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Bitcoin => Hardware => Topic started by: greaterninja on August 11, 2013, 01:47:21 AM



Title: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: greaterninja on August 11, 2013, 01:47:21 AM
Avalon Overclocking deserves its very own thread.
The purpose of this thread is for the community to share their tips and results on overclocking their Avalon's so we can maximize hashing output.


Please Post in this format:


Batch#:  3
Modules:3
PowerSupply:850w Seasonic Gold Modular
Extra CoolingSetup:  $20 Box Fan added; 75F Ambient
[Firmware Version] => 20130723
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350(insane); 354 is actual read out
More Options(Default: --quiet):--avalon-auto
HashRate:   ~83GH/s is average; Max is 87GH/s but it eventually drops.
Additional Info(whatever I may have missed):
Uptime:  5 days

Thanks Guys, I believe we can push our units further!  Probably above 90Gh/s stable. :)

**Update 8/15/2013-
Please Post in this format:


Batch#:  3
Modules:4
PowerSupply: 850w Seasonic Gold Modular
Extra CoolingSetup:  $20 Box Fan added; 75F Ambient A/C Room Temp
[Firmware Version] => 20130723
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350(insane); 354 is actual read out.
More Options(Default: --quiet):--avalon-auto
HashRate:   ~110.5GH/s is average; Max is 112.5GH/s
Additional Info(whatever I may have missed):
Uptime:   3 days (I reapply CGMINER settings each day as the miner does sometimes drop its GH/s to less than half its potential after about 24 hours.  I do this to keep production of BTC constant and maximize potential.)


***NEW UPDATE 8/19/2013  My 850Watt Seasonic GOLD PS failed. I was running 4 modules at 358mhz.  111.5 GH/S for 2 weeks straight.   I unhooked a 3rd module and put a 750watt bronze on it.   The AC in my place went out today and I live in AZ...so that could be why or it could be because I should be running 1000+ watts.  Going forward I am going to buy 2 x 1300w Gold Rosewill PS from newegg. 


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: greaterninja on August 11, 2013, 01:48:38 AM
Reserved


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: aneutronic on August 15, 2013, 03:11:39 PM
+1   If the other asics deliver on time in the next couple of months it will be tough to break even.    :(

Batch#:  3
Modules:3
PowerSupply:850w Seasonic Gold Modular  (curses at seasonic's damn 6 + 2 PCIE connectors that tripped me up  >:( )
Extra CoolingSetup: 2x $20 Box Fan added drawing outside air when cooler and always exhausting hot ; ~ 60 - 80F Ambient so far, no AC, I'm poor.
[Firmware Version] => 20130723
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350(insane)
More Options(Default: --quiet):--avalon-auto --avalon-freq 340-355 --avalon-fan 100
HashRate:   ~83GH/s is average, I can run it harder but there were too many rejects so a 355 limit holds these to about ~0.5% so far
Power: maxes out at ~730w

Additional Info
I hit a wall at about 355mhz even with < 60 ambient temps, I feel overvolting will be necessary to go futher.

burnin's thread has some overvolt data here:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=179769.msg2738301#msg2738301

His board is pretty nice having the voltage software selectable, we're going to have to break out the tools to overvolt our avys.    ;)

He hit 409 mhz on 1.28v stable on air cooling. I calculate a standard value of 8.87k for R10 should produce 1273mV, the only question is the current capacity of the regulator circuit. I have no experience in smps design but the inductor looks good for ~30A heat rating, not sure about the output stage.
I'm hoping there are some smps designers on this forum that can help out.

In any case before attempting this I thought it would be a good idea to make sure the chip to heatsink interface is optimum. The water cooling thread has some good info on replacing the questionable thermal pad with heatsink paste.  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=211825.msg2687268#msg2687268

 


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: MXRider on August 15, 2013, 03:14:18 PM
I'm interested in power consumption so I'd appreciate if someone could report that.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GodfatherBond on August 15, 2013, 03:24:01 PM
Batch#:  3
Modules:4
PowerSupply:1250w Corsair Gold
Extra CoolingSetup:  No extra cooling; 75F Ambient
[Firmware Version] => 20130723
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350(insane)
More Options(Default: --quiet):--avalon-auto
HashRate:   ~108GH/s is average; Max is nearby 120GH/s but it eventually drops.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: aneutronic on August 15, 2013, 03:26:03 PM
I'm interested in power consumption so I'd appreciate if someone could report that.

Good idea... added power reading.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: aneutronic on August 15, 2013, 04:04:22 PM
There's a good post about overclocking here by lastbit who also has concerns about reaching break even:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=140539.msg2934835#msg2934835

I'd be interested to know if you measured more than one regulator and if so how close were the voltage readings between regulators?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: S M I L Y on August 15, 2013, 04:21:54 PM
I'm interested in power consumption so I'd appreciate if someone could report that.

Some power measurements for Avalon.

Unit is batch#3 w/4 modules, fw 20130723.
Temperature target 65C. Keep in mind this is equiv with 45 for batch#1&2.
Temp1 (input temperature) is 21C .
Temp3 (output temperature) is roughly 15C lower then Temp2.
Wall is wall power in watts.
Errors is percentage of HW errors versus diff1 shares.

freqwallfan1fan3temp2errors
256 685 2280 2040 60
270 722 2280 2160 60
282 755 2400 2160 61
300 803 2400 2160 63 0.94%
325 873 2520 2280 66 1.08%
350 943 3480 3240 63 1.35%

Produces arround 109-110Gh/s @350MHz, confirmed by btcguild (more or less).
At 375MHz unit cannot maintain 65C temperature target. Hash is less, around 105Gh/s, due to large percentage of HW errors. 



Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 15, 2013, 05:04:29 PM
AFAIK from reading and looking at design schematics, the main regulator or w/e it is is only capable of around 20A output. We may be gettin pretty close to that on just stock overclocks...
So, overvolting safely may be out of the question.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: jermwerty on August 15, 2013, 05:31:47 PM
Batch#:  3
Modules:4
PowerSupply: 850w Seasonic Gold Modular
[Firmware Version] => 20130723
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350(insane); 354 is actual read out.


Umm....

850W with 4 modules at 350+mhz?

I hope you have another PS laying around for when this one goes up in smoke.

For comparison, I have a good 910W PS on a B3 @ 325mhz and it pulls ~915W from the wall, a 65W increase from 300mhz which was 850.  My estimates put 350Mhz B3 4 module at 980W give or take from the wall, or basically you need a 1KW+ supply guaranteed! 


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 15, 2013, 05:59:54 PM
Batch#:  3
Modules:4
PowerSupply: 850w Seasonic Gold Modular
[Firmware Version] => 20130723
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350(insane); 354 is actual read out.


Umm....

850W with 4 modules at 350+mhz?

I hope you have another PS laying around for when this one goes up in smoke.

For comparison, I have a good 910W PS on a B3 @ 325mhz and it pulls ~915W from the wall, a 65W increase from 300mhz which was 850.  My estimates put 350Mhz B3 4 module at 980W give or take from the wall, or basically you need a 1KW+ supply guaranteed! 


