Antminer T17+ Maintenance & Repair Guide

Introduction: The T17+ — Bitmain’s Second Attempt at Getting the 17-Series Right

The Bitmain Antminer T17+ arrived in late 2019 as Bitmain’s answer to the reliability complaints that dogged the original T17 and S17. On paper, the improvements were meaningful: a redesigned thermal stack, more ASIC chips per hashboard for better hash-per-watt efficiency, and a bump to 55–64 TH/s depending on firmware mode. Bitmain marketed it as the refined version of the 17-series — same 7nm BM1397 silicon, fewer headaches.

In practice, the T17+ delivered on some of those promises. The thermal adhesive and heatsink design was genuinely improved over the first-generation T17. The chip-level operating voltages were tuned lower, reducing thermal stress. And the additional chips per hashboard — 44 BM1397 chips across 11 voltage domains — spread the workload more evenly, which translates to cooler individual chip temperatures and longer component life. For home miners, especially those running space heater builds, the T17+ represented a meaningful step forward.

But let us be clear: the T17+ is still a 17-series miner. It still inherits the platform-level design decisions that define the entire generation — the heatsink-to-chip bonding approach, the flat cable connectors that oxidize, the boost converter circuit that is vulnerable to voltage transients, and the overall thermal management philosophy that operates closer to component limits than any engineer should be comfortable with. The T17+ is better than the T17. It is not bulletproof. If you run one, maintenance is not optional — it is the cost of doing business with this machine.

That is exactly why this guide exists. D-Central Technologies has been repairing Antminers since 2016, and we have worked on hundreds of 17-series units — T17, T17+, S17, S17+, all of them. We know where the T17+ breaks, what breaks first, and what you can fix yourself versus what requires professional intervention. This guide gives you everything: routine maintenance schedules, diagnostic procedures, SSH-level troubleshooting, component-level repair instructions, and honest assessments of when a repair makes economic sense.

Every T17+ you keep hashing is another contribution to the decentralization of Bitcoin’s hash rate. Every home miner who learns to maintain their own hardware is one less person dependent on institutional repair services. That is the Bitcoin Mining Hacker ethos — taking institutional-grade technology and making it accessible, maintainable, and sovereign.

Let us keep your T17+ running.

Technical Specifications

Know your machine before you open it. The T17+ shares the 17-series platform with the T17, S17, S17+, and S17 Pro, but it has a distinct chip configuration that sets it apart. These specifications define your baseline — if your miner is not hitting these numbers, something is degrading and this guide will help you find it.

Before You Begin

Safety Warnings

Additional safety notes specific to the T17+ platform:

• Never run the T17+ without all fans installed. The 17-series thermal management is marginal even under ideal conditions. With 44 chips per hashboard generating more total heat than the 30-chip T17, missing even one fan will cause rapid thermal throttling and can permanently damage components within minutes.
• The T17+ requires 220–240V AC. The APW9+ PSU does not support 120V North American outlets. Plugging into 120V will not damage the PSU, but the miner will not start. In Canada or the US, you need a dedicated 240V circuit (NEMA 6-20 or L6-30) or an appropriate step-up transformer.
• The steel windshield carries 21V during operation. During measurement and maintenance, keep your work surface clean, insulated, and free of conductive debris to prevent short circuits. A stray screw or solder ball on the windshield during testing can cause catastrophic shorts.
• Never stack or block airflow. The T17+ requires unobstructed front-to-rear airflow. Leave at least 15 cm clearance on both intake and exhaust sides. This is especially critical in space heater enclosure builds.
• Form air ducts during testing. When testing a single hashboard on a fixture, use two fans at full speed for heat dissipation. For functional tests, form proper air ducts by assembling all three hashboards in the chassis even if only testing one — the T17+ thermal design relies on the collective airflow duct formed by the three-board stack.

Routine Maintenance

The T17+ is more forgiving than the original T17, but it is still a 17-series miner — and the 17-series demands more frequent maintenance than almost any other Antminer generation. The improved thermal adhesive and heatsink bonding on the T17+ bought you time, not exemption. Proactive maintenance is the difference between a machine that runs for years and one that dies in months.

Perform these procedures every 90 days at minimum. In dusty environments, high-humidity locations, or if the miner is running in a space heater enclosure with partially restricted airflow, increase frequency to every 60 days. If you are running in high-performance mode, monthly checks on heatsink integrity are not overkill.

