Topic: bitmain s3 serial connect? (Read 9717 times)

I'm really sick with health problems and need to unbrick this s3+.  I'm getting a stream of data/text on the putty box with TX and RX connected.  but I tried pressing p and nothing happens and I can't input commands to the antminer?
I don't know how to start a TFTP server if that's the solution?

Thanks a lot guys! Your explanation worked very well for me and I managed to unbrick one of my S3s.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=671128.780

Hey, can anyone tell me if the s3+ control board is 5v TTL, 3v3 TTL, or RS232 at the debug pins? I've been told that an rPi can be used as a control board but I don't know if that info is correct. I know the rPi is a 3v3 TTL but it can be converted. I just need to know what type of serial communication the s3 uses.

Thanks for any input

success!!! word up thank you so much

Thank you, much appreciated!

Thank you very much, and yes I am last time I checked.

0.1BTC for Mr. nitrox1
0.05BTC for Mr. pekatete

assuming both are male 

Thank you both very much!

Well for the next person like me I think it's only fair I explain how I got here.
I flashed a firmware over WiFi and I ended up with a corrupt bootloader/kernel.
After contacting Bitmain (bitmain wanted a lot of bitcoin for a new board) and reading on Here  (bitcoin.org) it was suggested to start by getting a £3 usb to serial/TTL converter, I have the one I have pictured in previous posts.
I connected my serial connection to the 3 debug pins, and opened putty using a serial connection on the right COM port, and at a baud rate of 115200
After presuming the square debug pin was earth/ GND, I had rubbish output.
I connected my serial converter as shown in previous photos, but from right to left, square to round, round, went TX (Square), Rx (Middle Round) GND (Outer round). I found using GND made a lot of things better.
After starting a putty terminal, and then turning on the flashing red led of death S3, I got a very large output of information. But if I turned it on and pressed "p" it would holt the boot process, and allow me a connection into the S3 "Easy-Link> "
As you can see from previous posts typing help allowed me to make sure that my computer was talking to the S3

I had a stable firmware already in possession, but they can be found here https://www.bitmaintech.com/support.htm?pid=007201407180243004432lBQW28O0633 (mind you this is how I got here to begin with, check for a good firmware, cross reference bitcoin.org S3 support forum)
Unzip the firmware to get a .bin file

I'm using Windows 8.1 64-Bit
So I next had to get a TFTP sever program which I acquired from http://tftpd32.jounin.net/

In windows network center I found out the IP address of the S3 with both a LAN cable connected directly from my S3 to my computer and the serial to USB connected, which in my case happened to be 192.168.1.250.
I had to change this by going in to "network and sharing center" and the click on "ethernet", then under "internet protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" select properties, and use the static IP address of 192.168.1.100 subnet 255.255.255.0

While putty is open, and the S3 is on, and the Easy-Link> prompt is still there
Type ping 192.168.1.100 and check the output says that the IP address is alive

After that start TFTPD64 or 32
Set current diectory to where your firmware is
Set the server interface to 192.168.1.100 (If you can't do this, you need to go back to network and sharing center part)
In the settings menu you need to set TFTP menu setting to "Bind TFTP to this address 192.168.1.100"
THEN TURN OFF YOUR FIREWALL EVEN WINDOWS FIREWALL, ESPECIALLY WINDOWS FIREWALL, but you don't need internet if your worried

Then fingers crossed type in to putty after the "Easy-Link>" prompt

Easy-Link>tftpboot 0x80000000 antMiner_S320xxxxxx.bin (your firmware name)

Easy-Link>erase 0x9f020000 +0x7c0000

Easy-Link>cp.b 0x80000000 0x9f020000 0x7c0000

Easy-Link>bootm 0x9f020000

You will get a lot of output from putty, and after the last command, the S3 should actually boot up, and then allow you to have web GUI access through the default IP address 192.168.1.99

I hope this helps someone as much as others have helped me. Thanks
Ty Excuse bad spelling, grammar, and typos

Well well .... who'd have thought? Well done and now you know why networking can be finicky at the best of times!

I don't believe it!!!! number 5 is really alive.

It was windows firewall!!!!!! It was you mentioning, to re read your post!

That is all you need to sort out now and you are home and dry!
I gave you a link to setting up a tftp server; go through it again and ensure you have (to the last letter) done all the steps, including but not limited to completely disconnectiong from the network and ONLY connecting the board to you PC / laptop ethernet. Do not try to cut corners as networking can be finicky at the very best.

OK having problems with TFTP server part.

I've got ping ok:

Easy-Link> ping 192.168.1.100
eth1 link down
Using eth0 device
host 192.168.1.100 is alive
Easy-Link>

I'm trying to use TFTP2.exe and TFTPd64 but not having much luck

Set your computer to a static IP of 192.168.1.100.....the file isn't pushed from the tftp server the download is initialized from the miner itself using the tftpboot command from uboot.

Easy-Link>

That is the uboot prompt, so simply type (after saving the antMiner_S320141013.bin file in the tftp server root dir as directed by bitsolutions):

Easy-Link>tftpboot 0x80000000 antMiner_S320141013.bin

Easy-Link>erase 0x9f020000 +0x7c0000

Easy-Link>cp.b 0x80000000 0x9f020000 0x7c0000

Easy-Link>bootm 0x9f020000

can't seem to setup any other server than over .1.250, even though everything is .1.100

OK, that is new.? Pardon, ex-squeeze me, what? don't understand, sorry.
I have a windows computer, and I have TFTP2.exe, can't get TFTP2 to find S3
Windows says IP is .1.250, which the S3 says is alive.
TFTP2.exe, only does something on .1.100 or .1.1 which while typing TFTPboot, is what the S3 says it's addresses are.
Sorry for my ignorance.

^^^^^ Top man!
You must b laughing at us for wasting all this time!

Just put the firmware bin file into the root directory on a tftp server running on 192.168.1.100 subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and execute the above commands from uboot to flash it.


This won't work from uboot so don't bother trying it if thats as far as you can get.

yes did a long time ago:

Easy-Link> run mtd -r erase rootfs_data
## Error: "mtd" not defined
Easy-Link>

Edit: Really appreciate your help. or Elf-lp ;-)