[CLOSED] [Group Buy + Group Hosting] 3.5TH/s Avalon6 + Platinum PSUs!

[armedmilitia]

We didn't hit the MOQ!

UNITS RESERVED: 4
Reservations close Sunday at noon EST (5:00PM UTC)

The Avalon6 is rated at 3.5TH/s, 0.29 J/GH @ the wall (1015W). BlockC has informed me that Avalon should be releasing a firmware update in 5 weeks that will get it up to 3.65TH/s at the same efficiency. Detailed specs: http://www.blockc.co/products/avalon-6-3-5-th-s-bitcoin-mining-server

What is this?
This is a group buy for the Avalon6 miner + 3 months rental of Finksy's platinum rated PSUs + 3 months (renewable) hosting @ Great North Data up in Labrador, Canada.
At the end of the hosting period you have the choice to ship the miners out or to renew the contract. Those who choose to renew may get a discount on PSUs with Finksy, and GND will be lowering their rates across the board in several months.

The advantages of going with this group buy are numerous: We'll get a solid volume discount on the Avalon6 units and PSUs, the MOQ for individuals in this buy is 1 instead of 10, our hosting is cheaper than going alone, and we save quite a bit on shipping. Already we have a better rate than the official blockC website as it is. All in all, not too shabby!

This is the original discussion thread (now outdated) where this plan was hashed out:  
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1171705.msg12952744#msg12952744

COSTS:
15 units:
$1320 for the Avalon6 (could go lower)
$50 for shipping
$66 for import duties on the Avalon6
$30 for 3 months of PSU rental
$144.06 for 3 months hosting @ 47.31 USD/KW/Month

50 units:
$1310 for the Avalon6 (conservative estimate, could go lower)
$20 for shipping
$65.50 for import duties
$30 for 3 months of PSU rental
$137.64 for 3 months hosting @ 45.04 USD/KW/Month

100 units:
$1300 for the Avalon6 (conservative estimate, could go lower)
$10 for shipping
$65 for import duties
$30 for 3 months of PSU rental
$133.05 for 3 months hosting @ 43.55 USD/KW/Month

Note that the final costs for the Avalon6 and shipping will be determined after they have been reserved, these are estimates provided by blockC. If the total price has increased you can withdraw without penalty. The numbers here serve as a guide but won't be exact.

TIME FRAME:
The Avalon6 units will arrive at blockC on November 20th. From there I've been told it will take a week to arrive in labrador. It's possible the batch sells out before we raise all the funds. This isn't a disaster, blockC has confirmed they will be receiving more batches in the future.

Finksy will need payment earlier, as he needs to pay his suppliers before sending us units. We'll need to pay him by monday night, which is why the reservations close on sunday. You guys will have to make the payment to the address Finksy provides by Monday at 11:59PM EST (4:59AM UTC Tuesday), or you risk losing your deposit!

PAYMENT:

• There is a refundable deposit of 0.06BTC/unit to ensure you are actually serious. You will receive that back once the group buy is over, provided you haven't skipped a payment or backed out. Reservations will close in a few days, I will give 24hrs notice before that happens!
• BlockC and Finksy will provide me with a payment address after reservations are closed, you must send me a signed message from the sending address containing your username.
• Great North Data will provide me with a payment address when the miners arrive in Labrador. If you don't pay for hosting, your miners will be redirected to mine for GND in order to pay for it, and then returned to you!

WITHDRAWL:
You may back out of the buy before we pay BlockC, but you lose your deposit! After that, it's too late.

TRANSFER:
You can transfer the ownership of the miner to another person while the hosting contract is underway (it's only a pool switch and a spreadsheet update on my end), but that person can't move their hardware until the term expires.

WARRANTY:
From the blockC website:

WARRANTY:
Avalon miners include a 90 day warranty, starting from the date goods are received.
This warranty is serviced by BlockC.co in California.
We promise to replace or repair faulty miners, but lost mining earnings will not be compensated. Buyers pay inbound shipping and we will pay the return shipping.
Note: miner modification or disassembly will void warranty. See complete Warranty for all warranty terms.

The group buy itself doesn't provide a warranty, which means you're on the hook for shipping costs to blockC if your miner fries.

HOSTING DETAILS:
Detailed power cost (converted from CAD to USD, rounded):

• 6.61¢/KWH (10 Units)
• 6.30¢/KWH (50 Units)
• 6.09¢/KWH (100 Units)

This includes sales tax and a 24/7 onsite tech. These are awesome rates.

I will sign the hosting contract and serve as the representative of the group buy to Great North Data. This is so they don't have to deal with many different customers for the same set of hardware. Please contact me, not great north data, if you need to switch pools or otherwise have problems.