Visual Inspection

Power down and unplug the miner completely. Remove the top cover (4 Phillips screws). With a flashlight, systematically inspect the following:

1. Heatsinks — the critical check. The T17+ improved upon the original T17’s heatsink bonding, but it still uses thermal adhesive to bond individual aluminum heatsinks to the copper-topped ASIC chips. Inspect every heatsink for signs of shifting, tilting, or detachment. Gently press each heatsink with a plastic pry tool — a properly bonded heatsink will feel completely rigid with zero play. Any wobble, even sub-millimeter, means the thermal bond is failing. On the 17-series, one delaminated heatsink usually means others are close behind. Address this immediately.
2. Burn marks and discoloration. Inspect the PCB surface, especially around MOS transistors (P34M4SS), the boost converter area, and the power input connectors. Darkening or yellowing of the PCB indicates chronic overheating. Brown or black spots indicate component failure — and on the T17+, thermal damage tends to cascade because of the tight chip spacing.
3. Capacitor condition. Check all solid capacitors (330 30V) along the power rail. Look for swelling, cracking, leaking, or discoloration. A bulging or cracked capacitor must be replaced immediately — it can cause voltage ripple that damages chips across the entire domain.
4. Flat cable connectors. The 18-pin ribbon cables connecting hashboards to the control board are a notorious failure point on the entire 17-series. Check that each connector is fully seated (push until you feel the click), not bent or kinked, and shows no signs of oxidation, heat discoloration, or damaged pins. Partially seated connectors cause “missing hashboard” errors and intermittent chip detection failures.
5. Boost converter area. Locate the boost converter section (upper portion of the hashboard). The T17+ uses a 1517DR boost converter to step 21V to 24.5V for the last three chip groups. Check for any signs of thermal damage, cracked solder joints, or discolored components in this area. The boost circuit failure is one of the more common T17+ issues.
6. Fan blades and bearings. Check all four fans for cracked, chipped, or warped blades. Spin each fan by hand — it should rotate freely with smooth, silent motion. Any grinding, scraping, or resistance means the bearing is failing and the fan needs replacement before it seizes and takes your hashboards with it.
7. Dust accumulation. Note the overall dust level. Heavy dust coating on heatsinks, between fins, or packed around the control board connectors means your maintenance interval is too long.

Cleaning Procedure

Dust is the slow killer of ASIC miners. On the T17+, with 44 chips per hashboard generating substantial heat across dense heatsink arrays, dust accumulation directly translates to higher chip temperatures, reduced hashrate, and accelerated component degradation.

1. Remove the miner from any enclosure or rack. Work in a well-ventilated area — outdoors is ideal. The dust you are about to blast out of this machine should not settle on other equipment.
2. Remove all four fans. Each fan is held by 4 screws. Set them aside for separate cleaning.
3. Remove the hashboards for thorough cleaning. Disconnect the 18-pin flat cables from the control board first (pull straight, never at an angle), then unscrew the hashboard mounting screws. Slide each board out carefully. Note which slot each board came from — while hashboards are generally interchangeable, some firmware versions assign calibration data per slot.
4. Blow out dust with compressed air. Use short, controlled bursts at 30–40 PSI. Start from the heatsink side and blow dust toward the open edges. Pay particular attention to:
   • Between heatsink fins — this is where dust packs tightest and traps the most heat
   • Around the flat cable connector area — dust here can cause intermittent contact issues
   • The control board, its Ethernet port, and SD card slot
   • The PSU connector area inside the chassis
   • The boost converter components — dust insulates these already heat-stressed parts
5. Clean fan blades and housings with isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth. Remove packed dust from the hub area and between individual blades. Check bearing lubrication while the fans are out.
6. Inspect the chassis for debris, insects, corrosion, or any conductive material that should not be there.
7. Reassemble in reverse order. Ensure all flat cables are fully seated — push in until you feel the definitive click. A half-seated connector is indistinguishable from a dead hashboard in the miner’s web interface.

Thermal Paste & Heatsink Maintenance

The T17+ uses thermal adhesive — not standard paste — between the ASIC chip copper tops and the individual heatsinks. This adhesive serves double duty: thermal conduction and mechanical bonding. Over time, repeated thermal cycling (heat-up, cool-down, heat-up) causes the adhesive to degrade, crack, and eventually fail. When it fails, you lose both thermal transfer and physical grip — the heatsink lifts, the chip overheats, and you start losing hashrate or entire chip groups.

