and U4, or faulty resistors such as R232 and R233.
• If one chip is found, subsequent chips need to be checked using a similar method until the problematic chip is found using a dichotomy method.
• In the case of LCD display ASIC113, if only 113 chips are found at a baud rate of 12M, use the dichotomy method to identify the problematic chip.
• LCD display ASICNG with a fixedly reported chip has two situations:
• The first case occurs when the test time is similar to that of a good board, and abnormal resistance welding of the front and rear CLK, CI, and BO of the Xth chip is the likely cause.
• The second case occurs when the test time is almost twice as long as that of a good board, and the chip may not be soldered well, usually due to faulty soldering of 1.8V, 0.8V, RXT, and CLK. Measuring the domain voltage can help locate the problematic domain.

Phenomenon 3: Single board Pattern NG, indicating that the response nonce data is incomplete (PT2 station)

• Pattern NG is caused by a large difference between the characteristics of the chip and other chips.

• Currently, it has been discovered that the chip die is damaged, so the solution is to replace the chip.

• According to the log information, the replacement rules are as follows:

– If the appearance of the chip is not damaged, replace the chip with the lowest response rate in each domain.

• The test log in the figure shows that the response rates of asic[57], asic[58], asic[61], asic[63], and asic[64] are low.

• Therefore, the 61st (62nd) chip should be replaced.

• Please note that the numbers of the domain and asic start from 0.

Phenomenon 4: The chip test is OK, PT2 function test serial port does not stop (long-distance running)

• During the PT2 test, check the serial port print log.
• When the serial port starts to operate for a long time, use a short-circuit probe to short-circuit RO&1.8V. The short-circuit should start from the first chip.
• If the serial port stops long-term operating after the short circuit, the first chip is OK.
• If the serial port still has long-term operating failure after a certain chip is short-circuited, this indicates that the chip is damaged.
• Use this method to find the damaged chip.

Generally, only one chip is damaged, so replace it.

Phenomenon 5: PT1 chip test is OK, PT2 function test always reports a certain chip NG;

• PT1 chip test is OK
• PT2 function test always reports a certain chip NG
• Check the appearance of the chip
• Measure the chip capacitor or resistance in front

Usually caused by:

• Poor chip soldering
• Chip capacitor or resistor damaging
• Abnormal resistance

Troubleshooting Common Miner Failures

Preliminary test of the whole machine

Referring to the test process document, the general problems that arise are assembly process problems and control board process problems. Common problems include the inability to detect the IP, abnormal number of detected fans, and abnormal detected chain. If any issues arise during the test, they should be repaired according to the monitoring interface and the test LOG prompts. The maintenance methods for the initial test and the aging test of the whole machine are the same.

Aging Testing of the Miner

The aging test should be repaired according to the monitored interface test. For instance:

• Abnormal fan display: In such cases, we need to check whether the fan works normally, whether the connection with the control board is normal, and whether the control board is abnormal.
• Less chain: This means that three boards are missing one board. In most cases, there is a problem with the connection between the hash and control boards. Check the cable to see if there is an open circuit. If the connection is OK, you can test the board to PT2 to see if it can be tested. If it can be tested, it can basically be determined that it is the control board. If the test fails, use the repair method of PT2 maintenance.
• Abnormal temperature: Generally, the temperature is high. The maximum PCB temperature set by our monitoring system cannot exceed 90℃. The fan will alarm and it will not work normally. Generally, the ambient temperature is too high, and the abnormal operation of the fan will also cause abnormal temperature.
• Insufficient number of chips: If the number of chips is insufficient, you can refer to PT2 for testing and repair.
• After running for a period of time, there is no hashrate, and the connection of the mining pool is interrupted, check the network.

If the miner still loses hashrate, reduce the frequency and other conditions remain unchanged. Let the miner mine to see if it will lose hashrate and whether the hash board will hit X. If it still hits X in losing hashrate, then remove the heat sink of the hashboard for mining and wait for the hashrate to drop. Measure whether the domain voltage is normal. Generally, the domain voltage will be abnormal in the problematic domain. Then measure the RI signal to see if the RI signal is broken. If the RI signal is missing, basically, the chip is short-circuited or damaged after being tinned.

Other Considerations and Maintenance Flow Chart

• The first step is to visually inspect the board for deformations or scorching. If any are found, they should be addressed first. Next, check for any burnt marks, missing or offset parts. Once the visual inspection is complete, test the impedance of each voltage domain to identify any short circuits or open circuits. Additionally, verify if each voltage domain’s voltage is approximately 0.36V.
• Once the routine test is passed, conduct a chip test with the hash board tester. Based on the test results, begin to check the chip test points and voltages, such as CO/NRST/RO/XIN/BI, VDD0V8, and VDD1V8, starting from the chip nearest to the faulty one. Follow the signal flow, except for the RX signal, which is reversely transmitted, to detect the faulty chip.
• After locating the faulty chip, re-solder it by adding flux around the chip and heating the solder joints of the chip pins until they dissolve. This will enable the chip pins and pads to reflow and collect the tin to achieve tinning again. If the fault remains after re-soldering, replace the chip directly.
• Finally, test the repaired hash board with the hash board tester. Test the board twice, waiting for the board to cool down between tests. If the board passes the test twice, it can be judged as a good product.