Here is a tweet that talked about the new models.
Announcing the #Antminer S19 Series! The #AntminerS19 has 2 variants, a 95 TH/s and 90 TH/s model, with a power efficiency of 34.5±%5 J/TH. The #AntminerS19Pro has a 110 TH/s and 105 TH/s model, both with a power efficiency of 29.5±%5 J/TH. Learn more at https://t.co/2ftncwFOl2 pic.twitter.com/opW7IcZ3yZ
— Antminer_main (@Antminer_main) February 27, 2020
Pages with new ASIC miners also appeared in the Bitmain store. Pictures of ASICs in the store are for reference only, the final version of the devices shipped may differ from the photos on the website. But in general they look like this.
Antminer S19. Source: Bitmain
The difference between them can be noted in the technical characteristics.
New ASIC miners on the Bitmain website
Characteristics of Antminer S19 at 95 Th/s
Bitmain Antminer S19 is made in the form factor traditional for the latest models of the manufacturer - “dual” ASIC with tightly attached power supplies.
Algorithm/coins - SHA-256/BTC, BCH, BSV, BSA, etc. ( about 20 cryptocurrencies in total);
Hashrate - 95 Th/s;
Power consumption - 3,250 W;
Energy efficiency - 34 J/terahash;
Dimensions (length, width, height) - 400 x 1 95.5 x 290 mm;
Net weight - 1 4.4 kg ;
Number of fans - 4 (parallel) ;
Noise level - more than 80 dB;
The first shipment date is from May 11 to May 20, 2022.
Characteristics of Antminer S9
The development of chips on the 16 nm process technology was carried out in conditions of strict competition.
Bitmain lost the battle with companies producing mining equipment for more than a month, although they were among the first to announce that the development of the chip had been completed.
At a time when Avalon, BitFury and others were actively promoting the new product, Antminer S9 was still being brought to its maximum price/performance ratio.
By the way, a month of work was not in vain and the team managed the impossible, namely increasing the energy efficiency of the chip by 2.5 times. Previously, it was not possible to overcome the twofold increase barrier.
Productivity increased even more (2.75) to 13 Th/sec . The first batch of Antminer S9 was sold with settings that allowed it to reach 14 THsec, but the risk of overheating turned out to be very high and subsequent releases came out with settings for 13 THsec.
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Characteristics of Antminer S19 Pro at 110 Th/s
Bitmain Antminer S19 Pro is similar in appearance to its brother and is also a massive design with vertical placement of cases with boards and parallel fans.
Algorithm/coins - SHA-256/BTC, BCH, BSV, BSA, etc. ( about 20 cryptocurrencies in total);
Hashrate - 110 Th/s;
Power consumption - 3,250 W;
Energy efficiency - 29.5 J/terahash;
Dimensions (length, width, height) - 370 x 1 95.5 x 290 mm;
Net weight - 1 3.2 kg ;
Number of fans - 4 (parallel) ;
Noise level - more than 80 dB;
The first shipment date is from May 11 to May 20, 2022.
Where can I buy and what is the price for S19?
You can purchase a new miner for the SHA-256 algorithm on the manufacturer’s official website https://shop.bitmain.com/product/. To do this, you need to register on the site and make a 100% prepayment. Fiat money and cryptocurrency are accepted. The Antminer s19 pro 110th model costs $2633, and the S19 95 Th costs $1964.
You can buy Antminer S19 in Moscow from the official distributor of Bitmain in the Russian Federation, Antminer Russia https://www.antminer-russia.ru. The price must be confirmed on the day of purchase.
But keep in mind that there are already reviews online complaining about technical problems with the first batches of new S19 devices; read them carefully before purchasing.
Connecting and setting up Antminer S9, step by step guide
The miner is delivered in two components – the ASIC itself and the power supply.
The first is in an aluminum housing, which acts as an additional heat exchanger.
On the top panel we see 6pin connectors for power. There are 10 of them in total, 3 of 3 for hashing boards and 1 for the control board.
The side panels of the case are covered with 120 mm coolers operating in one direction.
The power supply in Antminer S9 is model APW3-12-1600-B2 from Bitmain. In a server version, it has proven itself to be reliable and convenient; in addition, the power consumption of S9 is noticeably lower in the kW/Tx ratio.
Important! Even when purchasing Antminer S9 within the country, carefully examine the case for damage and extraneous sounds when turning it over to avoid a short circuit during the first start-up. A common problem is the peeling off of radiators on chips, which can be quickly resolved with preliminary diagnostics, but without it it can cause big problems.
The connection is made sequentially into each Pin connector. In the case when the power to the ASIC is supplied from two power supplies, be sure to check that only one power supply connector goes to one hashing board, otherwise you will immediately go bankrupt.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the noise that the equipment makes. A pair of large coolers, at 6000 rpm, will definitely attract the attention of not only yours, but also your neighbors.
For placement in residential premises, at a minimum, improved air exchange will be required.
The distance of the exhaust cooler from the wall should not be less than a meter; it is more convenient to place the equipment closer to the floor, where the air is colder.
A good placement option would be a balcony, provided that the noise does not disturb neighbors and residents.
All these recommendations are suitable for one or two Antminer S9 . Forming a full-fledged rig from the bottom will require a separate room with thoughtful ventilation and sufficient power lines.
First launch
This moment is very exciting, especially for those who activate the first device.