He may be running close but under the PSU's max. Seasonics are tank PSU's.
Assuming your PSU is 90% effecient at that sort of powerdraw(which its likely less) that roughly a 90watt overhead from the wall. 915 - 90, leaves actual load near 810watts. His seasonic should have no prob with that.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: jermwerty on August 15, 2013, 07:58:11 PM

He may be running close but under the PSU's max. Seasonics are tank PSU's.
Assuming your PSU is 90% effecient at that sort of powerdraw(which its likely less) that roughly a 90watt overhead from the wall. 915 - 90, leaves actual load near 810watts. His seasonic should have no prob with that.

Oh I agree SeaSonics are good.  I have an older one that mined a lot on GPUs.

What I was pointing out was 915W is @ 325mhz.  From the post above mine that reported draws at different speeds, I think its safe to say 950W-975W appears to be the "wall" draw @ 350mhz.  That puts him right at 860-885W PSU rating, which while it may work now WILL reduce lifespan of the PSU.  Just think about it, there is a reason Seasonic rated it 850 NOT 900  ;)

I think the one benefit of being a former GPU miner is I personally feel I have a mini-bachelor in PSU performance....  Multi Rail, Single Rail, efficiency, ripple, brand, ratings... all plays into the mix.  At home today I have SilverStone, Seasonic, Thermaltake, PC Power & Cooling, Enermax,  CoolerMaster running today all 700-1KW.

But I digress, as long as it works, and you have a spare, go ahead and run that bad boy hard!


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: greaterninja on August 15, 2013, 10:39:34 PM

He may be running close but under the PSU's max. Seasonics are tank PSU's.
Assuming your PSU is 90% effecient at that sort of powerdraw(which its likely less) that roughly a 90watt overhead from the wall. 915 - 90, leaves actual load near 810watts. His seasonic should have no prob with that.

Oh I agree SeaSonics are good.  I have an older one that mined a lot on GPUs.

What I was pointing out was 915W is @ 325mhz.  From the post above mine that reported draws at different speeds, I think its safe to say 950W-975W appears to be the "wall" draw @ 350mhz.  That puts him right at 860-885W PSU rating, which while it may work now WILL reduce lifespan of the PSU.  Just think about it, there is a reason Seasonic rated it 850 NOT 900  ;)

I think the one benefit of being a former GPU miner is I personally feel I have a mini-bachelor in PSU performance....  Multi Rail, Single Rail, efficiency, ripple, brand, ratings... all plays into the mix.  At home today I have SilverStone, Seasonic, Thermaltake, PC Power & Cooling, Enermax,  CoolerMaster running today all 700-1KW.

But I digress, as long as it works, and you have a spare, go ahead and run that bad boy hard!

Worst case scenario is my 850W burns up and I am out $160.   Probable scenario is it continues to work for a few months or for years and I do not have to shell out more $$$ for a 1000-1300w PSU.  OR It does burn out and I sent it back for replacement (7 year warranty).

At anyrate, I have to cut my costs.  spending another $130-$250 on a PSU is a lot of money I really do not want to spend.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: cryptograd on August 16, 2013, 12:09:48 AM
Batch#: 2
Modules:3
PowerSupply:750w Corsair Gold
Extra Cooling Setup: Temp controlled room set to 70F hottest module runs at 48C
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  325
More Options: Fans on constant 100%
HashRate: 82GH/s is average; Max is 92GH/s for random temporary spikes.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: crazyearner on August 16, 2013, 03:02:00 AM
Batch#: 2
Modules:3


PowerSupply:860w Corsair Platinimum Digital removed the one that come with it in this picture and mods done at time new pics to be uploaded as more mods been done.

Extra Cooling Setup: Custom mods done to control and force airflow and more directed.
Chip Frequency manually set:  355-370 depending on temps in room and also hw errors
More Options: Fans on constant 100%
HashRate: 85GH/s is average; Max is 90+GH/s not fully tested this due to too many HW errors.

Avalon before pictures

https://i.imgur.com/oJhoPEih.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8O7mJBIh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/r6hynwGh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zae49Uah.jpg


Avalon after air flow mods.
As you can see in first pic using the cable to hold them in place as plenty of ribbon to use to make a little fold to hold plastic sheeting in place and where the molex connect theirs about a 0.5 to 1.5ml gap to allow to create a curve for the plastic to be molded into shape to allow to curve around and make the mod fit and old in place.
https://i.imgur.com/goFkg0ch.jpg

On this picture you will see where at the top this is still covering the gaps and also where air flows so I needed to push future to allow air flow to flow through the heat sink as I was a at first blocking this so had to gently guide it through and make marks on it where to mold curves in for cornering.
https://i.imgur.com/o9tcneZh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/C0sX5GX.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/K8MmO9Jh.jpg

Temps before and after more or less the same but not using as much fan power and after mining 24 hours sold this is running nice and cool with oc to 84GH also fans never go above 1800 now so lot better results still doing other mods in time to it to get better air flow. This is with no extra fans added maybe get even better results with some delta fans in but their too noise
https://i.imgur.com/zueMVxRh.png

Have also taken unit upto 90GH however too many hw% errors however temps solid 50c so not doing too bad. Also added new 860w corsair digital psu working perfect never takes over 730w



Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: Ytterbium on August 16, 2013, 03:08:31 AM
It sounds like it's the voltage, rather then the heat that's causing problems at higher speeds. And, since the voltage isn't adjustable the only way to speed it up would be to replace the regulators (I guess?) which would be pretty invasive.

Someone actually built a water block but they still got around 82-84Gh/s.   :-\


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: lastbit on August 16, 2013, 03:09:20 AM
AFAIK from reading and looking at design schematics, the main regulator or w/e it is is only capable of around 20A output. We may be gettin pretty close to that on just stock overclocks...
So, overvolting safely may be out of the question.
Why you are saying is capable of only 20A?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: crazyearner on August 16, 2013, 03:16:56 AM
It sounds like it's the voltage, rather then the heat that's causing problems at higher speeds. And, since the voltage isn't adjustable the only way to speed it up would be to replace the regulators (I guess?) which would be pretty invasive.

Someone actually built a water block but they still got around 82-84Gh/s.   :-\

Would need a voltage mod and thats not possible unless something is invented to work along side it to provide the extra power it needs but still  who knows what will happen in the next batch and gen 2 tech will have to wait.

Yeah I seen that thread for the water cooled unit guess needs better tanks and liquid for the unit. Am tempted at doing an mineral system and auction it off as am still considering to sell unit next week but will see how things pan out


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 16, 2013, 05:32:48 AM
AFAIK from reading and looking at design schematics, the main regulator or w/e it is is only capable of around 20A output. We may be gettin pretty close to that on just stock overclocks...
So, overvolting safely may be out of the question.
Why you are saying is capable of only 20A?

Grr, I cant remember where yifu posted the design schematics. But the one that shows the layout for each miner board, shows in the VRM section. The main controller chip .. is it a TI or something? Look it up and its max output was like 20amps


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: aneutronic on August 16, 2013, 10:03:40 AM
Schematics are here: https://github.com/BitSyncom/avalon-ref/tree/master/PDF/SCH

The reg is a TPS40193.

