I am interested in the rest, will send PM now.

PMd reply about switches and PDUs.
If you could PM me the model numbers I will make offers. TY

So how much is really paid at the auctions?
...and to whom?
Can you cut an extra slice?

I haven't found anything which runs in a Windows environment, which is also inexpensive. The ones I have found which will change pools based on a formula have a percentage taken when you agree to the priority features, which are adding more than a few miners, or using the profit algorithms (which is the same as swapping to the most profitable pool however you have it setup.

Also, I *believe* you need to unlock API access for any of the Windoze solutions. The Spondoolies stuff is easy, but I am not sure how to do it myself on the BITMAIN products. I do not doubt there is a way, I have not spent the time to run it down, but most or all of the pool switchers do it by API IME.

Awesome Miner comes to mind, seemed like a smooth interface, nice resource usage, etc, but overall they wanted a % of my income without me trying the full power options. I did not really use it due to setup time and knowing I couldn't fully flesh it out. Most of these things seem written for Scrypt miners. I have never minded paying for something of value to me. I have went back and paid people months later who did me a simple favor, IE when Roadstress stopped taking payments for the Christmas SP20 group buy I bought on his link anyway, and since it went through, I paid him, I got the discount he arranged after all. Same for software, or my bartender, I always take care of my bartender and so should you. This is why Open Source works but I understand people needing the short term cash injection if they spent countless hours and provide good software.

If you find a windows solution to allow you to change pools with a flash on all miners please let me know. I am more of the try before I buy kinda guy, but I am open minded and like to try lots of things. I will let you know if I find something as well.
There is one which may work, again depending on the API access to your miners is my understanding of how it works.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=596178.0
M's Miner
and mdude77 is around a good bit. Always answering questions or trying to help someone out. I'm thinking he has the API written to do what we are discussing, but you have to open up your Ants to allow it. Please hit him up to confirm. I am still working through it as well.

It isn't so much I want to switch pools, or even really jump on rentals, etc. Once I pinpoint a pool I plan to ride it for a while, good or bad, unless they scam, then I am gone, but most of our "real" pools are established guys giving it their best. Being here at Kano is fine for me with what I have dedicated, and I do not break any miners away from here unless something Big is up. However I love to experiment, and if a XPY rush on rentals happens again I want to be ready in a flash, meaning I want all my miners setup to change. At the moment it means replacing my CGminer on my ants with something nicehash wrote, etc, but again the Spondoolies are ready to rock and I found EZ instructions for API changes along with their software accepting many pool entries. I have it set to westhash with p=.013 int he password field. If the XPY thing happened again it would take me a while to change all of the pools manually.

WOT FTW
Please let me know what all you may find, I love to share and try things as well.
Build or buy a cheap box and dedicate it to Linux, or setup a dual boot system. It can't be anything but fun to figure it all out and then be running the best CK proxy, that's for me. I moved all my stuff to a secure system, and working on a different system to run Linux stuff, and I know nothing about it, I have fun figuring it out and bugging Kano and CK

www.kano.is for less variance than solo mining
Ran by the developers of CGMiner on their open source pool software.
It is PPLNS with .9% pool fee

There are other pools I would trust as well, BTC Guild always answers questions and pays on time IME.

Good Luck!

It was a superior run. Very nice indeed.
My internet went out last night for a short bit. I'm not sure how much it affected my shares around the times the blocks started popping, but I''d dedicated a certain amount of hash here when I came and for the most part only added to it.

All luck aside, since it is int he past, it is still fun to watch blocks pop. You guys have created a great balance which still provides some adrenaline rush. Thanks Kano and CK.

Thanks to all the miners here.
 and bringing in the big hash, thank you all for adding just as big a reason worth mining here as well. This is a hobby for me although I would love to do it full time. I bet you guys like most would not advise it?
This would be one of those jobs I would work until I dropped, sleep 4, and do it again. I do that for fun all the time, and most of the personal projects like that in my life were never about bringing in even a little bit of money, it was always an outpouring haha. Gotta laugh, not that Bitcoin has been much different to get started but I do have a few coins to show for it. I have not had to spend them, and I prefer not to and use Fiat converted to BTC at the time I need to purchase something. Otherwise I don't get around to replacing it later. I do not know how long I can go that way, but I am going to try.

