Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

bloomberg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 52 posts

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#31

Post by Klathmon »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #30
kerkeslager wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Brooklyn apartments this time of year are often poorly heated. If you're paying for the electricity to run a space heater, it might as well produce bitcoins.

Heat pumps are more efficient. A miner makes an inefficient heater.

And heat pumps are more expensive to buy and impossible for a tenant to install themselves in an apartment they rent from, which is why people use small portable and cheap resistive heaters.

And in that case, a miner is just as efficent if not more efficient since it's making the user some money (maybe).

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#32

Post by hatsunearu »

SteveNuts wrote: post #27
neom wrote: post #24

I presume this was only messin' with the folks next door or something? Could a device like this impact t-mobile in a meaningful way? If it was just one or two customers, t-mobile managed to get the FCC to actually go find this thing??

I've heard they take ANY interference very seriously. That's why HAM radio operators are licensed, and if you operate outside of your allowed bands, yes they'll probably show up.

Unfortunately not... Most ham interference is ignored by the FCC unless it's especially egregious and extended (14.313 MHz being one example)

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#33

Post by ofcourseianal »

tgb wrote: post #26
jeremyt wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cages only block external em, they don't block internal em from getting out.

While people are pointing out your mistake, it's worth bringing up the fact you were certainly thinking of: when it comes to static electric fields, a Faraday cage complete protects the interior from external charges but does nothing to shield the interior from the external charges. However, we are considering non-static electric fields and in particular ones at high frequencies. However, I think the fact that the Fa…

“Faraday cage complete protects the interior from external charges but does nothing to shield the interior from the external charges”

What are you on about?

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#34

Post by URSpider94 »

People have been speculating about how someone can turn a profit with power rates in NYC. It’s highly likely that this guy rents an apartment that comes with power, or he rigged a connection to an outlet in the common area.

I had friends who used to run hydroponics rigs in their apartments (for veggies!), it made sense because their landlord footed the bill.

The only electricity cheaper than hydro, is electricity where someone else pays the bill.

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#35

Post by sterlind »

NateyJay wrote: post #11
jeremyt wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cages only block external em, they don't block internal em from getting out.

Yes they do. A Faraday cage is equally good at blocking radio waves going out as coming in. They don't protect against conducted emissions though - along a power cable for example - so they're not a complete solution.

Perhaps the radiation wasn't mostly coming from the Antminer box itself - each 700Mhz clock the rig draws current, the transformer propagates it back to the wall, and the power lines in the flat become a big antenna.

Powerline Ethernet has this problem, but it uses only a 25MHz carrier wave, so it only bothers hams.

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#36

Post by AstralStorm »

bdonlan wrote: post #13
jeremyt wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cages only block external em, they don't block internal em from getting out.

Sure they do, that's how microwaves avoid heating people standing nearby. However, getting the power in without letting the RFI escape the power connections is the tricky bit.

Not too tricky, the right transformer or ferrite coil with active PFC is good enough. Of course that would increase the bill.

The fault is on FCC side for approving borderline power supplies.

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#37

Post by terrantech »

spydum wrote: post #8
fcbrooklyn wrote: post #7

I wonder if it wasn't the miner at all. Maybe the guy had an (illegal) cellphone jammer as well, and somehow managed to convince the feds that it was his antminer causing the trouble.

From the Article (the actual notice): https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-349258A1.p... They identified the device, and the service impairment stopped when he shut it off.. "On November 30, 2017, in response to the complaint agents from the Enforcement Bureau’s New York Office confirmed by direction finding techniques that radio emissions in the 700 MHz band were emanating from your residence in Brookly…

> You identified the device as an Antminer s5 Bitcoin Miner

They only narrowed it down to his residence, then he himself said it's the miner. It's totally possible he used it as a scapegoat for something else he was running.

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#38

Post by lima »

As a ham radio operator, this sort of thing is extremely common. Most cheap Chinese power supplies tend to broadcast a lot of noise.

Nowadays, it's mostly impossible to operate the short wave bands in a city due to all the static on the air. The regulation agencies have pretty much given up, save for the most egregious cases, due to how prolific the problem is.

It's pretty sad.

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#39

Post by tgb »

ofcourseianal wrote: post #33
tgb wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While people are pointing out your mistake, it's worth bringing up the fact you were certainly thinking of: when it comes to static electric fields, a Faraday cage complete protects the interior from external charges but does nothing to shield the interior from the external charges. However, we are considering non-static electric fields and in particular ones at high frequencies. However, I think the fact that the Fa…

“Faraday cage complete protects the interior from external charges but does nothing to shield the interior from the external charges” What are you on about?

Basic electrostatics.

>So for all intents and purposes, the cage generates the same DC electric field that it would generate if it were simply affected by the charge placed inside.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

Re: Brooklyn Bitcoin Mine Causes Static for T-Mobile Users

#40

Post by EarthIsHome »

kiwidrew wrote: post #4

Somehow it doesn't surprise me that Bitcoin mining hardware is generating harmful RF interference. If I was a miner, I'd be quite worried that someone with direction finding equipment could easily discover a hidden mining location. The FCC or another government entity finding you is kind of the best case scenario if you think about it... :)

If the miner and PSU were better designed, the rig shouldn't radiate RF energy.
Post reply on HN