'Bad batch' or flawed design? Compass Mining flags problems with new ASIC miners

Bitcoin mining institution Compass Mining claims to person recovered “three issues” successful the ASIC plan of the 2 caller Antminer S19 miners, units that are chiefly utilized to excavation Bitcoin (BTC).

These issues could effect successful the machines overheating and successful immoderate cases, wholly breaking down.

The firm’s mining operations squad warned successful its Mar. 6 post that “Miners request to beryllium ready,” peculiarly those who purchased the S19 90T and S19 XP Antminers manufactured from 2022 onwards.

Bitmain changed its ASIC design. Miners request to beryllium readyhttps://t.co/cs8z96lR1L pic.twitter.com/2NN4O3sEfP

— Will Foxley (@wsfoxley) March 7, 2023

While the steadfast stated that “other versions could beryllium affected arsenic well,” the 3 flaws the steadfast identified stemmed from a deficiency of a peripheral interface controller (PIC) connected units, the implementation of aluminum plating alternatively of laminate material, and the bunching up components onto conscionable 1 broadside of the board.

According to Compass Mining, peripheral interface controllers, oregon PICs, are utilized to power and show a scope of devices and systems crossed each sorts of electronics. In ASICs, they’re utilized to interface with hashboards individually, alternatively than addressing them arsenic 1 unit.

This, however, has been removed successful the astir caller design, said the firm.

“In ASICs, a PIC sits astatine the apical of a hashboard and allows each hashboard to beryllium spoken to individually. Without it, you person to code the portion arsenic 1 unit, alternatively of 3 hashboards.”

Compass Mining explained that this deficiency of PIC means that should 1 hashboard fail, the full portion “fails completely.”

“Instead, a miner fails completely. We’ve recovered this to beryllium the lawsuit with our S19 XP 141 TH units, which person failed wholly erstwhile lone 1 committee is having issues.”

The reddish dot successful the halfway represents the PIC, which was contiguous connected older models S19 Antminers. Source: Compass Mining.

The mining institution besides said that by implementing aluminum plating connected the hashboard, it whitethorn overheat and truthful pb to a higher “failure rate” than those built connected printed circuit boards (PCBs) — which is what the aged S19s were built on.

This would pb to “higher servicing needs,” the institution said.

Meanwhile, the institution has besides raised concerns astir the mining unit’s modulation to aluminum, referring to it arsenic “net negative.”

“We presumption the plan determination to swap to aluminum-plating connected hashboards arsenic a nett negative–one that volition summation ASIC nonaccomplishment and underhashing portion expanding work and attraction costs,” it wrote.

The steadfast besides explained that the beingness of the aluminum would marque it much hard to regenerate malfunctioning chips:

“The deficiency of a PIC is compounded by the abrupt alteration to aluminum-plates connected each hashboards. If a committee overheats due to the fact that of the aluminum's vigor dispersion properties, past the full portion volition spell down alternatively of conscionable 1 board.”

Compass Mining said they archetypal realized the driblet successful show erstwhile they deployed the S19 XP astatine its Texas spouse installation — which could person been impacted by humidity and heat.

As for the 3rd issue, the steadfast noted that by implementing the aluminium plating without changing the chassis — the basal framework of the ASIC — would besides lend to the higher nonaccomplishment rates.

Because aluminium is precise vigor emissive, the metallic volition origin “convective heating” wrong the chassis, the steadfast explained, earlier proposing immoderate solutions:

“A solution to this successful an air-cooled situation would beryllium to summation the wide aerial travel sufficiently to dissipate the vigor stored wrong the miner – a antithetic plan oregon stronger fans.”

Related: Bitcoin ASIC miner prices hovering astatine lows not seen successful years

Other imaginable solutions projected by the steadfast see uncovering third-party firmware that allows the frequence and voltage of the instrumentality to support tenable somesthesia and humidity levels successful bid to get much longevity retired of the mining machines.

Some of the latest S19s bash not person a PIC connected each hashboard of the ASIC. Source: Compass Mining.

The steadfast did nevertheless admit that they whitethorn person conscionable gotten a “bad batch” from Bitmain, noting it is “common knowledge” successful Bitcoin mining not to bargain the archetypal batch of Bitcoin ASICs.

“Unknown errors are often lone revealed implicit time, truthful it's champion to person others find them retired first,” it said.

Cointelegraph reached retired to Bitmain for remark but did not person a effect by the clip of publication.

Bitmain Antminers person been utilized to excavation proof-of-work cryptocurrencies such arsenic BTC, Dogecoin (DOGE) and Litecoin (LTC).