If Bitmain bails on S2 Upgrade kits, I might look into it. I've already got some BM1384 on the way to play with, we're looking at making a set of boards that'd strap to an S1 chassis. Bitmain's Janet has been pretty helpful so far but I haven't been given any documentation on the actual data protocol for their chips so Bick, if your group have access to any of that info would you mind sharing?

Well, if it helps, I'm just about out of standing stock on DPS2K stuff for probably close to a week. So, to anyone that wants DPS2K gear, talk to Scrappy instead because he actually has more than I do right now.

Yeah, I have decent results on a first-stage prototype. Right now it's a single phase only tested at low power but has full-range voltage control. Random other stuff keeeps getting in the way, since we had a few big design and consulting jobs come in over the last week or two and I'm also single-handing the entire hosting, fielding most customer contacts and sales, working on repairs and attempting to design a new miner while juggling emails with manufacturers, clients and suppliers in at least six different countries. Needless to say it's been a busy couple weeks.
Tomorrow if I don't have to set up three new hosting customers, build an enterprise router and surface-mount about a hundred D750 boards I might work on dummy-load testing with a skip/CCM add-on to increase overall efficiency. After that it's only a few steps to a workable multiphase design and a test unit for Phil to play with. We're all looking forward to having that project done. I hate being behind schedule on awesome stuff.

Yep. It was an opportunity for me to learn something new. Worked out well for both of us.

As long as it's able to supply at least the required current at rated voltage, you're good. Anything 12V >1A will work; don't worry about trying to find exactly 0.8-1.0A supply. That thing you said about cutting off the end and putting in a resistor can't not be a terrible idea.

I dunno. Maybe.

Yeah, 8.4 cents plus 5.44% tax. If you're on the high-power schedule over 100KW it's use-based but around 6.5 cents per KWh averaged across the month.

Probably PR. They want people to know they're testing for it, so the non-technical folks will be comforted?

Sorry to have gone off-topic with gear price calculations. I wasn't questioning your honesty so much as hoping you'd reveal your source so I could also get in on hardware at that price.

Okay, now try that with hardware that a) actually exists, and b) isn't price-hammered into selling at a loss. I know what SPTech's price break is for SP31 right now and it's certainly not that.

I've heard $370 shipped from Avalon for something like 50 units of the 4.1, and approximately "stick it" from Bitmain for $419 up to 100 units of the S5. BM would probably negotiate lower on a jumbo batch but I wouldn't advise to buy a jumbo batch without first getting a small group and seeing what it takes to set them up and run reliably, but they weren't willing to budge an inch on pricing even for a palletfull and I wouldn't advise buying an S5 at their current price point.

Yeah, as much of my stuff as can be run with 18" gets those cables. Less than 0.7% wire loss typical, not including the PCIe contact resistance.

I didn't have a single fan problem on any of the 31 Tubes in my hosting (13 of which are still running). I had two VRMs fail when the exhaust fans weren't working right during a 100F heat wave but that's not bad, 2 out of 992.

Yep, I'm actually still at the shop right now. Just drove to St Louis and back to fetch a server. Between internal projects and external jobs we've never been as busy as we are right now and we're only going to get more busy over the next month or two.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't come by anyway. We'll do what we can to help.

Higher voltage from the PSU will mean, for the same power draw on the miner, less current draw through your cabling and therefore less loss (resistive losses are current squared). However, higher voltage from the PSU means a lower duty cycle in a VRM miner which means increased current ripple (with losses in parasitic resistance on the board) and decreased overall efficiency. Higher voltage in a string miner means higher node voltages, and therefore higher current consumption. If anything, you probably want to lower the PSU's output voltage. I even saw a measurable difference in efficiency with my S1 testing between identical clocks and voltages with an 11.6V and a 12.0V input.

16AWG copper has 4.014 ohms/kfoot, so a 100 foot 6-pin cable would expect about 0.27 ohms. Powering an S5 at 600W you'd see 150W per cable, so 12.5A per cable, expected wire loss of 42W PER CABLE. That's big enough you'd have to factor it into delivery calculations since the endpoint voltage is less, and the current is that much more so the power loss is actually greater. Gross.

Who's giving you $260/TH? I've talked to Bitmain, Spondoolies and Avalon in the last week and haven't gotten numbers that good from any of them.

I actually glanced at my latest bill to verify the tax rate so I could tell you exactly what the added fees were. I'm on the local rural coop, and we're a little over 8.4 cents per KWh. Once we complete our expansion and shift up a power bracket (our building is limited to 72KW but we'll double that) it'll be more load-dependent but around 6.5c/KWh when we hit our targets. Even in town the municipal residential rate was below 9c/KWh. I'm in Missouri.

Yeah that's a bit less than twice what I charge for hosting.

The only added fees on my bill are a 5.4% tax. The price is the price, all in.

I didn't reply because I was elbow-deep in an industrial wirecutter while discussing strain gauge calibrations with Novak. I was at work until 10PM last night and back to business about 6:30AM this morning. It's been a busy week.