If you are removing heatsinks for any reason — repairing a chip, upgrading to bolt-on heatsinks, or addressing delamination — follow this procedure:

1. Remove the heatsink. If already loose, it lifts off easily. If still bonded, use a hot air station at ~200°C to soften the adhesive, then gently twist the heatsink off — never pry straight up. Upward prying force can lift PCB pads, turning a simple thermal repair into a board-level disaster.
2. Clean old thermal material. Use 99% isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free wipe to remove all residue from both the chip copper top and the heatsink base. The surfaces should be clean enough to see a reflection.
3. Apply fresh thermal paste. Use a quality non-conductive paste (Arctic MX-4, Noctua NT-H1, or D-Central’s hashboard thermal paste). Apply a thin, even layer to the chip copper top. More is not better — excess paste creates an insulating layer.
4. Reseat the heatsink. Place it squarely on the chip and apply firm, even downward pressure. If you are reinstalling the factory heatsinks with thermal paste (instead of adhesive), they will not self-hold — you need to either use thermal adhesive or, better yet, upgrade to bolt-on heatsinks that mechanically fasten through the PCB.

Fan Maintenance

The T17+ uses four 120mm fans — two front intake, two rear exhaust — operating at high RPMs to push air through the dense heatsink arrays across three hashboards. Fan failure on the T17+ is not a minor issue. With 44 chips per board running close to their thermal limits, losing even one fan can cascade into overheating within minutes.

• Check fan RPMs through the web interface. Log into your miner’s dashboard and verify all four fans are reporting RPMs within the expected range (4,000–6,000 RPM depending on load and ambient temperature). A fan reporting zero or fluctuating wildly is failing.
• Listen for bearing noise. A healthy fan produces a steady, high-pitched whine. Grinding, clicking, or intermittent scraping sounds indicate bearing failure. Replace the fan immediately — do not wait for it to seize.
• Clean fan blades every maintenance cycle. Dust-laden blades are heavier and create imbalanced rotation that accelerates bearing wear.
• Keep spares on hand. Fan failure is the most common and most easily preventable hardware failure on any ASIC miner. Having one or two spare 120mm mining-grade fans available means zero downtime when a fan finally dies.

To replace a fan, power down and disconnect the miner. Remove the 4 screws holding the fan to the chassis. Disconnect the 4-pin power connector from the control board. Install the replacement fan with the airflow arrow pointing in the correct direction (front fans: arrow toward hashboards; rear fans: arrow toward exhaust). Reconnect and secure with screws.

T17+ Hashboard Architecture

Understanding the T17+ hashboard architecture is essential for effective diagnostics. Unlike simpler miners, the 17-series has a complex signal and power topology that determines exactly how you trace faults.

Chip Layout and Voltage Domains

Each T17+ hashboard contains 44 BM1397 chips organized into 11 voltage domains, with 4 chips per domain. Each domain has its own voltage regulation, which means a fault in one domain typically affects only those 4 chips — but signal chain issues can propagate across the entire board.

The chip operating voltage is approximately 1.55V, managed by the PIC microcontroller (dsPIC33EP16). Each BM1397 chip contains an internal LDO that generates 1.8V for VDDIO (the I/O supply) and 0.8V for VDDPLL (the phase-locked loop supply). These on-chip voltages are your primary diagnostic checkpoints.

Signal Flow and Chain Direction

Understanding signal flow direction is the key to isolating faulty chips on the T17+. All signals chain serially through the 44 chips, but different signals travel in different directions:

The practical implication: if you have a CLK or TX fault, the break is between the last working chip and the first non-responding chip in the forward direction (chip 01 toward chip 44). If you have an RX fault, trace it in reverse (chip 44 back toward chip 01). Each chip has lead-out test points for detection — use your multimeter or oscilloscope to measure signal voltages at these points to narrow down the fault location.

