I hope you are using a 20amp outlet. If its a 15a it really shouldn't be used for mining in my humble opinion.
I plugged a lamp into where I have my 2 Antminer S3+ running. Every minute or so the light flickers slightly.
Anyway to solve this? I am assuming this is inrush current with the mining cores changing clock rates or fans adjusting their speeds.
15a is fine for 2 miners running. I've got 3 on a single PSU pulling ~9A at the wall. What he needs to do is find out what else is on that breaker. If there's nothing else on the breaker then I would suspect faulty wiring or the breaker itself is going bad.
I have 3 S3 (not S3+, there is a difference of 340 to 370ish? watts, call it 30 watts per unit) on an EVGA1300 PSU temporarily on a 15 AMP 120vAC line right now. It has been temporarily there for a few days. None of the wire is hot. All connections look good. Good hashrate on the units
I had a hall light doing this same thing, sometimes flickering, it was a crackle, zzttt, zzzZtt, TzTTTZZ and the light would stay on then like nothing. There weren't any miners connected.
I told the kids it was a ghost.
Then I checked the connections at the switch, the fixture, cleaned everything, checked the wire for continuity and it has worked right since then. I've no clue which connection was bad, but it is rock steady now.
The breaker size is important, so is the wire size, and whatever power supply and connectors / wires are between them and your miners. I would always know this before connecting a miner.
If you know what you are doing forgive me for going straight for the basics, but these are the things I always start with when doing anything like this, check the wire and connections, make sure nothing is loose at the wall switch (if there is one), and anywhere it connects. If another device is on the same circuit besides the miner and lamp remove it. Also, try the lamp on a different circuit. I've seen people install the switch upside down and leave it so never assume someone else did it the right way or the way you would if it isn't right
Finally, what size breaker and exactly what devices are on it and if you know what size is the wire? I assume it is US 120vAC?
*I am not an electrician, nor will I pretend to be
*)
For more off topic or off color discussion...
I do not do this and do not recommend it. (Hint, use low voltage supply and devices if doing something this stupid anyway) If you do not have a meter you can always do your own redneck continuity testing by using the wire on a different power source and device without anything else on the line! But be warned, do this at your own risk! If you blow something up do not blame me. I do not do this and do not recommend it. You can cause a short if the wire IS cut or broken. It is worth your money to have a meter if you have these kinds of 'toys'! At the same time you can take almost anything I say and make it safe or dangerous in the way you implement. Never ground a live wire, take the extra time, make two trips, know without a doubt the breaker is OFF when it should be OFF.
Invest in a good (I prefer Fluke) meter. If possible grab a little device called AC Voltage Detector. Slightly bigger than a pen, some bigger or smaller. I picked one up at Lowes and paid too much I'm sure, I think it was 15 USD, but it is made by Southwire, has a not so bright flashlight in it, but what I do like is it is dual colors on the voltage detection end. Red when you are not near power and then green when you are. The red would be so you know the device is on and working along with providing some additional light to see by. The flashlight is on the other end. It doesn't pickup under 50v but goes to 1000V. I'm confident there are better models, but so flippin handy. The red / green end looks like it has a condom on it, cannot miss it.
Sorry for the longwindedness but I got off on that topic.
I do not want to start a new post so not many will read this far.
Anyway about the firmware for the S3 / S3+...
I have been doing my own testing since I have all of the steps down for upgrading / downgrading. It would be great if BITMAIN would work with the people in the community like pekatete and add some of the functionality or at least learn from his testing. For many it isn't always about the best overclock either, it can be about the best running machine at stock.
I have 4 S3+ and 4 S3 I have been running both the 10-24 and 12-19 firmware on. I did start with 1-9 in the mix but did indeed see a drop in hashrate on a unit I upgraded from 12-19. I waited 24 hours, rebooted, and waited another 24. Then I dropped 1-9 from my testing. I wish I hadn't, but since I did it will be a next todo.
The 12-19 firmware is great for the S3 'underperformer' as I call them. The units I have which barely push 440 with normal temps and a 2000w PSU with nothing else on it. Which is the only way I record any 'real' numbers. Changing the voltage in 12-19 does zip for me on the same units where it does have an effect on 10-24. But, the 12-19 seems to manage these units better. Maybe it is something I did in editing frequencies on the 10-24, not sure, but voltage no work for me and I have about the same hash.
10-24 firmware, well it is for everything else. I need an updated 10-24 version to include newer options and cgminer, but adjusting the vcore to the correct setting for the chosen freq does make a big difference and is especially noticeable in the S3+ units and some? S3 with DC2DC... I don't remember but you know what I mean.
The 10-24 firmware gives me overall higher, consistent hashrates because I am able to make adjustments to the freq and voltage to find the sweetest spot for that particular unit. I keep them clean, fans running, good power, no bs. I want the firmware to be the same
What I would love to see is someone who can look at both 10-24 and 1-9 and give us a hybrid with the good stuff. If anyone needs a unit to test with let me know
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