I considered getting decent 2% loans using CDs as collateral. Then use that money for cash flow to increase my mining power sooner than simply putting a few bucks back each month which would be spent on some other electrical device or computer component. I would be making or losing the same money in the long run, but if I decided to purchase a minifarm or more tomorrow I could use the bank's money and leave my BTC alone. Granted 2% (It was 1.8764% or something like it) is a large amount of money for the large miners, but a small guy like me it isn't. BTW, I'm not "borrowing money I can't afford to lose" here, I'm talking about using money I already set aside to plan to lose haha. Obviously I am at the right pool to have fun doing some block counting I understand every little variable has an impact, but sometimes it does make sense, or I haven't found the bigger negative. So I tend to ask many people for advice.

All ideas and opinions are appreciated and I do give back. If somehow I take a comment and am able to make my life easier I definitely pay that forward, forward to your BTC address.

Thanks again for the great pool and all of the explanations.

I apologize. I did not mean to offend pmorici.

No, not bad at all.
You guys have been responsive to the squeaky wheels, especially the ones with valid points and issues.
People sit up and pay attention when they see someone treated well by a company selling products they use.

I need a bit better BTC price, another drop in SP price, or a group buy to pickup a few more units, and I am not complaining about the price you are at, but I would order today if SP20 was at $370.00 EA or 3 for $1050.00.

Of course the business model changing to straight industrial co-op concerns me as a home miner. I hoped to cut my teeth through home mining and open a side business this summer strictly dealing with crypto in the community, help other home miners get started, and a few other ideas. If I have a hard time getting product from the best miner manufacturer it will be kinda hard to recommend them to others.

That is what I understood from Guy in a recent post, and I've heard about it and talked about it with other members.
Is that the true intent? In the future primarily dealing with Industrial accounts, or will you sell whatever unit you are building to anyone, but your focus is listening to the feedback from the big miners? I should probably ask Guy, hope I'm not putting you on the spot, and if you do not know the answer, what is your opinion, thoughts, how will it affect the future of Bitcoin mining, and how does it specifically effect decentralization?

Thank you for sharing.

That is amazing engineering.
Simple is always the most elegant.

To the OP, do you have any other options, say a backup plan if things didn't work out?
Could you run the unit anywhere else temporarily if needed??
Or, downclock them both?

I am always looking for a silver lining, and with the prices of things at this time we must look at things as an investment, or fun worth the price, but I also want to make a profit. Actually, I am happy breaking even at current pricing because the knowledge gained is hard to put a price on.

I was mentioning to someone just moments ago that I was considering speaking with the main owner at our place. We have worked closely together for many years. I think the only issue would be that if I do it others will want to, and then the whining starts. It has happened before over company vehicles heh. But, you never know until you ask.

Another thought for a backup plan is if you decide to go ahead and things didn't work out you could have a buyer already lined up. Depending on how you made the deal you would not be out much and it is not going to take long to know if you have issues, even downclocked, what would it take, one hot day? Where I am we still have a couple of winter months I am enjoying. I hope you are as well.

I will check back on this thread and I say if you think it will work, if the line is that close in your mind, you ran the numbers, then get yourself a good backup plan and go for it.  

After 100 confirmations and Kano does well and pays out when he can, which is almost always spot on. I hope he sleeps, but I have read that is when payouts may be a little longer, if he is sleeping. He does a great job with it. As far as I know they are still doing manual payouts.
At this time he is in mourning for his brother, and we have wished Kano the best and hope he is doing ok and with family.

I assure you, you will get your payout, and I hope that doesn't sound snarky at all, I am sincerely trying to assure you.
If you do not get your payout within a decent time I will cover your payout.

That is how confident I am you will get it

Edit - I re-read this and it still sounds to me like I am being a smartass, but I was trying to be helpful, please do not take it wrong if it reads that way.

Thank you both for your replies.
I was overcomplicating things a bit
After thinking it throuigh a little more a basic accounting program I use already does all of this for vehicles.
It doesn't work from Mhz, but it does mileage. Rotate tires - fan replacement, checking, etc

Very sorry to hear this Kano, and wish the best for you and yours.
May blessings rain among your family while you grieve.

These people are all correct, entertainment, do it for the community, as a hobby, to learn more because you learn by doing.

At the price of BTC it is a losing proposition to pay retail for miners - over $400 for an S5 at 1100 G to be delivered. One miner.
$1000,00 power bills to consider depending on your actual rate.
If you are not doing it for the above reasons and have average pricing for power etc, you will not make a profit.

I do see some folks with their hands in every pie, rentals, etc who I believe are doing better, but their experience helps them. They have been using and doing longer, so rightfully so.

