Like with all tech products, the Bobcat Miner 300 and all auxiliary components need to be handled with care. This does not only apply to its setup, but also its placement. Remember there is very little if any technology that is impervious to damage. Miners in particular are made up of a series of small machine parts connected to one another. While smaller tech is trendy and can sometimes be more powerful, the reality is that smaller technology can also be fragile.
Here Are A Few Useful Tips
Operating Temperature:
As shown in the databook, the max operating temperature for the indoor Bobcat Miner 300 is 60C. Do NOT place it outside if it risks heat exposure, which will cause CPU crashing. DIY weatherproofing such as placing the miner in a sandwich bag is not recommended. Your miner is not a sandwich! Enclosing your miner within any bag can cause it to overheat and ultimately fail. In fact, research on the reliability of LoRa has shown that "Temperature variations [can] affect the performance of wireless sensor networks deployed outdoors." For more technical readings on the impact of temperature variations on the reliability of LoRa, click here.
Install the Antenna Gently
When installing the stock antenna, gently screw it on. We have seen cases where excessive force was applied and caused the connector area to become loose or even crack from the inside. The RF cable connector inside the casing could be damaged if twisted excessively.
Connecting to a big third party antenna to Bobcat directly? That can cause a big problem as seen in the picture below. The left side was warped and the right was broken, causing internal damage to the miner.
This does not mean you cannot use a third party antenna, but rather you just need to be extra careful.
If you find yourself already having damaged your antenna and/or miner, here is a great resource created by one of our customers.
http://nowitness.org/bobcat-antenna-repair/
DISCLAIMER: Bobcat Miner assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors in the content of the nowitness website or damages caused to your miner as a result of you following any of the information provided on that site. Opening any portion of your device will void any manufacturer's warranty.
UPDATE - Customer Insights
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Instead of turning the antenna cable barrel to the miner, some customers have found it easier to turn the bobcat miner around to tighten the connection. This should NOT be done! In doing so, they found that the pin inside the connector twisted around and broke the wire off. More than one customer has made this mistake. Although they did not use excessive torque to tighten the antenna cable, they realized that turning the miner around the antenna cable simply not a good idea, as it would easily damage the center pin on the small connector.