Code:
The range of short circuit current thresholds that can be expected is shown in Equation 2 and Equation 3.

I SCP(max)=V ILIM(max)/RDS(on)min

I SCP(min)=V ILIM(min)/RDS(on)max

where



ISCP is the short circuit current
VILIM is the short circuit threshold for the low-side MOSFET
RDS(on) is the channel resistance of the low-side MOSFET
(3)
Note that due to blanking time considerations, overcurrent threshold accuracy may fall off for duty cycle greater
than 75% with the TPS40192, or 88% with the TPS40193. The reason for this is that the over current comparator
will have only a very short time to sample the SW pin voltage under these conditions and may not have time to
respond to voltages very near the threshold.
The short circuit protection threshold for the high-side MOSFET is fixed at 550 mV typical, 400 mV minimum.
This threshold is in place to provide a maximum current output using pulse by pulse current limit in the case of a
fault. The pulse will be terminated when the voltage drop acros the high side FET exceeds the short circuit
threshold. The maximum amount of current that can be specified to be sourced from a converter is found by
Equation 4.

I OUT(max)=V ILIM(min)/RDS(on)max

where



IOUT(max) is the maximum current that the converter is specified to source
VILIMH(min) is the short circuit threshold for the high-side MOSFET (400 mV)
RDS(on)max is the maximum resistance of the high-side MOSFET
(4)
If the required current from the converter is greater than the calculated IOUT(max) , a lower resistance high-side
MOSFET must be chosen. Both the high side and low side thresholds use temperature compensation to
approximate the change in resistance for a typical power MOSFET. This will help couneract shifts in overcurrent
thresholds as temperature increases. For this to be effective, the MOSFETs and the device must be well coupled
thermally.

(edit: only one FET on the board)
The high side FET is a PSMN2R2-25YLC which have an IDS of 100A and  an RDS(on)max of 2.4mohm so 400mv/2.4mohm=166.66A

Again I'm not a power supply expert but it looks like the limiting factor of this circuit is the inductor.
The schem says 1uh, I believe someone mentioned he had 1.5uh chokes in his unit so either ~32A or ~27A depending. I'll have to check mine the next time I have it open.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: lastbit on August 16, 2013, 11:29:34 AM
Schematics are here: https://github.com/BitSyncom/avalon-ref/tree/master/PDF/SCH

The reg is a TPS40193.

Code:
The range of short circuit current thresholds that can be expected is shown in Equation 2 and Equation 3.

I SCP(max)=V ILIM(max)/RDS(on)min

I SCP(min)=V ILIM(min)/RDS(on)max

where



ISCP is the short circuit current
VILIM is the short circuit threshold for the low-side MOSFET
RDS(on) is the channel resistance of the low-side MOSFET
(3)
Note that due to blanking time considerations, overcurrent threshold accuracy may fall off for duty cycle greater
than 75% with the TPS40192, or 88% with the TPS40193. The reason for this is that the over current comparator
will have only a very short time to sample the SW pin voltage under these conditions and may not have time to
respond to voltages very near the threshold.
The short circuit protection threshold for the high-side MOSFET is fixed at 550 mV typical, 400 mV minimum.
This threshold is in place to provide a maximum current output using pulse by pulse current limit in the case of a
fault. The pulse will be terminated when the voltage drop acros the high side FET exceeds the short circuit
threshold. The maximum amount of current that can be specified to be sourced from a converter is found by
Equation 4.

I OUT(max)=V ILIM(min)/RDS(on)max

where



IOUT(max) is the maximum current that the converter is specified to source
VILIMH(min) is the short circuit threshold for the high-side MOSFET (400 mV)
RDS(on)max is the maximum resistance of the high-side MOSFET
(4)
If the required current from the converter is greater than the calculated IOUT(max) , a lower resistance high-side
MOSFET must be chosen. Both the high side and low side thresholds use temperature compensation to
approximate the change in resistance for a typical power MOSFET. This will help couneract shifts in overcurrent
thresholds as temperature increases. For this to be effective, the MOSFETs and the device must be well coupled
thermally.

The high side FET is 2x PSMN2R2-25YLC which have an IDS of 100A and  an RDS(on)max of 2.4mohm so 400mv/1.2mohm=333.33A      :o  ???

Someone check my maths.   :P   

Again I'm not a power supply expert but it looks like the limiting factor of this circuit is the inductor.
The schem says 1uh, I believe someone mentioned he had 1.5uh chokes in his unit so either ~32A or ~27A depending. I'll have to check mine the next time I have it open.
There's only one high side mos in reality in batch#3. There are 2 low side, for lowering RDS(on) and improving efficiency. Coil seems to be thermally designed for max 27A, but magnetic saturation limit is much higher. I'd guesstimate it will work with up to 40% current increase, so up to ~20% voltage and frequency increase.     


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: lastbit on August 16, 2013, 12:02:17 PM
AFAIK from reading and looking at design schematics, the main regulator or w/e it is is only capable of around 20A output. We may be gettin pretty close to that on just stock overclocks...
So, overvolting safely may be out of the question.
Why you are saying is capable of only 20A?

Grr, I cant remember where yifu posted the design schematics. But the one that shows the layout for each miner board, shows in the VRM section. The main controller chip .. is it a TI or something? Look it up and its max output was like 20amps
Limit for IC is only a "soft" limit. From IC's point of view, it's more up to its ability to drive gate and Miller capacitance of output transistors.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 16, 2013, 02:56:43 PM
AFAIK from reading and looking at design schematics, the main regulator or w/e it is is only capable of around 20A output. We may be gettin pretty close to that on just stock overclocks...
So, overvolting safely may be out of the question.
Why you are saying is capable of only 20A?

Grr, I cant remember where yifu posted the design schematics. But the one that shows the layout for each miner board, shows in the VRM section. The main controller chip .. is it a TI or something? Look it up and its max output was like 20amps
Limit for IC is only a "soft" limit. From IC's point of view, it's more up to its ability to drive gate and Miller capacitance of output transistors.
http://www.ti.com/product/tps40193

The Iout, is what I was referring too, your saying thats just a soft limit?

Are the mods you speak of .. capable of working on b2 units as well? (I dont know if anything changed from b2 to b3 hash boards...)


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: dogie on August 16, 2013, 03:12:05 PM
AFAIK from reading and looking at design schematics, the main regulator or w/e it is is only capable of around 20A output. We may be gettin pretty close to that on just stock overclocks...
So, overvolting safely may be out of the question.
Why you are saying is capable of only 20A?

Grr, I cant remember where yifu posted the design schematics. But the one that shows the layout for each miner board, shows in the VRM section. The main controller chip .. is it a TI or something? Look it up and its max output was like 20amps
Limit for IC is only a "soft" limit. From IC's point of view, it's more up to its ability to drive gate and Miller capacitance of output transistors.
http://www.ti.com/product/tps40193

The Iout, is what I was referring too, your saying thats just a soft limit?

