Sipping McKenna 10-Year Bourbon After a Tough S19 XP Hashboard Discovery

After a long day of mining and troubleshooting, nothing hits the spot quite like a smooth glass of McKenna 10-Year Bourbon. This Kentucky straight bourbon, aged for a decade, boasts rich notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak, making it the perfect drink to unwind with—especially after realizing that one of my S19 XP’s hashboards is officially toast.

For those unfamiliar with McKenna 10-Year, it’s a well-regarded single-barrel bourbon with a long history. Aged for 10 years and bottled at 100 proof, it’s often celebrated for its bold yet balanced flavor profile. It’s the kind of whiskey that deserves to be savored, much like the hard work put into maintaining a crypto mining operation.

The S19 XP Hashboard Problem

As any crypto miner knows, hardware failures are inevitable, and today, I discovered one of my Antminer S19 XP’s hashboards had given out. The S19 XP, a powerhouse for Bitcoin mining, typically operates with three hashboards. But when one goes bad, the performance—and profitability—takes a serious hit.

The problem? Replacement hashboards for the S19 XP are not easily available. So, what am I left with? A machine that’s only running at about two-thirds of its original capacity.

But all is not lost. That’s where aftermarket firmware like Braiins OS comes into play. With Braiins, I can tweak the S19 XP’s performance, ensuring that even with just two hashboards, I’m still mining efficiently. It won’t be operating at full power, but Braiins’ optimization features allow for more flexibility, which will keep the machine running smoothly for the foreseeable future.

What’s Next?

The plan is to continue using Braiins firmware to maximize the S19 XP’s potential with just two working hashboards. By carefully monitoring power consumption and hash rate, I should still be able to make this miner profitable.

In the meantime, I’ll be sipping on some McKenna 10-Year, reflecting on the ups and downs of mining. Crypto mining is unpredictable, but at least we can always rely on good bourbon to get us through the rough patches.