This is the payment address for reserving units (send 0.06BTC for each miner/hosting/psu package you are getting):
(GB closed)

Send from an address you are capable of signing messages from. Please PM me a signed message from that address containing your username.
How to sign a message: http://support.bitcoin.cz/knowledgebase/article/View/36/0/how-to-sign-a-message-using-a-bitcoin-client

Feel free to discuss this below!

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[armedmilitia]

Reserved!

[padrino]

Import duties are required for hardware I would own from the US and host in Canada? I do not pay them for traditional data center hosted equipment, is it a matter of just not understanding how to import hardware not actually owned by the facility, or is the facility classification incorrect?

[Biodom]

Sounds very interesting.

One question: OK, you paid for one or few units.

1. Are you linked to a particular machine with a certain serial number? i am asking in case, for example, one machine malfunctions. If it is your bad luck or everyone gets a small hit to hashing? The latter would have been better, but it is not what is described. Not to be too picky, but blockc warranty does not include any timeframe for repairs. Who will actually do the shipping for repairs? Hopefully, no handling fees (just shipping).

2. In addition, how software update installs will be handled? Some people like to update all the time, some none at all.

3. 3 months hosting is OK as far as being tied up. Will hosting be available at the same price afterwards or can it be extended at a group rate if certain % of the group stays, say 70%, or enough members to get to described thresholds?

[philipma1957]

Sounds very interesting.

One question: OK, you paid for one or few units.

1. Are you linked to a particular machine with a certain serial number? i am asking in case, for example, one machine malfunctions. If it your bad luck or everyone gets a small hit to hashing? The latter would have been better, but it is not what is described. Not to be too picky, but blockc warranty does not include any timeframe for repairs. Who will actually do the shipping for repairs? Hopefully, no handling fees (just shipping).

2. In addition, how software update installs will be handled? Some people like to update all the time, some none at all.

3. 3 months hosting is OK as far as being tied up. Will hosting be available at the same price afterwards or can it be extended at a group rate if certain % of the group stays, say 70%, or enough members to get to described thresholds?

Yeah  lets say 3 months pass  I am done with contract and I want out.  how do we do resales?

For that matter.  Lets say 1 month in coins skyrocket to 2000  and the gear 3x in value.  yeah this does happen rarely but it does.

   I want out  official early sale possible  or do I do a side deal?

I ask this because while I would not cheat someone on a side deal  others may.

 Banning side deals won't work.  

So addressing people that want out early needs something even if it is just to say :

  " side deals   can not be banned due to impossibility of enforcing the ban. If you do a side deal and get scammed you are responsible and will not seek recourse from the group buy/ hosting "

[Biodom]

Sounds very interesting.

One question: OK, you paid for one or few units.

1. Are you linked to a particular machine with a certain serial number? i am asking in case, for example, one machine malfunctions. If it your bad luck or everyone gets a small hit to hashing? The latter would have been better, but it is not what is described. Not to be too picky, but blockc warranty does not include any timeframe for repairs. Who will actually do the shipping for repairs? Hopefully, no handling fees (just shipping).

2. In addition, how software update installs will be handled? Some people like to update all the time, some none at all.

3. 3 months hosting is OK as far as being tied up. Will hosting be available at the same price afterwards or can it be extended at a group rate if certain % of the group stays, say 70%, or enough members to get to described thresholds?

Yeah  lets say 3 months pass  I am done with contract and I want out.  how do we do resales?

For that matter.  Lets say 1 month in coins skyrocket to 2000  and the gear 3x in value.  yeah this does happen rarely but it does.

   I want out  official early sale possible  or do I do a side deal?

I ask this because while I would not cheat someone on a side deal  others may.

 Banning side deals won't work.  

So addressing people that want out early needs something even if it is just to say :

  " side deals   can not be banned due to impossibility of enforcing the ban. If you do a side deal and get scammed you are responsible and will not seek recourse from the group buy/ hosting "

not sure what you mean by side deals. It already says that you can transfer ownership during 3mo, but cannot ship equipment out during that time.
maybe you mean that you can resell part of your hashing power without transferring ownership?

i think some commit on speed of pool changes is needed (12-24hr?)

[armedmilitia]

Import duties are required for hardware I would own from the US and host in Canada? I do not pay them for traditional data center hosted equipment, is it a matter of just not understanding how to import hardware not actually owned by the facility, or is the facility classification incorrect?