Are the mods you speak of .. capable of working on b2 units as well? (I dont know if anything changed from b2 to b3 hash boards...)
AFAICT from visual inspection the actual hashing boards themselves remain the same. The connector board on each module has changed, as have the PDU and control boards.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: lastbit on August 16, 2013, 05:42:39 PM
http://www.ti.com/product/tps40193
The Iout, is what I was referring too, your saying thats just a soft limit?
Are the mods you speak of .. capable of working on b2 units as well? (I dont know if anything changed from b2 to b3 hash boards...)
Yes, in IC specs says it's capable of driving "up to 20A". But is not an "enforced" limit, it's up to IC ability to charge/discharge the gate charge of power mosfets.
For the low side:
 IC's reference design= 1x IRF7834: Rds=4.5mohm, Id=16A, Qg=29nC
 Avalon= 2x CSD16403Q5A, so Rds=1.1mohm, Id=56A, Qg=27nC
For the high side:
 IC's reference design: 1x IRF7466: Rds=12.5mohm, Id=11A, Qg=23nC
 Avalon(in reality): 1x Rds=4mohm, Id=100A, Qgate=39nC
IC reference design is for 10A. Based on this and mosfets' figures, I'd say IC+mosfets in Avalon are able to drive 40A.
Of course there are other limiting factors: PCB traces, Inductor, Filtering capacitors.
Inductor seems to be a Vishay Dale IHLP-5050FD 1.5uH, but I'm not 100% sure. If it is, it's specified at up to 27A (with a "hard" limit at 45A).
One thing over another, I'd say Avalon's hash unit power supply should have no problem in handling +40% more current (~20% overvoltage and overclock versus the "stable" 350MHz. But this would mean ~+70 power which I'm sure Avalon CANNOT handle as it is, at least for batch #3.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 16, 2013, 06:16:30 PM

One thing over another, I'd say Avalon's hash unit power supply should have no problem in handling +40% more current (~20% overvoltage and overclock versus the "stable" 350MHz. But this would mean ~+70 power which I'm sure Avalon CANNOT handle as it is, at least for batch #3.

Which part of Avalon you think cant handle it, just the PSU? Can always throw nice 1kw PSU's in them =) 3module is doable for sure I would think. Or are you saying something else other than PSU cant handle this much power increase?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: lastbit on August 16, 2013, 08:20:05 PM

One thing over another, I'd say Avalon's hash unit power supply should have no problem in handling +40% more current (~20% overvoltage and overclock versus the "stable" 350MHz. But this would mean ~+70 power which I'm sure Avalon CANNOT handle as it is, at least for batch #3.

Which part of Avalon you think cant handle it, just the PSU? Can always throw nice 1kw PSU's in them =) 3module is doable for sure I would think. Or are you saying something else other than PSU cant handle this much power increase?
You can easily install a higher power PS. But cooling is the main problem.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: Dalkore on August 16, 2013, 08:24:41 PM
Batch#:  3
Modules:4
PowerSupply: OEM
Extra CoolingSetup:  12 ton HVAC; 75F Ambient A/C Room Temp
[Firmware Version] => 20130813
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350(insane)
More Options(Default: --quiet):
HashRate:   ~112.5GH/s is average; Max is 115.2GH/s
Additional Info(whatever I may have missed):
Uptime:   Ridiculously good.  Ever since my full cooling went online, I literally have not had to mess with it.  I'll update and report back after a full week.  


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 16, 2013, 08:46:35 PM
Batch#:  2
Modules:3
PowerSupply: Enermax GX850 gold (OEM)
Extra CoolingSetup: replaced the 2 higher RPM Fans w/ delta 5k RPM fans, reworked wiring to modules to allow better airflow
[Firmware Version] => 20130814
Chip Frequency: 358mhz
More Options(Default: --quiet):  --failover-only --quiet --avalon-temp 49 --avalon-freq 358 --avalon-cutoff 55 --avalon-fan 90-100
HashRate:   ~84GH/s MHSav
Additional Info(whatever I may have missed): temps are 29C/40C/42C when its around 80F outside(probably 85F in the room its in), at night time when its cooler(60-70F outside) .. temps are 23/33/35 .. these Delta fans really helped the temps drop!
Power Usage @ Wall: 760-765w
Uptime:  All the time, its a tank =)... only goes down when I hit the APPLY CONFIG button =P


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: greaterninja on August 16, 2013, 09:24:11 PM
Batch#:  2
Modules:3
PowerSupply: Enermax GX850 gold (OEM)
Extra CoolingSetup: replaced the 2 higher RPM Fans w/ delta 5k RPM fans, reworked wiring to modules to allow better airflow
[Firmware Version] => 20130814
Chip Frequency: 358mhz
More Options(Default: --quiet):  --failover-only --quiet --avalon-temp 49 --avalon-freq 358 --avalon-cutoff 55 --avalon-fan 90-100
HashRate:   ~84GH/s MHSav
Additional Info(whatever I may have missed): temps are 29C/40C/42C when its around 80F outside(probably 85F in the room its in), at night time when its cooler(60-70F outside) .. temps are 23/33/35 .. these Delta fans really helped the temps drop!
Power Usage @ Wall: 760-765w
Uptime:  All the time, its a tank =)... only goes down when I hit the APPLY CONFIG button =P

Currently I run 354 on 4 modules stable for the last 3+ days.  Average hash is 111.4 GH/s. 


   Since 375 setting does not hash efficiently, I believe I will try Insane (350) setting and manually set 358-365 when I get home to see if hashrate increases and is more efficient.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 16, 2013, 09:42:57 PM
Batch#:  2
Modules:3
PowerSupply: Enermax GX850 gold (OEM)
Extra CoolingSetup: replaced the 2 higher RPM Fans w/ delta 5k RPM fans, reworked wiring to modules to allow better airflow
[Firmware Version] => 20130814
Chip Frequency: 358mhz
More Options(Default: --quiet):  --failover-only --quiet --avalon-temp 49 --avalon-freq 358 --avalon-cutoff 55 --avalon-fan 90-100
HashRate:   ~84GH/s MHSav
Additional Info(whatever I may have missed): temps are 29C/40C/42C when its around 80F outside(probably 85F in the room its in), at night time when its cooler(60-70F outside) .. temps are 23/33/35 .. these Delta fans really helped the temps drop!
Power Usage @ Wall: 760-765w
Uptime:  All the time, its a tank =)... only goes down when I hit the APPLY CONFIG button =P

Currently I run 354 on 4 modules stable for the last 3+ days.  Average hash is 111.4 GH/s.  


   Since 375 setting does not hash efficiently, I believe I will try Insane (350) setting and manually set 358-365 when I get home to see if hashrate increases and is more efficient.

Yeah betweeen 2-3% HW is good effeciency past that its barely any return. Just wasted energy.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: silverston on August 17, 2013, 05:56:52 AM
Batch#:2
Modules:3
PowerSupply: Corsair AX1200 Gold
Extra CoolingSetup:  Replacing the thermal spacers on modules for thermal grease Arctic Ceramic
[Firmware Version] => many have tried - @ now 20130723
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350(insane)
More Options(Default: --quiet): --avalon-auto, --avalon-temp 48, --avalon-cutoff 60
HashRate:   ~84Gh average
Uptime:   Max uptime  was 3 days
Power usage @ wall : 725W




Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: S M I L Y on August 20, 2013, 03:18:17 AM
Preview of what im working on.

