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Antminer T19 Maintenance & Repair Guide

Table of Contents

Welcome to this Antminer T19 maintenance guide, provided by D-Central, your reliable source for critical ASIC repair resources. We have put a lot of effort into creating this guide and would appreciate your support. If you find this guide helpful, please consider giving us a shoutout, a review, a share, a subscription, or a tip. Bitcoin mining is our passion, and we are thrilled to share our knowledge with the world. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the steps involved in maintaining an Antminer T19, including visual inspection, testing with a test fixture, troubleshooting faulty chips, and re-soldering them. Additionally, we outline other important matters that require attention when conducting maintenance on the Antminer T19. By carefully following these steps and taking preventive measures, you can ensure that your miner runs at peak performance for extended periods.

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 T19 Components

T19 Hashboard Structure

The T19 hash board comprises 76 BM1398 chips, divided into 38 groups of 2 ICs each. The BM1398 chip used in the T19 hash board operates at a voltage of 0.36-0.38V. The 32-38 groups are powered by 19V DCDC, and the 38th domain’s VDD13.64V provides an output of 1.8V to the LDO from the DCDC of the 31st domain, which then provides 1.8V to all other domains. As the voltage passes through each domain, it reduces by 0.36V until the 1.8V domain provides 0.8V output through the LDO.

T19 Hashboard Boost Circuit

The boost circuit of the T19 hash board is powered by a power supply that ranges from 14V to 19V.

T19 Chip Signal Direction

  • The CLK (XIN) signal is generated by the Y1 25M crystal oscillator. It flows from chip No. 01 to chip No. 76. During operation, the voltage is 1.8V (measured by an oscilloscope), and the multimeter measures about 0.7-1.2V.
  • The TX (CI, CO) signal flows from the IO port 7 pin (3.3V) to the level conversion IC U2 and then transmits from chip No. 01 to chip No. 76. When the IO line is not inserted, the voltage is 0V, and during operation, the voltage is 1.8V (measured by an oscilloscope).
  • The RX (RI, RO) signal flows from chip No. 76 to chip No. 01, through U1, back to the 8th pin of the signal cable terminal, and then back to the control board. When the IO signal is not inserted, the voltage is 0.3V; during operation, the voltage is 1.8V (measured by a multimeter).
  • The BO (BI, BO) signal flows from chip No. 01 to chip No. 76. The multimeter measures 0V.
  • The RST signal flows from the IO port 3 and then transmits from chip No. 01 to chip No. 76. During standby, if no IO signal is inserted, it is 0V, and during operation, it is 1.8V (measured by a multimeter).

Antminer T19 Structure

The miner comprises three hash boards, one control board, an APW12 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

Check the power output

  • Check the power supply input to the hash board.
  • Measure the voltage output of the power supply using a multimeter.
  • Ensure that the voltage output matches the required voltage level for the hash board.
  • If the voltage is too low or non-existent, check the power cable connection and power supply unit.
  • If the voltage is too high, check the power supply unit for any faults or damage.
  • If the power supply is functional and the voltage output is correct, move on to the next troubleshooting step.