Overall Miner Assembly

The complete T17+ miner consists of:

• Three hashboards — each with 44 BM1397 chips, mounted vertically in the chassis
• One control board — Bitmain Xilinx Zynq (C49 or C52), connected to hashboards via 18-pin flat cables
• APW9+ power supply — external, connected via 6-pin power cables
• Four cooling fans — 2 front intake + 2 rear exhaust, 120mm, PWM-controlled

The three hashboards must be properly installed in the chassis to form a sealed air duct. This duct forces all fan airflow through the heatsink arrays. Running with a missing hashboard (without an air duct blocker plate) severely reduces cooling efficiency for the remaining boards because air takes the path of least resistance — around the missing board instead of through the installed ones.

Diagnostics & Troubleshooting

When your T17+ stops performing — missing hashboards, reduced chip counts, temperature alarms, or flat-out refusing to hash — you need a systematic diagnostic approach. Random part swapping is expensive and rarely fixes anything. Work through these procedures in order.

Web Interface Diagnostics

Start with what the miner is telling you through its web dashboard. Navigate to your miner’s IP address in a browser and check:

• Miner Status page: All three hashboards should show as “online” with their full chip count of 44 chips each (132 total). Any board showing fewer chips or showing as offline is your starting point.
• Hashrate: Each board should contribute roughly one-third of total hashrate. If one board is significantly lower while reporting a full chip count, that board likely has chips returning insufficient nonce (bad chips that are detected but not hashing correctly).
• Temperature readings: The T17+ reports both chip temperature and PCB temperature. Chip temps should be below 85°C in normal operation. PCB temps should be 20–30°C below chip temps. If a board shows 0°C, the temperature sensor has failed or is disconnected. If a board shows abnormally high temps relative to the other two, its thermal interface or cooling is degraded.
• Fan speeds: All four fans should report RPMs in range. A fan at zero RPM is dead or disconnected. Wildly fluctuating RPMs indicate a failing bearing or loose connector.
• Error log (Kernel Log): Look for repeated error messages. Common T17+ errors include chain timeout errors, temperature sensor failures, and voltage regulation failures.

SSH Diagnostic Commands

SSH access gives you the raw diagnostic data that the web interface summarizes. Connect to your miner via SSH (default credentials: root / root on stock firmware, or your configured credentials on BraiinsOS/Vnish).

# Connect to your miner
ssh root@MINER_IP_ADDRESS

# Check running processes and miner software status
ps | grep bmminer

# View real-time miner log (Ctrl+C to exit)
tail -f /var/log/messages

# Check chip detection across all chains
cat /tmp/chip_count

# View hashboard temperatures (all chains)
cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone*/temp

# Check kernel messages for hardware errors
dmesg | tail -100

# View network configuration
ifconfig eth0

# Check uptime and load
uptime

# View fan speeds directly
cat /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon*/fan*_input

# Check voltage readings per chain
cat /tmp/voltage_domain

# Dump full miner configuration
cat /config/bmminer.conf

LED Indicator Reference

The T17+ control board has LED indicators that provide quick status information:

• Green LED steady — Normal operation, all hashboards detected and hashing
• Green LED blinking — Miner is booting or initializing hashboards
• Red LED steady — Critical fault detected (missing hashboard, fan failure, over-temperature)
• Red LED blinking — Warning state (partial chip failure, temperature approaching limits)
• No LED — Control board not receiving power, or control board failure

Common Error Patterns and Their Causes

Hashboard Testing with ARC Tester

For board-level diagnostics beyond what SSH can reveal, a hashboard tester is indispensable. The ARC Antminer Hashboard Tester (or the Bitmain All-in-One Tester) connects directly to the hashboard and runs chip detection independently of the miner chassis, control board, and PSU — isolating whether the problem is on the hashboard itself or elsewhere in the system.

To test a T17+ hashboard with the ARC tester:

1. Connect the hashboard to the ARC tester via the 18-pin flat cable.
2. Connect a lab power supply (set to 17–21V DC, current limit 10–15A). Verify polarity before energizing.
3. Run the chip detection sequence. A healthy T17+ hashboard should report all 44 chips detected.
4. Note which chips are missing or reporting errors. The tester will identify them by position number (1–44), which maps to the physical location on the hashboard.
5. Use the chip position data combined with the signal flow direction reference (above) to determine whether the fault is a dead chip, a broken signal trace, or a passive component failure near a specific chip.

Voltage Domain Testing

Voltage domain testing is the most precise pre-repair diagnostic you can perform on a T17+ hashboard. Each of the 11 voltage domains should present consistent, predictable voltages. Deviations tell you exactly which domain — and which 4-chip group — has the problem.