Im going for 1.34v, watercooling, and a 16awg wire to distribute current to the bottom of the board.


39.2k R10 piggyback resistor
https://i.imgur.com/4qB6o5Z.jpg

watercooling channels.  Extruded alu is not fun to weld.
https://i.imgur.com/iIsGUXt.jpg

16awg wire. 
https://i.imgur.com/U6gbFmn.jpg


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: greaterninja on August 20, 2013, 04:01:27 AM
Preview of what im working on.

Im going for 1.34v, watercooling, and a 16awg wire to distribute current to the bottom of the board.


39.2k R10 piggyback resistor


It seems promising.  It seems like you know what you are doing.  For you and your Avalon I hope you know what you are doing haha.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 20, 2013, 04:50:40 AM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: Ytterbium on August 20, 2013, 05:55:06 AM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.

Yup.  JFET transistors act like tiny capacitors when they're closed - the current doesn't actually stop flowing until the capacitor is 'charged'.  And of course more volts means faster charge time.

On the other hand, of course, it means more heat, and more risk of damaging your chips...


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: knite on August 20, 2013, 08:02:01 AM
I recently received a B2 3-module unit.

- What's the best I can do with the stock PSU, 325?
- What settings should I use? I'm currently on: --avalon-options 115200:24:10:d:355 --avalon-auto --avalon-freq 256-375 --avalon-temp 55
- If I'm upgrading my PSU, which model is most recommended?



Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: ProfMac on August 20, 2013, 11:02:57 AM
I recently received a B2 3-module unit.

- What's the best I can do with the stock PSU, 325?
- What settings should I use? I'm currently on: --avalon-options 115200:24:10:d:355 --avalon-auto --avalon-freq 256-375 --avalon-temp 55
- If I'm upgrading my PSU, which model is most recommended?



There are many units hashing at 80-85 GH/s. (http://eligius.st/~wizkid057/newstats/topcontributors.php)


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 20, 2013, 02:48:07 PM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.

Yup.  JFET transistors act like tiny capacitors when they're closed - the current doesn't actually stop flowing until the capacitor is 'charged'.  And of course more volts means faster charge time.

On the other hand, of course, it means more heat, and more risk of damaging your chips...

Can you post voltage readings on each chip since doing the wire mod? I wanna know how much its improved as far as being consistent voltage.
Any chance you can attempt OC just at stock volts using just the wire mod?

My avy, so far, using newest 0820 firmware is capable of 363-364mhz @ 1.7% HW, around temps of under 40C ... at night my avy max temp goes down to less than 35C ...
B2 - 3 module


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: S M I L Y on August 20, 2013, 02:50:50 PM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.


From what I have read from others on Burnins board thread they are seeing big changes in performance with just a 10mv difference.  

a 16awg wire should be good for 10a without much voltage drop.  

it will be a couple of days before I can finish up on the watercooling stuff before I can fire the boards up and take some measurements.




Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 20, 2013, 02:54:05 PM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.


From what I have read from others on Burnins board thread they are seeing big changes in performance with just a 10mv difference.  

a 16awg wire should be good for 10a without much voltage drop.  

it will be a couple of days before I can finish up on the watercooling stuff before I can fire the boards up and take some measurements.




Doh! Im anxious .. oh u already did volt mod huh, thats why gotta wait till WC setup is good...?

Where were the voltage readouts listed, tried finding them in this thread - didnt find them, was it in the avalon users thread?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: S M I L Y on August 20, 2013, 03:08:46 PM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.


From what I have read from others on Burnins board thread they are seeing big changes in performance with just a 10mv difference.  

a 16awg wire should be good for 10a without much voltage drop.  

it will be a couple of days before I can finish up on the watercooling stuff before I can fire the boards up and take some measurements.




Doh! I'm anxious .. oh u already did volt mod huh, that's why gotta wait till WC setup is good...?

Where were the voltage readouts listed, tried finding them in this thread - didn't find them, was it in the avalon users thread?

Bunch of stuff here and the next few pages after.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=179769.msg2927914;topicseen#msg2927914

They are running at 1.4v and higher it seems!!!  These are old chips at 110nm i believe!  they will run into signal integrity issues with high clock rates long before we burn one out due to over voltage.    Going too high will just waste a bunch of energy.  

Mine is modded to 1.34v which seems like a good place based on what I have read on Burnin's thread.





Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: tarui on August 21, 2013, 11:38:47 AM

Batch#:  1
Modules:4
PowerSupply: 1250w Seasonic Gold Modular
Extra CoolingSetup:  $20 Box Fan directed at the hotter side.
27-28 degC Ambient A/C Room Temp.
added 36 small heatsinks to the hotter side.
added 2 panaflo 120mm 104cfm fans at the back (psu is external)
added some electrical tape to help funnel air to heatsinks instead of going above/over the heatsinks.
[Firmware Version] => 20130723
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350(insane); 354 is actual read out.
More Options(Default: --quiet):--avalon- 52 or 54
HashRate:   105-120gh/s
Additional Info(whatever I may have missed): added rubber grommets to the rear fans. not done to the front fans as it involves total shutdown of unit.
Uptime:  depends. i occasionally let it cool down for a moment or i shut it down to perform mods or changes,etc

future mods:
adding thermal paste between heatsinks and case
changing thermal paste between the chips and heatsinks to something better like mx-4?
adding grommets to the front fans
cutting the side panel to mount an acrylic window for viewing/monitoring and easy access if needed.
lining edges of panels with rubber lining for noise insulation
lining internal panels with noise absorbent mats.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 21, 2013, 02:58:49 PM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.

Yup.  JFET transistors act like tiny capacitors when they're closed - the current doesn't actually stop flowing until the capacitor is 'charged'.  And of course more volts means faster charge time.

On the other hand, of course, it means more heat, and more risk of damaging your chips...

Just the wire mod for consistent voltage risks damaging the chips?! ... I would think the more consistent voltage has little / no chance of damage to chips w/ stock cooling..

I know its obvious a mod like 1.34v risks damaging / overheating chips if not properly cooled, but wasnt thinking about doing that. Just the wire mode for tad more clockspeed cuz of the more consistent voltages.
I think my cooling setup should handle it fine (5k rpm 250cfm fans)


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: S M I L Y on August 21, 2013, 03:20:17 PM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.

Yup.  JFET transistors act like tiny capacitors when they're closed - the current doesn't actually stop flowing until the capacitor is 'charged'.  And of course more volts means faster charge time.

On the other hand, of course, it means more heat, and more risk of damaging your chips...

Just the wire mod for consistent voltage risks damaging the chips?! ... I would think the more consistent voltage has little / no chance of damage to chips w/ stock cooling..

I know its obvious a mod like 1.34v risks damaging / overheating chips if not properly cooled, but wasnt thinking about doing that. Just the wire mode for tad more clockspeed cuz of the more consistent voltages.
I think my cooling setup should handle it fine (5k rpm 250cfm fans)


Just adding a wire (assuming done correctly) will have no chance of damaging your chips.    However if you have never soldered to electronics before I recommend leaving the board as is.



Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: S M I L Y on August 22, 2013, 02:15:09 AM
Wire and voltage mod preliminary results:  Successful!   ;D

              300Mhz      350Mhz        400Mhz
Inductor   1.299v       1.299v         1.299v
 
Middle      1.290v       1.290v         1.288v

Bottom     1.291v       1.291v         1.289v
chip

Before the 16awg wire I was seeing 50mv drop from top to bottom.


Only one module of 10 chips was powered up. 

400Mhz was perfectly stable.  I only ran for 10 minutes due to thermal reasons(my watercooling solution is not active yet)

From the Burnin thread SebastianJu is getting 450MHz@1340mV
I suspect I should get close to that if the VR can provide the current.

Note 400Mhz at 1.3v is a LOT hotter than at 300Mhz!!! if you do this mod you MUST upgrade the stock cooling!!!!   Thermal paste on the back of the chips at the MINIMUM!!!!! 




Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: tarui on August 22, 2013, 08:28:09 AM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.

Yup.  JFET transistors act like tiny capacitors when they're closed - the current doesn't actually stop flowing until the capacitor is 'charged'.  And of course more volts means faster charge time.

On the other hand, of course, it means more heat, and more risk of damaging your chips...

Just the wire mod for consistent voltage risks damaging the chips?! ... I would think the more consistent voltage has little / no chance of damage to chips w/ stock cooling..

I know its obvious a mod like 1.34v risks damaging / overheating chips if not properly cooled, but wasnt thinking about doing that. Just the wire mode for tad more clockspeed cuz of the more consistent voltages.
I think my cooling setup should handle it fine (5k rpm 250cfm fans)


Just adding a wire (assuming done correctly) will have no chance of damaging your chips.    However if you have never soldered to electronics before I recommend leaving the board as is.



where exactly have you soldered the 2 points? i dont see the r10 resistor anywhere on the first pic.



Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 22, 2013, 02:52:05 PM
Wire and voltage mod preliminary results:  Successful!   ;D

              300Mhz      350Mhz        400Mhz
Inductor   1.299v       1.299v         1.299v
 
Middle      1.290v       1.290v         1.288v

Bottom     1.291v       1.291v         1.289v
chip

Before the 16awg wire I was seeing 50mv drop from top to bottom.


Only one module of 10 chips was powered up. 

400Mhz was perfectly stable.  I only ran for 10 minutes due to thermal reasons(my watercooling solution is not active yet)

From the Burnin thread SebastianJu is getting 450MHz@1340mV
I suspect I should get close to that if the VR can provide the current.

Note 400Mhz at 1.3v is a LOT hotter than at 300Mhz!!! if you do this mod you MUST upgrade the stock cooling!!!!   Thermal paste on the back of the chips at the MINIMUM!!!!! 




Very good results, I love the voltage consistency! ... wish someone could test the same mod w/o overvolt and just the wire mod... Im curious to see how much this could improve clocks...
If ya could guess, what do you think? 370mhz maybe?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: S M I L Y on August 22, 2013, 03:18:02 PM
Stability comes from 2 ways.   Voltage and cooling.

Overclockers have been using liquid nitrogen to reach insane speeds for years.   To say weather you can hit a specific speed depends on voltage and cooling. 
I certainly think that if you can do 370mhz stable(no total crashes) with a lot of errors the wire will probably reduce the error rate by boosting the marginal chips voltage. 

Whenever I overclock the first thing I workout is my thermal solution.    You have to do something with the extra heat or it will kill your chips.   Running cooler also helps with stability and error rates.



Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: S M I L Y on August 22, 2013, 03:20:02 PM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.

Yup.  JFET transistors act like tiny capacitors when they're closed - the current doesn't actually stop flowing until the capacitor is 'charged'.  And of course more volts means faster charge time.

On the other hand, of course, it means more heat, and more risk of damaging your chips...

Just the wire mod for consistent voltage risks damaging the chips?! ... I would think the more consistent voltage has little / no chance of damage to chips w/ stock cooling..

I know its obvious a mod like 1.34v risks damaging / overheating chips if not properly cooled, but wasnt thinking about doing that. Just the wire mode for tad more clockspeed cuz of the more consistent voltages.
I think my cooling setup should handle it fine (5k rpm 250cfm fans)


Just adding a wire (assuming done correctly) will have no chance of damaging your chips.    However if you have never soldered to electronics before I recommend leaving the board as is.



where exactly have you soldered the 2 points? i dont see the r10 resistor anywhere on the first pic.



If you look closely the resistor in the exact center of the image is R10.   It is an 0603 size resistor with a 0402 sitting on top. << look closely, its there.




Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: greaterninja on August 22, 2013, 04:08:34 PM
Wire and voltage mod preliminary results:  Successful!   ;D

              300Mhz      350Mhz        400Mhz
Inductor   1.299v       1.299v         1.299v
 
Middle      1.290v       1.290v         1.288v

Bottom     1.291v       1.291v         1.289v
chip

Before the 16awg wire I was seeing 50mv drop from top to bottom.


Only one module of 10 chips was powered up. 

400Mhz was perfectly stable.  I only ran for 10 minutes due to thermal reasons(my watercooling solution is not active yet)

From the Burnin thread SebastianJu is getting 450MHz@1340mV
I suspect I should get close to that if the VR can provide the current.

Note 400Mhz at 1.3v is a LOT hotter than at 300Mhz!!! if you do this mod you MUST upgrade the stock cooling!!!!   Thermal paste on the back of the chips at the MINIMUM!!!!! 



   What hash rate are you getting at 400Mhz @ 1.3v for only 10 chips?   Right now the most I've OC my Avalon is 358Mhz.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: S M I L Y on August 22, 2013, 04:17:49 PM



   What hash rate are you getting at 400Mhz @ 1.3v for only 10 chips?   Right now the most I've OC my Avalon is 358Mhz.


I dont recall exactly.  I believe It was a bit over 4ghs


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: el_rlee on August 24, 2013, 07:00:56 PM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.


From what I have read from others on Burnins board thread they are seeing big changes in performance with just a 10mv difference.  

a 16awg wire should be good for 10a without much voltage drop.  

it will be a couple of days before I can finish up on the watercooling stuff before I can fire the boards up and take some measurements.




Interesting.
Is the existing voltage supply going to be able to deliver enough current?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: 1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftz on August 25, 2013, 09:33:48 AM
I have a batch #2 unit, currently set at 350 mhz and giving 82 gigahashes.

Is it possible to make it run even faster, just by managing the temperature, but without modifying the hardware?

What I mean is - can I manage to make it work on 400 mhz, just by cooling the room where it's standing?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: Ytterbium on August 25, 2013, 09:43:48 AM
I have a batch #2 unit, currently set at 350 mhz and giving 82 gigahashes.

Is it possible to make it run even faster, just by managing the temperature, but without modifying the hardware?

What I mean is - can I manage to make it work on 400 mhz, just by cooling the room where it's standing?

