Today's patient: a NerdOctaxe 12 TH/s, admitted to my clinic with a dead short on one of its VRMs.
Surgery
The surgery went well. The faulty VRM was replaced, the patient was allowed to cool down after the operation, and I powered it on for the first post-surgery examination.
The Warning Sign
That's when I noticed something suspicious on the thermal camera: a bright spot on a tiny capacitor just above the VRM.
At this point, I should have immediately stopped the procedure. But, unfortunately, I decided to observe the patient a little longer.
BOOM!
As soon as the miner requested power from the VRMs, that little capacitor decided it had had enough of this world. It exploded, leaving a deep burn in the PCB. And I mean deep. This was no longer a routine outpatient procedure. We were looking at serious internal damage.
My first words after seeing the damage were: "Well, I have a brand-new donor."
At that moment, I honestly didn't think this patient could ever be repaired. The PCB looked like it had undergone surgery with a lightsaber instead of a soldering iron.
Microsurgery
But then the doctor in me woke up again. I started researching the PCB layout, tracing the damaged connections, and mapping the internal copper layers to find where the patient's electrical veins had been severed.
The investigation revealed that two signal lines on the third layer had been burned through. Fortunately, I managed to locate the damaged connections and restore them using tiny wires. Microsurgery at its finest!
For the top layer, I used small pieces of nickel-plated battery strips to rebuild the damaged copper paths. They worked surprisingly well.
After that, I cleaned the soldering points and carefully placed everything back where it belonged. I also replaced the damaged capacitors with larger ones of the same capacitance value. They're easier to handle during surgery, and sometimes a little extra room to work makes all the difference.
The final step I will do, after a successful test run, is to cover all exposed metal with a thin layer of PCB solder mask.
Notes
The patient is alive, the vital signs are stable, and the clinic is ready for the next emergency!
This case was a good reminder that a thermal camera can warn you about trouble before the patient starts making its own fireworks. Next time, I'll try to listen to the warning signs a little sooner.
Scroll through the photos above to follow the entire operation in chronological order, from the initial injury to the final recovery.
Looking for a New Home
The patient is back in working condition and looking for a new home! If anyone is interested in adopting this battle-tested NerdOctaxe 12 TH/s, feel free to contact me. It has quite a medical history, but it's ready for its next adventure!