Domain Voltage Reference

With the hashboard powered on (via ARC tester or test fixture with IO cable connected and test key pressed), measure the following voltages at each chip’s test points:

Impedance Testing (Power Off)

Before applying power, test each voltage domain’s impedance to ground with the multimeter in resistance mode. This catches shorts before they cause damage during power-up:

1. Set your multimeter to resistance mode (ohms).
2. Measure from each domain’s power rail to ground. Compare readings across all 11 domains — they should be roughly consistent (within 10–15% of each other).
3. A domain reading significantly lower than the others indicates a short circuit — likely a shorted chip, shorted MOS transistor, or solder bridge.
4. A domain reading open (infinite or very high resistance) indicates an open circuit — broken trace, lifted pad, or failed component in the power path.
5. Compare suspect readings against a known-good hashboard or an adjacent domain as a reference. Each domain should read approximately ~1.6V in diode mode (forward drop of the domain’s chip string).

Interactive Hashboard Schematic

Explore the ANTMINER T17 hashboard layout below. Toggle layers to isolate voltage domains, signal chains, test points, key components, and thermal zones. Hover over any region for quick specs — click for detailed diagnostics, failure modes, and repair guidance.

Common Repairs

This section covers the repairs that D-Central’s technicians perform most frequently on T17+ units. These range from straightforward replacements that any careful home miner can handle, to chip-level rework that requires professional equipment and experience. We are honest about the skill boundary — attempting a repair beyond your capability risks turning a $50 problem into a dead hashboard.

Fan Replacement

Difficulty: Beginner | Time: 10 minutes

Fan replacement is the most common and simplest repair on the T17+. Fans are consumable components with an expected lifespan of 12–24 months under continuous operation.

1. Power down and disconnect the miner completely.
2. Remove the 4 screws securing the failed fan to the chassis.
3. Disconnect the 4-pin PWM connector from the control board. Note which header it was connected to — there are dedicated front and rear fan headers.
4. Install the replacement fan with the airflow direction arrow pointing correctly (front fans: toward hashboards; rear fans: toward outside/exhaust).
5. Connect the 4-pin connector to the correct header on the control board.
6. Secure with 4 screws. Do not overtighten — the fan housing is plastic.
7. Power on and verify the new fan reports RPMs in the web interface.

Flat Cable (Ribbon Cable) Replacement

Difficulty: Beginner | Time: 15 minutes

The 18-pin flat cables connecting hashboards to the control board are a notorious weak point on the 17-series. Oxidation, heat damage, and mechanical fatigue from vibration cause intermittent or permanent connection failures. Symptoms include missing hashboards that reappear after reseating, intermittent chip count drops, and hashboards that work in one slot but not another.

1. Power down and disconnect the miner.
2. Carefully disconnect the flat cable from both the control board and the hashboard. Pull straight — never at an angle. Use gentle pressure; forcing a corroded connector can damage the header pins on the control board.
3. Inspect both the cable contacts and the control board header pins. Look for oxidation (green/black discoloration), bent pins, or heat damage.
4. If the control board header pins are oxidized, clean them gently with isopropyl alcohol and a fine brush. If pins are bent, straighten them carefully with ESD-safe tweezers. If pins are broken or the header is damaged, the control board needs repair or replacement.
5. Connect the new flat cable. Ensure it seats fully with a definitive click on both ends. The cable should be straight with no twists or bends near the connectors.

Power Supply Troubleshooting

Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30–60 minutes

The APW9+ PSU is a robust unit, but it can develop issues — especially in environments with dirty power, voltage sags, or inadequate circuit capacity. Symptoms of PSU problems include: all three hashboards failing simultaneously, the miner refusing to boot, audible clicking or buzzing from the PSU, and the PSU’s LED failing to illuminate.

1. Check AC input: Verify you have stable 220–240V AC at the outlet. Use your multimeter on the AC socket. Voltage below 200V or above 250V can cause the PSU to shut down or operate erratically.
2. Check DC output: With the PSU disconnected from the miner but connected to AC power, measure the DC output voltage across the 6-pin connector pins. You should read approximately 14.5V DC. No voltage output means the PSU has failed internally.
3. Check power cables: Inspect the 6-pin power cables for damage, corrosion, or loose pins. A single bad connection on the high-current power cable can cause voltage drops that the miner interprets as a power fault.
4. Test with known-good PSU: If you have access to another APW9+, swap it in. This is the fastest way to confirm or eliminate the PSU as the problem.
5. Grounding: Ensure the PSU and miner are properly grounded. The APW9+ has a ground pin on its AC input — this must be connected to proper earth ground. Floating ground can cause erratic behavior and creates a safety hazard.