No. You need to do a voltage mod, it sounds like.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: lastbit on August 25, 2013, 12:10:49 PM
whoa that wire mod looks sick...
do you think w/o an overvolt that more consistent voltage will help HW% errors drop and thus a bit higher clock even at stock voltage? cuz that mod seems simple enough.
From what I have read from others on Burnins board thread they are seeing big changes in performance with just a 10mv difference.  
a 16awg wire should be good for 10a without much voltage drop.  
it will be a couple of days before I can finish up on the watercooling stuff before I can fire the boards up and take some measurements.
Interesting.
Is the existing voltage supply going to be able to deliver enough current?
Probably yes.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 25, 2013, 06:05:25 PM
I have a batch #2 unit, currently set at 350 mhz and giving 82 gigahashes.

Is it possible to make it run even faster, just by managing the temperature, but without modifying the hardware?

What I mean is - can I manage to make it work on 400 mhz, just by cooling the room where it's standing?

You could at least try the wire mod for voltage stability across miner boards ... this may yeild some increase in mhz and maintain lower HW error rate. But, probably not to 400mhz.
I would gather somewhere between 365-375mhz...maybe? Past that ya need to do resistor voltage mod.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: Ytterbium on August 25, 2013, 06:34:42 PM
I have a batch #2 unit, currently set at 350 mhz and giving 82 gigahashes.

Is it possible to make it run even faster, just by managing the temperature, but without modifying the hardware?

What I mean is - can I manage to make it work on 400 mhz, just by cooling the room where it's standing?

You could at least try the wire mod for voltage stability across miner boards ... this may yeild some increase in mhz and maintain lower HW error rate. But, probably not to 400mhz.
I would gather somewhere between 365-375mhz...maybe? Past that ya need to do resistor voltage mod.

Is there a high-res photo or more detailed instructions on where to connect the wiring to stabilize voltage?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: GenTarkin on August 25, 2013, 07:20:17 PM
I have a batch #2 unit, currently set at 350 mhz and giving 82 gigahashes.

Is it possible to make it run even faster, just by managing the temperature, but without modifying the hardware?

What I mean is - can I manage to make it work on 400 mhz, just by cooling the room where it's standing?

You could at least try the wire mod for voltage stability across miner boards ... this may yeild some increase in mhz and maintain lower HW error rate. But, probably not to 400mhz.
I would gather somewhere between 365-375mhz...maybe? Past that ya need to do resistor voltage mod.

Is there a high-res photo or more detailed instructions on where to connect the wiring to stabilize voltage?

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=271575.msg2968737#msg2968737

I think SMILY plans on making a complete writeup soon as well for his mods.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: Ytterbium on August 26, 2013, 09:41:07 AM
I have a batch #2 unit, currently set at 350 mhz and giving 82 gigahashes.

Is it possible to make it run even faster, just by managing the temperature, but without modifying the hardware?

What I mean is - can I manage to make it work on 400 mhz, just by cooling the room where it's standing?

You could at least try the wire mod for voltage stability across miner boards ... this may yeild some increase in mhz and maintain lower HW error rate. But, probably not to 400mhz.
I would gather somewhere between 365-375mhz...maybe? Past that ya need to do resistor voltage mod.

Is there a high-res photo or more detailed instructions on where to connect the wiring to stabilize voltage?

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=271575.msg2968737#msg2968737

I think SMILY plans on making a complete writeup soon as well for his mods.

So I can kind of tell where the wires go from that image, I don't think I'd feel comfortable going by that alone, though :P


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: nanobit on August 29, 2013, 05:15:14 PM

So I can kind of tell where the wires go from that image, I don't think I'd feel comfortable going by that alone, though :P

I agree, I would love it if SMILY could describe in more detail how the wire should be connected.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: dyseac on August 29, 2013, 09:44:24 PM
Hey slightly off topic.

Had a batch#3 running at 350 fine for a few days (110ghs). - Then the power went out. and since then It will run fine for maybe an hour before going down to 10-15ghs.

I've tried it at default settings (300) and it does the same thing. - Temps seem ok (under 75c) - Is there a reason for this? :S



Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: greaterninja on August 29, 2013, 10:18:55 PM
Hey slightly off topic.

Had a batch#3 running at 350 fine for a few days (110ghs). - Then the power went out. and since then It will run fine for maybe an hour before going down to 10-15ghs.

I've tried it at default settings (300) and it does the same thing. - Temps seem ok (under 75c) - Is there a reason for this? :S


 disconnect the ATX Motherboard Power connector after you turn your PSU switch OFF.   Reconnect your ATX PSU connector to the controller board.  Switch the power on.
Also make sure you have all 5 power cables hooked up.


2 x pciE 8 pin

2 x CPU 8 pin

1 x atx mainboard power connector.


Make sure your avalon options is set to:--avalon-auto


Only other thing I can think of is you may have to reset cgminer and apply settings.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: SolarSilver on August 30, 2013, 11:52:34 AM
disconnect the ATX Motherboard Power connector after you turn your PSU switch OFF.   Reconnect your ATX PSU connector to the controller board.  Switch the power on.
Also make sure you have all 5 power cables hooked up.


2 x pciE 8 pin

2 x CPU 8 pin

1 x atx mainboard power connector.


Before you reboot the machine, first have a look at the tab

Status -> Cgminer API log

and look at the numbers behind

Code:
   [match_work_count1] => 239017
   [match_work_count2] => 239336
   [match_work_count3] => 240190
   [match_work_count4] => 239549
   [match_work_count5] => 239449
   [match_work_count6] => 239708
   [match_work_count7] => 238995
   [match_work_count8] => 238508
   [match_work_count9] => 239126
   [match_work_count10] => 239069
   [match_work_count11] => 238590

chances are one of your modules is not getting power and it will show it with considerably lower numbers (might even be 0)

The modules are grouped by 8 lines so you can spot where the problem is




Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: greaterninja on August 30, 2013, 05:02:59 PM
My miner restarts every 3-12 hours. 

Status   MHS5s   MinerCount   AsicCount   Frequency   Fan1     Fan2   Fan3    Temp1   Temp2   Temp3   NMW   Firmware
Alive    106523.25             32              10           355                2640    0        2640       28            70          66         112          20130723




My assumption is that it affects my overall bitcoin count on slush's pool.

Now is this a good thing or bad thing?


How do I stabilize the restarts?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: aneutronic on August 30, 2013, 07:01:18 PM
How do I stabilize the restarts?

Try firmware 20130821, very stable and I picked up ~2GHS over the stock 20130723.    :)

edit: Oh, and mx4 thermal paste on 2 modules probably helped a lot. I thought a 20g tube would cover 3 but I ran out after 2.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: dyseac on September 03, 2013, 02:59:01 AM


Try firmware 20130821, very stable and I picked up ~2GHS over the stock 20130723.    :)

edit: Oh, and mx4 thermal paste on 2 modules probably helped a lot. I thought a 20g tube would cover 3 but I ran out after 2.

Where can I download the latest firmware?

Cheers  ;D


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: dyseac on September 03, 2013, 06:44:48 AM
disconnect the ATX Motherboard Power connector after you turn your PSU switch OFF.   Reconnect your ATX PSU connector to the controller board.  Switch the power on.
Also make sure you have all 5 power cables hooked up.


