Re: Official FutureBit Apollo II/BTC Software/Image and Support thread

Hello, is there a recommended max Temperature for the Apollo 2 full node and miners that is a healthy steady temp for long-term use? Asking because I'd like to try to maintain BALANCED mode as much as possible, but if the indoor temp increases, I would just reduce it to ECO until indoor temp drops again.

Check out the post from jstefanop on August 16, 2024- #2397 https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5340015.msg64433384#msg64433384
He addresses some heat limits there.

Cheers!

Thanks, I did see this, I'm also wondering if there is a recommended temp range per mode (ECO, BALANCED, etc.), not just a max of 80c. I'm trying to maximize the lifespan and not just try to stay under the max.
jstefanop, any thoughts?

Fan speed and air flow and temp. My unit runs balanced at 69-71 deg. C. 3600RPM optimal. When it gets hotter RPM jumps to 3800 rpm. That is optimal to me. Also I have my unit turned sideways to get maximum airflow through the bottom(now the side)vents. These bottom vents give maximum cooling flow. Top vents are too restrictive. In ECO mode they are ok. Fan runs too hard when all the vents are faced down. Room temp 74-78 deg F. 1" stilts or a open frame stand to lay flat

Turbo mode works, but then it sounds like an antminer with turbo fan.
3600RPM is ok. 3800RPM is a little loud and happens when ambient temp increases above 78F. Check and blow dust out every 2 / 3 months. The fan speed would also indicate this when it increases unexpectedly at lower temps. Listen to your fan as a heartbeat telling you how your miner is doing.

I haven't been able to leave my apollo II alone for extended periods. My unit is still not stable enough. I've had occasional power brownout surge knock my apollo offline and shut down running high speed fan. No remote reset or monitoring beyond the firewall for me. It can run 7 days non-stop with no issues then the node crashes after only 1 or 2 days of a reboot.
v2.0.6 didn't work for me. Apollo would freeze. Crashed more often than v2.0.5. Still running v2.0.5 stable.

eagleye did you get the email from FutureBit telling us not to run them on their side? My temps are defiantly lower on its side but they say it could not properly cool the psu.

I never saw that e-mail. my experience is the CPU/system temp is fine. System temp doesn't go above 70. Fan does increase on its own. without the miner running. Airflow is the key to cooling and those bottom vents and spacing in original design don't give enough airflow trapping heat causing fan to run faster. All dust falling to the tabletop get sucked into those vents. To lay flat there needs to be at least 1" of space below apollo to allow for proper airflow volume as fan speed increases. The top vents would have to be double the width. Fan speed and sound is always my key indicator to how efficient a system is running. Faster fans means higher temps needing more airflow. In this case constricted airflow needs higher fan speeds.

When my miner is running system temp is 43C with cpu idle and miner at 68-70C. 3600RPM. This higher fan speed seems to cool the cpu fine. Laying the apollo flat in eco mode works fine and the fan speed is quiet enough.

RE running miner outside. Other than ambient humidity and environment. I think the Miner should run fine in turbo mode and keep the miners cool. Fan speed is key. You need faster fan speeds to move the air to cool the miners. For longevity of the miner processor i think those temps should stay below 75C. With antminers those fans would keep the miner temp between 60 and 70C. I ran antminers outside in the garage and they ran great with temps below 60F. Lower fan speeds keeping system cool. Running these fans at full speed helps move maximum airflow but does put stress on those fans causing higher risk of failure. Running at 3600RPM/half speed and the fans can last a long time with very low risk of failure. Always listen to the sounds your fans are making.

Case Study: I just turned my apollo down, lay flat running in balanced mode. Temp increase to 72-74C on the miner. Fan increase 4000 to 4500RPM. No change in system temp 43C. So that email suggestion is a big fail on my apollo II. Dust is building up on top slots after 2 months of running so will need to be blown clean soon. Bottom slots on the side operation seem to be clean and cool. Isn't the bottom where the raspberry pi CPU is located?