Hashboard Repair — Component Level

Difficulty: Advanced | Time: 2–6 hours

Component-level hashboard repair is where the T17+ separates casual maintainers from skilled repair technicians. This work requires BGA/QFN soldering experience, proper rework equipment, and a methodical diagnostic approach. If you do not have these skills, attempting component-level repair will likely cause more damage than it fixes. That is not gatekeeping — that is honesty.

BM1397 Chip Replacement

Dead or degraded BM1397 chips are the most common component-level failure on the T17+. A dead chip breaks the signal chain at its position, causing all chips after it (in the signal direction) to also fail detection.

1. Identify the faulty chip using the ARC tester and signal flow analysis. The faulty chip is typically the first one in the chain where the signal breaks — verified by measuring test point voltages on either side of the suspect chip.
2. Verify the fault is the chip itself, not a surrounding passive component. Check the 0402 resistors and capacitors around the suspect chip for opens, shorts, or displacement. Measure impedance to ground and compare against an adjacent working chip. If passives are the problem, replacing the chip will not fix anything.
3. Remove the heatsink from the target chip using heat (hot air at ~200°C) to soften the thermal adhesive. Twist gently to remove.
4. Remove the faulty chip. Apply flux around the chip perimeter. Use the BGA rework station (350–360°C) to heat the chip until the solder reflows. Lift the chip straight up with vacuum pickup or tweezers. Keep the nozzle centered on the chip — overheating adjacent chips or passive components is a real risk on the densely packed T17+ hashboard.
5. Clean the pads. Remove old solder from the PCB pads using desoldering wick and flux. The pads should be clean and flat. Inspect for lifted or damaged pads under magnification.
6. Prepare the replacement chip. If using pre-tinned BM1397AD chips from D-Central, verify the tin is clean and uniform. If using an untinned chip, apply solder paste to the pins and BSM (backside metallization) surface using the appropriate tin-planting steel mesh and solder balls (0.4mm diameter).
7. Place the new chip. Apply flux to the cleaned PCB pads. Align the replacement chip carefully — BM1397 pin 1 orientation must match. Use the rework station to reflow the solder. Allow the board to cool naturally — do not force-cool.
8. Clean flux residue using Mechanic lead-free circuit board cleaner or anhydrous alcohol. Residual flux can cause leakage currents and corrosion over time.
9. Apply thermal paste to the chip surface and reattach the heatsink (or upgrade to bolt-on heatsink).
10. Test the hashboard on the ARC tester. A successful repair will show the previously missing chip(s) now detected. The board must pass at least two consecutive tests with the board cooling completely between tests to confirm a reliable repair.

Passive Component Repair (Resistors & Capacitors)

Failed 0402 resistors and capacitors cause symptoms that mimic dead chips — but replacing the chip will not fix a passive component fault. Common passive failures include:

• Open or cracked resistor: Breaks the voltage divider or signal pull-up, causing the chip to lose communication. Symptoms: one or more chips not detected.
• Shorted capacitor: Creates a low-impedance path that collapses the voltage domain or signal rail. Symptoms: entire domain fails, voltage reads near zero.
• Displaced component: Thermal cycling or board flex can shift tiny 0402 components off their pads. Symptoms: intermittent failures that come and go with temperature changes.

Replacement passives for the T17+ hashboard:

• 0402 resistors: 0R, 33R, 1K, 4.7K, 10K
• 0402 capacitors: 0.1uF, 1uF
• 0201 resistors: 0R (used in some signal paths)

Use a soldering iron at 350°C with a fine tip. Apply flux to the pads, place the replacement component, and tack one side before soldering the other. Clean flux residue after soldering.

Boost Circuit Repair

The boost circuit (1517DR converter) is a single point of failure for the last three voltage domains (domains 9, 10, and 11 — the final 12 chips on the hashboard). When the boost circuit fails, you see a hashboard that detects approximately 32 chips instead of 44.