2 x pciE 8 pin

2 x CPU 8 pin

1 x atx mainboard power connector.


Before you reboot the machine, first have a look at the tab

Status -> Cgminer API log

and look at the numbers behind

Code:
   [match_work_count1] => 239017
   [match_work_count2] => 239336
   [match_work_count3] => 240190
   [match_work_count4] => 239549
   [match_work_count5] => 239449
   [match_work_count6] => 239708
   [match_work_count7] => 238995
   [match_work_count8] => 238508
   [match_work_count9] => 239126
   [match_work_count10] => 239069
   [match_work_count11] => 238590

chances are one of your modules is not getting power and it will show it with considerably lower numbers (might even be 0)

The modules are grouped by 8 lines so you can spot where the problem is




So my hashrate just dropped to 40ghs and this is what the log is showing.

Quote
   [match_work_count1] => 23548
   [match_work_count2] => 23459
   [match_work_count3] => 23557
   [match_work_count4] => 23302
   [match_work_count5] => 23395
   [match_work_count6] => 23610
   [match_work_count7] => 23430
   [match_work_count8] => 23375
   [match_work_count9] => 23366
   [match_work_count10] => 23410
   [match_work_count11] => 23437
   [match_work_count12] => 23335
   [match_work_count13] => 23385
   [match_work_count14] => 23369
   [match_work_count15] => 23494
   [match_work_count16] => 23274
   [match_work_count17] => 23795
   [match_work_count18] => 23460
   [match_work_count19] => 23237
   [match_work_count20] => 23368
   [match_work_count21] => 23208
   [match_work_count22] => 23155
   [match_work_count23] => 23520
   [match_work_count24] => 23242
   [match_work_count25] => 23228
   [match_work_count26] => 23658
   [match_work_count27] => 23703
   [match_work_count28] => 23275
   [match_work_count29] => 23460
   [match_work_count30] => 23363
   [match_work_count31] => 23542
   [match_work_count32] => 23472

Everything looks fine?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: SolarSilver on September 03, 2013, 07:32:24 AM
So my hashrate just dropped to 40ghs and this is what the log is showing.

Quote
   [match_work_count1] => 23548

Everything looks fine?

That looks normal

Which hash rate are you talking about, the numbers reported by the pool or the MHSav number under the Status -> Cgminer Status tab in the interface?

I sometimes see the pool reporting lower numbers than the web interface

https://i.imgur.com/7isHJ4R.png

which is something I can't explain (power consumption is also the same)

My current solution is to hard reboot the machine when I spot this

Can you make a screenshot of the Status -> Cgminer Status page?


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: aneutronic on September 03, 2013, 08:39:29 AM

Where can I download the latest firmware?

Cheers  ;D

Here you go:  http://ck.kolivas.org/apps/cgminer/avalon/

The cgminer thread:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=28402.0

If you are using a July or earlier rev I think you will notice a nice improvement.    :)



Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: dyseac on September 19, 2013, 10:26:01 PM

Where can I download the latest firmware?

Cheers  ;D

Here you go:  http://ck.kolivas.org/apps/cgminer/avalon/

The cgminer thread:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=28402.0

If you are using a July or earlier rev I think you will notice a nice improvement.    :)



HELP!! I flashed the bios to 20130821 last night and now its 20x worse!! Runs at 100ghs for about 30 seconds before dropping to 5ghs - 20ghs erratically. Left it for a few hours and no better. Tried a couple of versions in between with same results before flashing back to original backup and now that's fucked too :(

Any suggestions? this is killing me!!!


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: Tigggger on September 19, 2013, 10:41:15 PM
HELP!! I flashed the bios to 20130821 last night and now its 20x worse!! Runs at 100ghs for about 30 seconds before dropping to 5ghs - 20ghs erratically. Left it for a few hours and no better. Tried a couple of versions in between with same results before flashing back to original backup and now that's fucked too :(

Any suggestions? this is killing me!!!

Yours is a batch #3, it's probably throttling because of temps as the sensors have changed so the default temps are too low

In more options try
--real-quiet --avalon-auto --avalon-fan 100 --avalon-temp 70 --avalon-cutoff 90


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: dyseac on September 20, 2013, 12:25:02 AM
HELP!! I flashed the bios to 20130821 last night and now its 20x worse!! Runs at 100ghs for about 30 seconds before dropping to 5ghs - 20ghs erratically. Left it for a few hours and no better. Tried a couple of versions in between with same results before flashing back to original backup and now that's fucked too :(

Any suggestions? this is killing me!!!

Yours is a batch #3, it's probably throttling because of temps as the sensors have changed so the default temps are too low

In more options try
--real-quiet --avalon-auto --avalon-fan 100 --avalon-temp 70 --avalon-cutoff 90


Wow thank you so much. that appears to have been the problem :D


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: -ck on September 20, 2013, 07:45:14 AM
In more options try
--real-quiet --avalon-auto --avalon-fan 100 --avalon-temp 70 --avalon-cutoff 90
By the way I would still not generally recommend setting the fan above 80% due to the design flaw that makes the higher pressure 38mm fans blow so hard that the low pressure fan 25mm is spinning but air is moving backwards through it.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: Tigggger on September 20, 2013, 09:10:02 AM
Wow thank you so much. that appears to have been the problem :D

My pleasure.

By the way I would still not generally recommend setting the fan above 80% due to the design flaw that makes the higher pressure 38mm fans blow so hard that the low pressure fan 25mm is spinning but air is moving backwards through it.

Does that apply on the batch #3 too ? Not had the case off mine but it appears from the outside to only have those 2 high pressure fans, changed it anyway.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: -ck on September 20, 2013, 09:53:39 AM
By the way I would still not generally recommend setting the fan above 80% due to the design flaw that makes the higher pressure 38mm fans blow so hard that the low pressure fan 25mm is spinning but air is moving backwards through it.

Does that apply on the batch #3 too ? Not had the case off mine but it appears from the outside to only have those 2 high pressure fans, changed it anyway.
I don't know to be honest. Is there no 25mm thick fan in the batch 3s? If not then it doesn't matter. Generally I'd suggest leaving the fan on the auto settings since I spent a lot of time making them work for optimal temperature/fanspeed/energy consumption.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: pagereborn on November 19, 2013, 02:38:18 PM
I have a 4 module running at default settings with 300 frequency. The temperatures are 15 42 34. Should I up the frequency with stock psu? It's running at average 95 ghs. Thanks for any suggestions.


Title: Re: Avalon Overclocking Thread - Share Your Results and Tips for others
Post by: HerbJones on January 05, 2014, 07:15:06 AM
Hi All,

So thanks to all the help with everyone on this board. Here is my setup:

Batch#:  3
Modules:4
PowerSupply: OEM
Extra CoolingSetup:  None - Outside in NorCal Ambient 34F to 62F
[Firmware Version] => 20131229
Chip Frequency(Default: Advance):  350.
More Options(Default: --quiet):--avalon-auto
HashRate:   ~110 GH/s is average;
Uptime:   24 hours - going strong.

Cheers,