{"id":37513,"date":"2019-10-31T22:18:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T19:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/blog\/asic-majner-second-hand-riski-proverka-i-perekleennyj-heshrejt\/"},"modified":"2019-10-31T22:18:05","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T19:18:05","slug":"asic-majner-second-hand-riski-proverka-i-perekleennyj-heshrejt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/en\/blog\/administrirovanie\/asic-majner-second-hand-riski-proverka-i-perekleennyj-heshrejt","title":{"rendered":"Used ASIC Miner: Risks, Verification, and Recalibrated Hashrate","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, it's common to find cases of BTC and altcoin mining focused on the profitable use of second-hand ASIC miners. With the rise in prices, the interest in mining is returning, and the crypto winter has left a large number of used devices on the secondary market. For example, in China, where electricity costs made it difficult to expect even minimal profitability from crypto mining at the beginning of the year, thousands of affordable devices have appeared on the secondary market.<\/p>\n

\"Used
\n
\nThese ASIC miners were mass-purchased by savvy intermediaries, and today a vast number are offered both in China's domestic market and beyond. A significant quantity was bought by Chinese miners as early as spring. Many used ASICs regularly make their way to Russia. <\/p>\n

Some crypto entrepreneurs believe that, with equal performance, a second-hand ASIC is faster to pay off due to its low cost. In specific cases, this is indeed the situation. However, there are reports of cooling issues, sudden failures, and decreased hashrate. Below are the advantages and risks of using used mining equipment.
\n<\/a><\/noindex>
\nThe post does not contain information on the profitability and effectiveness of mining, nor the efficiency of specific devices for cryptocurrency extraction. Any mentions of manufacturers, operators, pools, and media are not related to advertising and are used to specify the source of information. The details in the article are based on personal experience, the experience of entrepreneurs and companies providing industrial mining services, as well as discussions on cryptocurrency forums. Due to the volatility and dependence of cryptocurrency rates on the market, nothing guarantees profitability in mining investments today.<\/i><\/p>\n

The question of guarantees and potential risks<\/h3>\n

\nIt is known that the warranty on miners (for example, the popular Antminer S9 from Bitmain) rarely exceeds 3 months. Typically, a used ASIC has been in operation longer and is almost guaranteed to have been running continuously. One does not need to be a technical expert to understand that such operating modes do not make the device more reliable. When problems arise with a new device, users are protected by the warranty. When purchasing used equipment, it is quite possible that one will have to tinker with a soldering station.<\/p>\n

\"Used
\nA warranty is not something universal, especially when the intensity of miner operation is high, and conditions leave much to be desired. In any case, it is a temporary protection against potential problems in the initial stages of using an ASIC. <\/p>\n

An old adage states that most problems with complex electronic equipment occur at the beginning and end of their operational lifespan. Early issues are often related to manufacturing defects\u2014this is what the warranty protects against. The cause of later issues is usually natural wear and tear. <\/p>\n

It is also known that cooling problems, and consequently, serious risks for chips in new miners occur four times less often than in used ones. A new ASIC can be returned under warranty, while a used one will require investment in repairs.<\/p>\n

How ASIC miners fail<\/h3>\n

\nTo gain a clear understanding of what can happen to a miner, I propose to consider the chain of events that leads the device to failures and breakdowns. <\/p>\n

As noted, the issue of reliability primarily affects the mechanical components, i.e., cooling. This is particularly exacerbated by operation in dusty environments, regular vibration from farms housing these devices, and the use of cheap fans with low lifespan and unstable characteristics.<\/p>\n

Dust that settles in technological openings, along with low-quality filters, reduces the efficiency of cooling, increases friction during fan operation, and raises the risk of device ignition at critically high temperatures on board components. When the temperature of the chips rises to a critical level (115 degrees Celsius), the printed circuit board may delaminate, leading to a complete failure of the hash board.<\/p>\n

\"Used
\n
\nIt is also important to note that manufacturers often supply ASICs with higher-quality chips right after their release. As the device becomes popular, the quality of the chips declines. For example, on the forum forum.bits.media<\/a><\/noindex> users pointed out<\/a><\/noindex> , users have reported differences in chips for popular Antminer S9 miners, which, according to their opinions, were equipped with more reliable chips until November 2017.<\/p>\n

\"Used
\nTechnical specialists from BitCluster, a major Russian hosting company monitoring equipment in the company's mining hotels, identify two types of chip degradation due to temperature and vibration exposure \u2014 burnout (primarily thermal damage to the chip manifesting as melting of the casing) and delamination (primarily mechanical damage to the chip causing the microchip casing to break apart and delaminate). Engineers report that they encounter such issues more frequently when using second-hand ASICs that have operated for an extended period after the warranty period. In contrast, relatively new miners experience such problems less often.<\/p>\n

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Andrei Kopytov from St. Petersburg has often faced the issue of burnt chips in used miners. In his opinion, problematic chips can be detected before they fail during inspection. He believes that there is a sharp decline in the hash rate of defective chips prior to failure, which might go unnoticed when checking the overall hash rate if a device has been overclocked.<\/p>\n

Old instead of new<\/h3>\n

\nIn June forklog.com<\/a><\/noindex> informed<\/a><\/noindex> , there was a report on a fraudulent scheme aimed at deceiving those who purchase new miners. According to the online publication, demand for miners surged sharply in recent months, with Antminer S9, S9i, and S9j becoming particularly popular. The aforementioned S9 is now considered most relevant in the S9j modification at 14.5 TH\/s, and its cost is around 33,000 to 35,000 rubles.<\/p>\n

The essence of the scheme is that visually indistinguishable Antminer S9 with a performance of 13.5 TH\/s are sold as new S9j at 14.5 TH\/s by re-sticking labels on the device's casing and hash boards. To increase profits, fraudsters often use old, worn-out miners, cleaned of dust before relabeling. A crypto entrepreneur who buys such an ASIC, instead of a relatively promising model, risks encountering burnt chips.<\/p>\n

\"Used
\n
\nReliable information about the device can be obtained by verifying the serial numbers, which not everyone does, nor always. There is another method \u2014 measuring the actual hashrate. An estimate based on the firmware rarely yields results, as the software is often changed to new versions. Visually, the user interface does not differ from that of a new miner. Such firmware shows the user statistical data ('jakes' and 'ikes') in the web interface. However, the actual statistics are significantly different from the fake ones. <\/p>\n

Another option is overclocking. Overclocked miners can be sold as new+ or as used. The fact is that a miner with several burnt chips is used as the base for the device. With the help of firmware, the burnt chips are excluded from the chain, while the others are overclocked. As a result, the wear of the remaining chips (primarily due to overheating) increases significantly \u2014 the cooling remains standard, and over time, the remaining chips also burn out. <\/p>\n

Fraudsters with relabeled and overclocked ASICs are often caught on 'Avito' and other trading platforms. There are many Chinese and Russian stores selling 'stickers.' According to Forklog, there are at least 5 fraudulent outlets in Moscow selling such devices.<\/p>\n

Purchase Safety<\/h3>\n

\nIn principle, it does not matter which ASIC you decide to acquire. Whether new or used \u2014 when purchasing, it is essential to strictly follow certain rules. Let's call them conditionally the 'easy way to buy an ASIC miner and not get scammed'<\/i>:<\/p>\n