To better understand the process, let’s analyze the system of ports and indicators of the Antminer S9.
Let's look at the control levers individually:
- SD Card slot is a backup slot and is used when the built-in memory does not start the miner, as well as for flashing the software if a more productive version is released. For those new to ASIC mining and when the equipment is operating normally, it should not be used;
- The “FallOut” and “Normal” indicator blocks work in tandem. Only one should be lit at a time. In normal mode “Normal” in freelance mode “FallOut”. Again, a note for beginners, when starting Antminer S9, the ASIC is in emergency mode for several minutes, connecting to the Internet, the pool and checking the operating parameters. Then it goes into normal mode, so there is no need to panic after turning on that “FallOut” is on;
- Reset settings - helps in resetting settings if Antminer S9 is no longer visible on the network due to incorrect connection settings or provider failures;
When everything is checked and configured, press the start button.
Antminer S9 blows through the case from the first seconds, while simultaneously testing the capabilities of the coolers, which is why it makes an impressive noise.
After the test, the speed decreases and it becomes possible to stay close.
The green indicator of the Ethernet connector will indicate that the equipment is ready for operation.
The ASIC automatically connects to the developer pool; if you do not work with it, you will have to make settings in the web interface.
The first step is to set the IP address at which the miner is registered. This is done either from the router’s connection data or from the report of the IP Report utility, which, after pressing the button of the same name on the ASIC, will display all the network information.
Now we go to the received address and get into the Antminer S9 interface. Login information is standard root/root.
The interface in BITMAIN equipment continues to strive for asceticism and with each new version there are fewer and fewer settings.
In one of the interviews, a company representative said that delving into fine-tuning does not provide any particular benefits in the long term, and those who are able to edit them competently will be able to do this via SSH.
Reconfiguring a standard pool
Due to the fact that Bitmain uses the rather narrowly applied Stratum protocol, compatibility of Antminer S9 miners is guaranteed only on F2pool and Antpool.
If they don't have an account yet, you need to create one.
On a separate line. The restriction on the pools mentioned above is not an axiom. There are a sufficient number of different methods on the network to configure the ASIC for the required pool, but it is worth remembering that the performance in this case may be lower than stated.
Registration on Antpool is very simple, since the project is partially Russified. After filling out all the information, the system will create a profile that you need to specify as the main one. As a result, we get the account name on the pool, which we use to replace the standard name in the Antminer S9 settings. Everything else happens automatically in the pool, including the creation of walkers.
Pay attention to the mark on the critical temperature - “Stop running when temprerature is over 80” .
Despite the fact that boards and chips can withstand more than 100 degrees of operating temperature, their strength is not worth testing.
Here in the settings it is possible to specify the cooler speed for fixed operation. Provided that the room is subject to temperature changes, it is better to leave this parameter floating.
After all the edits, save the settings and wait for the equipment to restart. “Miner status” tab will begin to display the state of affairs.
In about an hour or two, you can sum up the first results and state the quality of the Antminer S9 that you bought.
Despite the fact that all equipment is assembled on a conveyor belt, deviations in productivity of up to 5% in both directions are considered normal. There are also stronger hikes, but they are quite rare.
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Advantages and disadvantages of Antminer S9
They are invariably present even in the best product. It is important that the positive qualities outweigh all the shortcomings.
PROS:
- Very good performance/size ratio. Compared to the previous model, the increase was more than 400%;
- Energy efficiency Antminer S9 is in the TOP 3 ratings among all manufacturers;
- Sufficient cooling for continuous operation;
- Autonomous operation and full-fledged Linux OS in the control board;
- Simple setup, which boils down to specifying the pool address and user login;
- The case provides for combining Antminer S9 into rigs;
- External reliable power supply from Bitmain specifically for mining.
CONS:
- The high noise level of standard coolers on the miner and power supply makes it unsuitable for placement in residential premises. The problem can be partially solved by replacing coolers;
- Hot-melt adhesive for chips is of frankly poor quality; periodic monitoring of the fixation of radiators on chips is required;
- Full performance is achieved only when working with F2pool and Antpool pools.
As you can see, the bulk of the negative aspects are eliminated at relatively low costs and, with a business approach to mining, will not force you to abandon the placement of equipment.
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Profitability and payback of Antminer S9
Let us immediately draw your attention to the fact that calculations of productivity and payback are carried out as of mid-September 2018.
The price of 1 BTC at the time of writing was $6428 per coin.
Using the calculator, the result was a profitability of 96 USD per month, while electricity costs were about 60 USD.
The net profit of a month of work, at the current price, will be less than $40.
With the price of the new Antminer S9 at $450, the payback will not occur earlier than in 12 - 15 months, since the complexity will increase.
Purchasing Antminer S9 on the secondary market will allow you to achieve payback and profit much faster in the current state of affairs, however, there is a high risk that the equipment will fail before it pays for itself. In addition, it is unknown how much it was overclocked in the past and whether there is a guarantee for it in principle.
On the other hand, an increase in the cost of BTC even to the region of $10,000, as predicted by the end of autumn of this year, brings the payback to the level of 4 - 5 months, all other things being equal.
On a separate line! Lately, it is not correct to talk about the net payback of this or that equipment. A very rare miner simply sells accumulated assets. A more competent method is trading speculation, which gives a significant increase in profit even with a relatively low risk. Carefully study the issue of trading and investment holding so that you can ensure the performance of the equipment.
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