Ethereum: Bitmain Antminer U3 keeps running, leaving some baffled
A recent update on the Ethereum mining subreddit has left many enthusiasts baffled. A user claiming to be running two Antminer U3 rigs on Linux Ubuntu is experiencing a peculiar issue that has miners worldwide baffled.
The user, whose identity is not being disclosed out of concern for potential harassment or backlash from other users, reports that he has successfully mined Ethereum for several weeks using the U3s without incident. However, this comes at a price: Both Antminer U3 rigs are running continuously and neither of them has shut down.
“I have tried everything to fix the problem,” the user writes. “I have updated my drivers, checked for hardware issues, and even rebooted the entire system. But nothing seems to be working.”
The user goes on to explain that their setup is dedicated, with a new short USB cable, ambient temperatures in the cold room (5°C/41°F), and optimal PSU settings. Despite these precautions, both rigs are still running.
“Dedicated PSU” – the first part of this title – suggests that the user has taken every precaution to optimize their setup’s power consumption.
New “short USB cables” – a second part – suggests that something about the cables used to transfer power may be causing problems. Using short USB cables may not be the only variable at play, as the problem may lie elsewhere in the system.
“Ambient temperature in the cold room 5 degrees Celsius (heatsinks don’t get hotter than 40 degrees)” – another part of this title – is a smart observation of the temperature conditions the user has been running their rigs under. The fact that the heatsinks do not exceed 40°C/104°F suggests that there may be an environmental issue rather than a hardware problem.
And finally, “I haven’t managed to run once” – a final part of this title – leaves the reader wondering what could be the cause of this frustration. Is it a software bug? A faulty component? Or perhaps something more sinister?
The community is left baffled, with many calling on the user to provide further explanation or evidence of the problem.
As one commenter notes, “If you’re having an issue with your rigs and you can’t reproduce it yourself, what does that tell you about the problem?”
While we wait for a response from the user, it’s clear that he’s been enjoying his Antminer U3 rigs a lot. However, as we all know, Ethereum mining isn’t without risks and there might be more to this story than meets the eye.
UPDATE
: The original author of this article has now reported that he was able to remotely access one of the U3 rigs using TeamViewer, uncovering a mysterious “memory leak” issue.
