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SOFTWARE SETUP GUIDE FOR INNOSILICON'S A4 DOMINATOR
STEP 1: Go to your favorite browser on your computer, laptop or phone. Type into the address bar at the top the IP address for the miner, the default address is “192.168.1.254” then press enter. NOTE: Your computer must be connected to your home network via WiFi or Ethernet cable.
STEP 2: The page initially loads in Chinese. So, in the top right corner change the language to English. Unless you are cultured and can read Chinese.....sadly I am not such a man.
STEP 3: (Optional) you can change the IP address by typing in the new one in IP address box and then clicking the set button to the right. Allow 15-20 seconds for it to complete this operation and reconnect to the network. After that, type in the new address and hit enter. NOTE: This can be useful if you intend to set up multiple mining units. Otherwise, they won’t know which one is which and the network will reject them. So, if you purchase multiple units, you will need to connect them one at a time, change the IP address, verify it has accepted the new IP assignment, and then connect the second one. Repeat as necessary for all units.
EXAMPLE: I have all of mine assigned 201-205 (see below) for each of my 5 mining rigs I have setup currently.
Number 1 = 192.168.1.201
Number 2 = 192.168.1.202
Number 3 = 192.168.1.203
Number 4 = 192.168.1.204
Number 5 = 192.168.1.205
This allows me to easily manage them and keep track of their IP addresses. I also found it helpful to attach a sticky note with their respective IP address on it. This way, I can easily track their performance and diagnose any problems quickly.
STEP 5: You will need to choose a mining pool. If you want to know more about mining pools, checkout this link here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_pool. If you don’t want to use a pool you can also setup your own, but it’s very complicated. This is called solo-mining and is not covered here but see additional resources below.
NOTE: I use a couple of them for redundancy purposes so that if the server for the pool I am using goes down then it will automatically switch over to the 2nd or 3rd. This way I can continue to make money and my miners aren’t sitting there idle waiting for someone who may never come back online.
I don’t recommend any mining pool above another, however one that I currently use is litecoinpool.org and I will be using theirs for example purposes.
A. Once you have selected a mining pool you will need to create an account.
B. Next you will need to create a worker. This is what will allow you to connect to the pool’s server to assign work for your specific miner to work on.
C. Pro-Tip: name the worker the same as the last segment of your IP address “worker.201” or give them whimsical names “worker.lukeskywalker”. Then write this information on the sticky note under the IP address so you can keep track of their names.
D. You can usually create as many workers as you want or use one worker for all your miners. I suggest, however creating one worker for each miner. This way you can track each of their metrics separately. I give each one of mine gold stars on their sticky note when they find a block. (I do fun things because I work from home and it keeps me sane…. or maybe I’m insane. Who knows?)
E. You will also have to create a password for the worker. Make it simple, like “1234” something. It doesn’t really matter as, at the very worst, a person will use your worker to mine Litecoins for you, which would actually be a great thing, since you are the one that gets paid.
STEP 6: Now you will need to set your miners to begin working. Locate your mining pool’s Stratum server address. As I said earlier each mining pool is different but they should have this information readily available on their website and paste it into your miner’s configuration page that is reached when you type in the IP address in your browser. Stratum server address should look like this stratum+tcp://us.litecoinpool.org:3333. Your address may look slightly different. Then type in your worker name in the login box "worker.201" and then type in the password. Next click on the "CONFIRM" button and the miner goes to work.
PRO-TIP: Sometimes you will see the worker slow down for a little bit, I've figured out that this is because the control unit will sometimes shut down one of the blades if the temps have gotten too hot. However, as soon as it cools back down within limits it will turn it back on. So cooling is key. Best Practice, good ventilation.
Additional Resources Section
1. Solo-mining and setting up your own stratum server https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=83371.0
2. SSH remote access and control for your Raspberry Pi Control unit. There are many ways to do it, and many programs but this allows you to remote access and control a Raspberry Pi https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/remote-access/ssh The default login information.
Username: pi
Password: raspberry
3. Remote monitor your workers from your mobile device or desktop. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apaluk.android.poolwatch&hl=en or http://www.awesomeminer.com/ are great places to get started.
4. For more information always check the forums. There are a lot of really helpful people out there, and a community of people that love to tinker and share their knowledge freely with the world. https://bitcointalk.org/ is an awesome resource.
5. What is an ASIC processor and how is it different? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application-specific_integrated_circuit