• Symptom: Hashboard reports ~32/44 chips. The first 32 chips (domains 1–8) work normally, the last 12 chips (domains 9–11) are missing.
• Diagnosis: Measure the boost circuit output — it should read 24.5V. If it reads 21V (same as input) or 0V, the boost converter has failed.
• Repair: The 1517DR boost converter IC and its surrounding support components (inductor, diode, capacitors) need inspection. The IC itself is the most common failure point. Replacement requires BGA rework skills and the correct replacement IC.

Control Board Troubleshooting

Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30 minutes

Control board failures on the T17+ present as: no hashboards detected, no network connectivity, miner boots but never starts hashing, or frequent reboots. The T17+ uses the Bitmain Xilinx Zynq control board (C49 or C52 variant).

1. Network test: Can you ping the miner? Can you access the web interface? If not, try a direct Ethernet connection (bypass any switches). If the miner does not respond on the network, the control board or its Ethernet PHY may have failed.
2. SD card check: The control board runs firmware from an SD card (or eMMC on some variants). A corrupted SD card can cause boot failures. Try re-flashing the stock firmware image to a fresh SD card.
3. Visual inspection: Remove the control board and inspect for burned components, swollen capacitors, or signs of liquid/condensation damage.
4. Header pin inspection: Check all 18-pin hashboard headers for bent, broken, or corroded pins. A single bad pin can prevent communication with an entire hashboard.
5. Swap test: If you have a known-good C52 control board, swap it in. This is the fastest way to confirm a control board fault. Note that the C52 requires compatible firmware — check firmware compatibility before swapping between C49 and C52 variants.

Firmware & Software

The firmware running on your T17+ determines not only the mining pool configuration but also the chip voltage tuning, fan curves, power modes, and diagnostic capabilities. Stock Bitmain firmware works, but aftermarket firmware options unlock significant improvements in efficiency, monitoring, and control.

Firmware Options

Firmware Update Procedure

1. Download the correct firmware image for the T17+ from the manufacturer’s website. Double-check the model — using T17 firmware on a T17+ (or vice versa) can brick the control board.
2. Access the web interface and navigate to System → Upgrade.
3. Upload the firmware file and initiate the upgrade. Do NOT power off or disconnect the miner during the flash process.
4. Wait for the miner to reboot. This typically takes 3–5 minutes. The miner will be unreachable during the reboot.
5. Verify the firmware version in the web interface after the upgrade. Check that all three hashboards are detected and hashing at expected rates.
6. Reconfigure your pool settings if the upgrade reset them to defaults.

Configuration Best Practices

• Pool failover: Configure at least two mining pools — a primary and a failover. A miner that loses its pool connection and has no failover sits idle until you notice. Every hour of idle hashing is wasted electricity and lost sats.
• Power mode selection: The T17+ offers Normal (~55 TH/s at ~2750W) and High Performance (~61–64 TH/s at ~3000W+) modes. For home miners, Normal mode offers better J/TH efficiency and significantly lower thermal stress. High Performance mode shortens component life — only use it if your cooling and power infrastructure can handle it.
• Fan speed: On stock firmware, fans auto-adjust based on chip temperature. Do not manually limit fan speed below the automatic setting unless you have added supplemental cooling. The T17+ thermal margins are too tight for fan speed reduction without consequences.
• Regular monitoring: Set up alerts for hashrate drops, temperature exceedances, and fan failures. Tools like Foreman, Awesome Miner, or simple script-based monitoring via SSH can catch problems before they become failures.
• Static IP: Assign your T17+ a static IP via DHCP reservation on your router. This ensures you can always reach the miner’s web interface without hunting for its address after a reboot.

T17+ as a Space Heater

The T17+ is an excellent candidate for dual-purpose mining — combining Bitcoin mining with home heating. At 2750W in normal mode, the T17+ produces approximately 9,400 BTU/hr of heat — equivalent to a mid-size portable space heater. Every watt consumed by an ASIC miner is converted to heat with near 100% efficiency (the hash computations are just organized heat generation). In cold climates like Canada, this means your mining electricity cost is also your heating cost — you are not paying for electricity twice.

D-Central offers the Antminer T17+ Space Heater Edition, a purpose-built enclosure that channels the T17+’s exhaust heat into your living space while managing noise with acoustic dampening. For those who want to build their own, the S17/T17 DIY Space Heater Case provides the enclosure framework.