I'm not sure about the legal stuff surrounding importing hardware to Canada. If you want details you'll need to contact them about that, but for all hardware that I've brought in to Canada I've needed to pay duties. (I'm not a lawyer or customs officer)

Sounds very interesting.
1. Are you linked to a particular machine with a certain serial number? i am asking in case, for example, one machine malfunctions. If it is your bad luck or everyone gets a small hit to hashing? The latter would have been better, but it is not what is described. Not to be too picky, but blockc warranty does not include any timeframe for repairs. Who will actually do the shipping for repairs? Hopefully, no handling fees (just shipping).

Well, you'll have a specific miner with your choice of workername. If that miner dies, it's on you to pay for shipping for the RMA (great north data will physically ship it out for you). If you want a list of usernames and serial numbers we can do that too. Great North Data is fairly good with handling fees, and especially considering you're doing an RMA I'm sure they'll be sympathetic.

As for repair timeframe, I don't know. BlockC seems very competent from what I've gleaned from communication with them, I'm confident they'll work on it as fast as possible.

2. In addition, how software update installs will be handled? Some people like to update all the time, some none at all..

I'll announce that we're updating the firmware before it happens, just send me a message if you don't want it.

3. 3 months hosting is OK as far as being tied up. Will hosting be available at the same price afterwards or can it be extended at a group rate if certain % of the group stays, say 70%, or enough members to get to described thresholds?

I've sent GND an email to clarify.

Yeah  lets say 3 months pass  I am done with contract and I want out.  how do we do resales?

You can transfer ownership of the miner to another user with a PM to me (it's just a pool switch). I'd highly suggest using escrow, if one of you authorizes the switch but doesn't get paid I have no way to verify that and will transfer ownership anyway.

No way to just buy one and pay an extra fee to have it just mailed to me? I have a psu, and cheaper electric than the host.

Sorry but no, BlockC wants to ship them all to one location and I agree that it's far less complicated that way.
If you want to pick up a unit for yourself you'll have to find a different group buy. 

[armedmilitia]

As a general update: I've extended a few of the deadlines for the group buy.

i think some commit on speed of pool changes is needed (12-24hr?)

I can't make any promises, but I'll be contacting GND as soon as I get your PM, and they are usually quite fast to update pool info.
I imagine the average group buy participant will only be making one or two pool switches throughout the course of the hosting term anyways.

[suchmoon]

I think this 5:2 miners-per-PSU setup is going to be a major PITA. PSUs typically outlive miners but it looks like unless I buy 5 miners I wouldn't be able to recoup my investment in the PSUs. 2:1 setup would be only ~$15-20 more but much more flexible.

Also not quite clear on the Raspberries. How many are you getting and why is that not in the price?

[Biodom]

As a general update: I've extended a few of the deadlines for the group buy.

i think some commit on speed of pool changes is needed (12-24hr?)

I can't make any promises, but I'll be contacting GND as soon as I get your PM, and they are usually quite fast to update pool info.
I imagine the average group buy participant will only be making one or two pool switches throughout the course of the hosting term anyways.

well, this is how I do it too, but maybe others have a different style, trying to catch their luck.
Ok, anyway.

I see only three pools on the 4.1 setup page, so if you setup one as nicehash and another as westhash, then you only have one "real" failover.
Not relevant to me as I don't use nicehash since SP20 days, but maybe relevant to others.

[armedmilitia]

I think this 5:2 miners-per-PSU setup is going to be a major PITA. PSUs typically outlive miners but it looks like unless I buy 5 miners I wouldn't be able to recoup my investment in the PSUs. 2:1 setup would be only ~$15-20 more but much more flexible.

Also not quite clear on the Raspberries. How many are you getting and why is that not in the price?

BlockC said they were included in the total cost of the miners, I've contacted them to see exactly how many we are getting, it's probably only going to be a couple (they can each manage up to 50 units).

Yes, the PSUs will be a pain in the ass somewhat if you decide to not renew the hosting contract. On the other hand, the hosting contract is really good. If you were to sell the miners to another person they probably would just renew the contract anyway.

There's also the option of selling leftover PSUs and distributing the proceeds proportionately, which is fair IMO.

well, this is how I do it, but maybe others have a different style, trying to catch their luck.
Ok, anyway.

I see only three pools on the 4.1 setup page, so if you setup one as nicehash and another as westhash, then you only have one "real" failover.
Not relevant to me as I don't use nicehash since SP20 days, but maybe relevant to others.

Hmm, I'm not sure if the Avalon6 has the same interface. If members decide to use an "intermittent" pool as their primary, they'll need to be careful in selecting a stable backup pool!

[armedmilitia]

Small update: BlockC got back to me. It actually turns out they're going to include one Pi per Avalon6, as each Pi can only point to one set of pools.

[spiccioli]

armedmilitia,

you said we have 10% discount on units from site's price.

They're priced at 13900,00 USD per 10 units, so their price should be around 1250,00 each at least from 10 units, I see them at 1300-1320 instead.

