An interesting recent phenomenon. A leading mining hardware manufacturer quietly disabled the microUSB port on the control board when pushing out new firmware. This move has a significant impact—the popular Bitcoin ASIC miners like S19k Pro, S21, and S21 Pro are all affected.



Regarding this port, its original purpose was quite practical. Miners could use it to flash third-party firmware or quickly restore the system if the device encountered issues. But after the port was disabled? Maintenance difficulty skyrocketed. Even more frustrating is that miners lost the ability to independently optimize their hardware performance and energy consumption— in other words, your device parameter tuning rights are restricted, and subsequent maintenance and optimization can almost only rely on official support from the manufacturer.

Industry insiders are very cautious. If your miner is currently operating well, it’s recommended not to rush into upgrading to this new firmware. Once upgraded, if problems occur or you want to optimize independently, it could increase operational costs and risks. This move is essentially redefining miners’ control over their own devices—something worth pondering.
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AltcoinMarathonervip
· 01-11 22:13
ngl this is basically the mining equivalent of mile 20 hitting different. manufacturer just locked down what was already yours—classic move when adoption curves flatten and they need revenue lock-in. seen this pattern before with institutional flows... once you can't tinker, you're trapped in their update cycle forever. not holding that firmware unless absolutely forced to tbh.
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ApeWithNoChainvip
· 01-11 11:31
Wow, this is clearly a move to harvest miners openly. Blocking the USB port is a brilliant move. Now they've completely hijacked the manufacturers; if you want to optimize, you have to pay obediently. I was wondering why so many brothers haven't upgraded; it turns out they were all waiting for the scoop.
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SignatureAnxietyvip
· 01-10 09:23
Wow, this manufacturer is really something. They directly ban the interface, and miners become workers. Not upgrading is also a ticking time bomb, upgrading makes it even worse, tightly controlled. This is the Web3 spirit haha. They directly copy the hardware wallet approach; our mining machines are no longer ours. In the past, we could tinker ourselves, but now they give you a semi-finished product, and if you want to optimize, you have to pay. Damn, now I understand why Avalon hasn't died.
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SmartContractWorkervip
· 01-09 01:50
Wow, isn't this just a covert way of fundraising? Disabling the USB port directly cuts off our independent optimization path, and in the future, we'll have to rely on the manufacturer's favor.
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GweiWatchervip
· 01-09 01:50
This is outrageous. The manufacturer is blatantly land grabbing. --- Wait, disabling the interface? Isn't that a disguised way of locking the device? Truly clever. --- I just want to know when the miners in users' hands became theirs? This logic makes no sense. --- I refuse to upgrade. I'll run it as is, and even in death, I won't give them the chance to dig a hole. --- Basically, they just want to sell maintenance services, brothers. Such tricks. --- Miners really need to unite here, or they'll be controlled to death. --- Is it possible to bypass this restriction by flashing third-party firmware? Seeking advice from the knowledgeable. --- This business is too ruthless. I’m getting anxious just thinking about how to block the miners. --- Disabling microUSB turns the entire miner into a time bomb, and maintenance costs double in minutes. --- Speaking of which, this move by the manufacturer is quite clever, but it's a bit too unethical.
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ThesisInvestorvip
· 01-09 01:47
This is outrageous. The manufacturer has directly taken away the miners' right to speak this time. It's better not to upgrade; once you do, you'll be trapped, and maintenance costs will skyrocket. This tactic is the same as Apple's repair monopoly—miners are crying out that they can't handle it.
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LuckyHashValuevip
· 01-09 01:45
Now it's settled. Buying mining machines with your own money doesn't give you full control, and the manufacturer's move is indeed ruthless.
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