When running a T17+ as a space heater, keep these maintenance considerations in mind:

• Increased maintenance frequency. Space heater enclosures restrict airflow compared to open-air rack mounting. Increase your maintenance interval to every 45–60 days instead of 90.
• Dust filtration is critical. A space heater miner pulls room air through the ASIC — pet hair, household dust, cooking grease particles, and fabric fibers all get sucked into the heatsinks. Use intake filters and clean them weekly.
• Monitor temperatures closely. The restricted airflow in an enclosure means chip temperatures will run 5–10°C higher than open-air. If chip temps consistently exceed 85°C, improve ventilation or switch to Normal mode.
• Seasonal operation. In summer, either shut the miner down or vent the exhaust outdoors. Running a 9,400 BTU heater inside your home during a Canadian summer will make your living space unbearable and your A/C costs will negate any mining profit.

Maintenance Workflow Summary

Here is the complete maintenance-to-repair workflow for the T17+, from first observation to final verification. Follow this sequence for any maintenance or repair session:

1. Visual inspection — Check heatsinks (delamination test), PCB condition, capacitors, flat cables, fans, and dust level. Document anything abnormal before touching it.
2. Impedance testing — With the hashboard unpowered, test each of the 11 voltage domains for shorts or opens. Compare readings across domains and against a known-good board. Do not proceed to powered testing if a short is detected.
3. Cleaning — Blow out dust, clean heatsinks, clean fan blades, clean connector pins.
4. Powered chip detection — Using an ARC tester or the miner’s test fixture, run chip detection on each hashboard. Note which chips are detected and which are missing.
5. Signal voltage testing — Starting from the vicinity of any missing chips, measure CLK, CO, RI, BO, RST, CORE, LDO (1.8V), and PLL (0.8V) at each chip’s test points. Follow signal direction to identify the exact fault point.
6. Repair — Based on diagnostic results, perform the appropriate repair: re-solder the chip (apply flux, reflow solder joints), replace the chip, replace passive components, or repair the boost circuit.
7. Post-repair testing — The repaired hashboard must pass the fixture test at least twice, with the board cooling completely between tests. If the first test passes, set the board aside, let it cool for 10–15 minutes, then run the second test. A chip that works hot but fails cold (or vice versa) has a marginal solder joint that will fail in production.
8. Full-chip verification — After the replacement chip tests pass, perform a full chip check before the functional test. Verify double-sided heatsinks are properly attached and cooling fans are operational at full speed.
9. Reassembly and aging test — Install all three hashboards in the chassis, connect all cables, power on, and run the miner for at least 24 hours of continuous operation. Monitor for hashrate stability, temperature consistency, and error-free operation throughout the aging period.
10. Documentation — Record the date, hashboard serial number (SN), PCB version, fault cause, components replaced, and test results. This maintenance record is essential for tracking recurring issues and informing future repair decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

When to Call a Professional

This guide is designed to make you as self-sufficient as possible. But there is a line between DIY maintenance and professional repair — and crossing it without the right skills and equipment usually makes things worse.

Handle it yourself:

• Fan replacement
• Cleaning and dust removal
• Flat cable replacement
• Thermal paste reapplication
• Firmware updates
• PSU testing and replacement
• Basic control board swaps
• Visual inspection and impedance testing

Call a professional:

• BM1397 chip replacement (requires BGA rework station and experience)
• Boost circuit repair (1517DR replacement)
• Multiple chips failing on the same hashboard
• PCB trace damage or lifted pads
• PIC microcontroller (dsPIC33EP16) reprogramming or replacement
• Temperature sensor (T451) replacement
• Any repair involving the control board’s Xilinx FPGA
• Hashboard with visible burn damage or deformation

D-Central Technologies operates Canada’s largest independent ASIC repair facility. We have repaired over 2,500+ miners since 2016, with specialized expertise in the 17-series platform. Our repair service includes full diagnostics, component-level repair, aging testing, and a warranty on all repairs.

Every miner you keep hashing strengthens the Bitcoin network. Every hashboard you repair instead of discarding keeps hardware out of landfills and hash rate in the hands of individuals — not institutions. That is what decentralization looks like in practice.

Keep your T17+ running. Keep stacking sats. Keep hashing.