What am I missing?

Regards.

spiccioli

[spiccioli]

armedmilitia,

you said we have 10% discount on units from site's price.

They're priced at 13900,00 USD per 10 units, so their price should be around 1250,00 each at least from 10 units, I see them at 1300-1320 instead.

What am I missing?

Regards.

spiccioli

Found it

Controllers (Rpi aren't included).

spiccioli

[suchmoon]

Small update: BlockC got back to me. It actually turns out they're going to include one Pi per Avalon6, as each Pi can only point to one set of pools.

Ok, good, I was going to ask how you would manage 50 separate pool sets on one Pi

[armedmilitia]

armedmilitia,

you said we have 10% discount on units from site's price.

They're priced at 13900,00 USD per 10 units, so their price should be around 1250,00 each at least from 10 units, I see them at 1300-1320 instead.

What am I missing?

Regards.

spiccioli

Found it

Controllers (Rpi aren't included).

spiccioli

Hmm, the price on the site was previously 14.4K, they must have changed it recently. But yes, we get the advantage of pi's.

[spiccioli]

armedmilitia,

you said we have 10% discount on units from site's price.

They're priced at 13900,00 USD per 10 units, so their price should be around 1250,00 each at least from 10 units, I see them at 1300-1320 instead.

What am I missing?

Regards.

spiccioli

Found it

Controllers (Rpi aren't included).

spiccioli

Hmm, the price on the site was previously 14.4K, they must have changed it recently. But yes, we get the advantage of pi's.

Ah, ok, so now we're at 1251,00 USD plus as much RPis as we need and they're selling them at 75 USD each, so maybe we can source them elsewhere for less.

spiccioli

[torepia]

Loving it so far!

Are the Pi's pre-installed with some kind of software for running the avalons? Or do we need to do that ourselves? If so, who will do it?
How will you have remote access? Would it be possible to get remote access to the miners web gui for the participants in the group buy? I understand if we can't, just a question.
A easy solution would be to have ssh access to the Pi running the avalon, on some random high-port. Running a SOCKS5 proxy you could just tunnel the web traffic to your miners LAN address.
Tho this is probably a unnecessary security risk to take, and probably would require some management/infrastructure work if you wanted to split the miners into seperate sub-nets.

Again, totally understand if we can't have access. I think I just answered my own question.

[armedmilitia]

Ah, ok, so now we're at 1251,00 USD plus as much RPis as we need and they're selling them at 75 USD each, so maybe we can source them elsewhere for less.

spiccioli

They definitely won't knock the retail costs of their pi kits off the total cost of the miners if we source from someone else.
And please remember that the listed prices of hardware are from a recent quote and are likely to change based on where the BTC price goes and qty purchased. We will only know the full cost after we have a certain number of members ready to buy.

Of course, if they jack their price up then I can refund you guys the reservation fee and we can abort the purchase--it's only fair.

Loving it so far!

Are the Pi's pre-installed with some kind of software for running the avalons? Or do we need to do that ourselves? If so, who will do it?
How will you have remote access? Would it be possible to get remote access to the miners web gui for the participants in the group buy? I understand if we can't, just a question.
A easy solution would be to have ssh access to the Pi running the avalon, on some random high-port. Running a SOCKS5 proxy you could just tunnel the web traffic to your miners LAN address.
Tho this is probably a unnecessary security risk to take, and probably would require some management/infrastructure work if you wanted to split the miners into seperate sub-nets.

Again, totally understand if we can't have access. I think I just answered my own question.

From what I've heard from blockC, the pi's come configured.
Great North Data is not cool at all with giving anyone remote access. Sorry.   The onsite tech will do all those operations himself--I have their contact info.

Another update: Finksy got back to me with an excellent idea on how to deal with 2.5 PSUs a miner while minimizing the cost. He's putting together an option for a 3 month (renewable) lease on all the required PSUs. This of course cuts down our upfront costs by a fair margin and makes withdrawing from the buy much less of a hassle (we simply send excess PSUs back and we renew a smaller qty in the next lease).

If the price is reasonable I would be very excited for this option!

[Finksy]

I just need to speak with GND about some of the details for PSU configuring to get a firm price, but I think this could be very beneficial to the GB members. Leasing will eliminate the issues of people owning portions of a PSU, and having to liquidate them at a hefty discount on short notice when some people opt out of the hosting. Not to mention the issue of who would be responsible for replacing defective PSU's if they do fail, down-time due to PSU issues, as well as additional costs for having heavy PSU's shipped cross-border to return them to the potential owner(s) if opting out of hosting. I would assume responsibility for all this.

I will update as soon as I hear back from GND.