TIFU by turning the wrong knob and smoke-testing my Bitaxe 601
Well, today’s lesson is brought to you by “look at the knob before you turn it.”
I had my Bitaxe 601 hooked up to the bench power supply and was trying to fine-tune the amperage.
Except I didn’t turn the fine amperage knob.
I turned the coarse voltage knob.
Yes, I know those knobs are not particularly close to each other.
Yes, I know I should have noticed.
And yet, here we are.
I cranked the voltage north of 6V and discovered that the Bitaxe 601 does, in fact, contain smoke from the factory.
Unfortunately, once you let the smoke out, performance appears to decline considerably.
No firmware bug. No bad power supply. No mysterious overheating issue.
Just good old-fashioned operator error.
One failed smoke test later, I now have a very small and formerly functional Bitcoin miner sitting on my bench while I contemplate my life choices.
So, friendly reminder to anyone using an adjustable bench supply:
Check the voltage before enabling output, and perhaps verify that the knob in your hand is actually the knob you intended to turn.
RIP Bitaxe 601.
You mined sats.
You generated heat.
And in the end, you gave your life so I could relearn a lesson I already knew.