Topic: ANTMINER S3+ Discussion and Support Thread - page 326. (Read 710164 times)

Observation.
In one of the Batch 4 machines I got, there is a machine with a July 28 firmware date within the Kernel Log.

Anyone noticed that?  Is that an experimental firmware?

The cooling fans report constant 7000-9000 RPM range.  That doesn't look normal.  Recommendations?

We get a lot of sunshine here in South Texas, so going solar is a total no brainer. 300 days of sun a year. My AC is driving the power expense way more than the miners, so I'm going to dig into your post and start contacting people in the next few months. Thank you again for posting that info.

yep, I thought that he is in Minnesota vs Arizona.
Is anybody aware of a program where you can buy a part of a large Arizona installation, then sell the power back to utility or to other states profitably?
If yes, then it makes more sense. Even in TX (Houston), solar is available only 8hr/day on average.
http://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/eere_pv/national_photovoltaic_2012-01.jpg

But how due to the very low solar power available time (<= 6hrs) per day the break even on such a setup will be too long.

Yes, absolutely.
The 2 systems need not be tied together. And, in fact, can be geographically distant.
The downside is that the power sold is at a lower $$$/KWH than the power bought.
So it makes monetary sense to use what you generate and sell the excess.
Hence the need/desire to tie the systems together and let it "load balance" itself. Buying some at times and selling some at times.

Is it possible to use the grid power for mining and simply use solar to kick the power back to utility. Such setup would be simpler, I guess.

Current plan is DC to AC to DC using off the shelf tech. That way any excess KWH is sold to power company. The grid becomes our "battery bank".

Am exploring a 600V to 48V Battery Bank system to power the miners.
So it would be 600V DC (solar array) to charge controllers (Morningstar MPPT 600's) to 48V Batteries (probably US Battery 425A/hr L16 HC's in strings of to 48V/12V DC/DC converters to the miners. System would include AC/DC battery charging for those non-sunny days. Backup genny for battery charging when/if the grid goes away (I own a continuous duty rated 35Kw Onan that is just looking for a purpose in life). This is a grid isolated system technically.
Downside of that route is conversion inefficiencies, cost of batteries, cost and complexity of DC/DC conversion(s). Upside is that the miners are effectively UPS'ed and battery backed up.

Am also looking at using Syn-Gas to power a genny. Which is wood gasification, purify and warehouse the gas (methane, CO, and minor amounts of H2 in suspension, Nat Gas effectively), then use the Syn-Gas to power the genny to do battery charges periodically. Logging scrap is plentiful here and currently considered an annoying waste product of the logging industry.

Am also investigating using wood gasification Syn-Gas as a feed stock to a Fisher-Troops processor to make liquid fuels (diesel/gasoline, GTL-Gas to Liquid). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer%E2%80%93Tropsch_process

Another possibility is using wood gasification Syn-Gas in Bloom Energy processors. Like the ones used by eBay, Google, and Walmart. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom_Energy_Server.

We have time to sort all this out and make an informed decision. As we move forward I'll try to remember to post pics.

the aluminum heat sinks i used have adhesive pads ..
paste cannot be used on small heat sinks ..
u could use adhesive thermal they stay glued forever .

We would be interested in participating in a group buy.
Volume pricing is a good thing.

Solar powering just makes a good business decision.
Pay for input costs 1 time versus a re-occurring cost.
Isolates input cost fluctuations. Amortization of Capex becomes input cost.
Builds equity in the business.
Federal Tax incentives.
Possibly State Tax incentives.
Possible State rebates (cash).
Installation can be Depreciated.

The list goes on and on.

Oh yeah and it doesn't screw the planet in the process. lol.

How you are connecting the miners? DC to DC or DC to AC to DC?

Great info. Thanks

did you priced it in TX? Which distributor?

I really appreciate the info on solar. We're going that route as well .

Tad off topic, but here goes.

Like Bitcoin mining the solar installation industry is the "Wild Wild West". Caveat Emptor

ML Solar on eBay, from time to time, sells the Sharp 250HAT's SHIPPED @ $0.76-$.087 per watt. But for the best pricing it's best to call and talk to them directly (no eBay selling fees) http://mlsolar.com/.
www.sunelec.com sells a variety of panels that are in the sub $0.50/W range.
We have purchased product in the past from http://www.simpleray.com/, we are listed with them as "Solar Installers".

For grid tie installations we like the enphase microinverters (http://shop.mlsolar.com/Enphase-M215-60-2LL-Solar-Power-Inverter-180917011985.htm), and for battery bank installations we use exclusively the MorningStar MPPT Charge controllers (which by far have the fastest MPPT algorithm in the industry and the best warranty coverage) http://www.morningstarcorp.com/products/tristar-mppt-600v/.

Probably will regret doing this, but, contact me @ [email protected]

The timing in cron works like this -

*     *     *   *    *        command to be executed
-     -     -   -    -
|     |     |   |    |
|     |     |   |    +----- day of week (0 - 6) (Sunday=0)
|     |     |   +------- month (1 - 12)
|     |     +--------- day of        month (1 - 31)
|     +----------- hour (0 - 23)
+------------- min (0 - 59)

So you could set the reboot for 1am and 1pm by doing 0 1,13 * * * /etc/init.d/cgminer restart

Yes, you can add it via the web interface.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron

Less than .0986/KWH.
We are building/installing a solar farm to supply the energy required.
Payback/breakeven on the solar farm is 24-26 months and is grid tied, so under Minnesota Statutes any excess generation the power company must pay us for.
By the end of the year, the power company (Lake Country Power) will be our backup power source.
And if w ever decide to cease mining operations the solar farm ends up becoming a nice little revenue stream.
It is a fact in America that the cost of electricity NEVER goes down and tends to track with the cost of living.
The secret is to be on the supply side of the equation versus the consumption side of the equation.
And with installed solar at less than $1.00/W this is a reality.

Pics of the "Wall-O-Fans"/Fan Door may be found here:  http://xmpp.planetcrypto.net/images/

Next to Duc Tape, single-component polyurethane foam sealant is the neatest invention since sliced bread.

what do you pay per KW?

Exhausts directly to the outside.
There is so much airflow that even in a Thunder Storm there is no water infiltration into the building.
And I don't have to sweep the floor. All the dirt ends up in a pile just below the bottom fans.

Cheapest solution to having the gear survive a Minnesota Summer.

The first rack are S1's, the second rack are S3's.
As of last night, the 12 S1's are hashing @ 2,265 GH/s, and the 12 S3's are Hashing @ 5,228 HG/s for a total of 7,494 GH/s.
After that measurement, I overclocked the S3's to 237.5MHz and am monitoring them to see which ones are capable of this increase.
This morning it seems I have 2 "problem children" that don't like the increased clock rate.
But am hashing around 7.9 TH/s.