I called BITMAIN support and spoke with a new guy. He sent me to the BITMAIN Zendesk to fill out a ticket.
Now I wait 

I use the 2000 watt PSU as my replacements as well.
I try to be fair to BITMAIN and use all of their equipment on the units with warranty left, but you are probably right. Once I test it I should leave it until it is sold.

...and I spoke too soon.
I sent a polite PM to BITMAIN Warranty:



Now I am at a loss. Obviously there is something else going on with this unit and the power supplies they provide.
I plan to call Colorado this morning, but what would other customers do in my situation?
I am not the type of person to sell my problem away, I would rather lose the money and throw the thing in the trash, but I will not do so yet.
So please, as end users tell me what you guys recommend.
I plan to call Colorado this morning to see what they say, but I will venture a guess they want me to send them the broken PSU AGAIN, and once they receive it they will send me another within a week.
This is not acceptable.
I am not exasperating when I say the unit has not run more than it has run, which is something BITMAIN should address.

I spoke to a friend yesterday who is something close to a mentor. He said I should cut my losses (the most loss comes from the time I have spent exchanging power supplies and proving the power supply is at fault each time, which is 4 hours at a minimum x 3 failures. Not counting the down time the unit is not hashing, and a different product could be in its place happily hashing away like the rest of my farm.
I will sell the other S4 units I have at the cost I have left in them.
I think everyone knows the product I will use in replacement.

Before anyone states there must be something wrong with my power, line, etc, another S4 is in the place where this one was, along with an SP20, on the same circuit, both happy and hashing.
I am at a loss on how to get BITMAIN to do the right thing. They either need to replace the unit with a functioning one, send me two PSU so I have a backup for when the next one inevitably fails, or completely change it for some other product(s) with an equivalent hashrate / work per cycle.

I will not do anything else with the unit without direction from BITMAIN Warranty, but I know for a fact the unit runs fine with another power supply.

BITMAIN I again ask for communication and help.
Everyone else, I plead for your guidance to resolve this situation in a moral manner. In other words, please do not PM saying to sell it off, as again, I refuse to put someone else though this. Many people who would purchase it would not have the skills to do the things it will require anyway.

Another question for the forum members is, Should there not be some warranty extension? Consider I started it running the end of December and has been without its power supply going on 3.5 weeks. Not 3.5 weeks straight, but off and on through the many failures.

 

This pool had amazing luck. Since understanding how luck works much better after this thread, I'll say the luck was great and I look forward to saying such again in the future, but no matter how hard I wish upon a star I cannot predict it 

Simple n00b question for you guys.
What is the best way to determine a price for your miner when renting?

I read many threads discussing setting the price, and I have not seen a post by someone who said 'use this formula' or 'this website does it like this'. I understand the power usage amount, the estimated amount say 1 TH mines per day, and how it correlates to difficulty.

Is there a more dynamic method with other variables?
I don't mean a calculator to know how much 1 TH will mine, but a calculator which uses that as a variable, the power as a variable, even maintenance, downtime, Bitcoin difficulty, even pool difficulty.

Maybe I am going to far for my initial question, but any input is appreciated. TY!!

There is also a way to connect via the 'debug port'. It is a serial connection.

Search S3 ttl for better discussions.
There is one thread which provides a step by step at the last page but it is discussed in detail.

BITMAIN WARRANTY, Dogie if he is still monitoring this thread, (I think he left the BITMAIN threads alone), and most will say get one from warranty, it is the only way. They sent me two boards a couple of weeks ago. It was nice of them for a bad situation.

How I chose to handle my now out of warranty units is made one of my existing units a "parts" unit, using fans for a replacement here, a hashboard there, etc. If a unit is performing poorly fix it, part it, sell it (with details), or replace it

I decided to change my mind. Previously I stated BITMAIN would no longer hear from me after I received the 2nd Batch 2 S$ PSU replacement. This has been one of many PSU failures. I ran one week out of three with that particular S4. As the customer int his situation I feel I can retract, and move forward with my opinions. It isn't as though anyone from BITMAIN was communicating with me anyway.

I am no longer surprised by reading things like this about the fan, or the previous post regarding the firmware having voltage selection removed. BITMAIN should take a few lessons from several community members. They should hire some of the folks from this forum to be involved in every step of the next generation. The operation must be ran by someone who has little to zero experience building a company. *NOTE* I didn't say open a store, I said build a company. Very different.


Prelude, thank you for taking the time to share. Please let me know which replacement fans you are using. I am going to check all of my units now. I will always share anything useful if I find such.

A recent Spoondoolies firmware update offers the ability to turn the miners on / off at specific times. It allows for a schedule for these things. It is for their hardware.