Hello again BCT members,
I had a question, and decided I'd reach out to some of the knowledgeable people here at BCT.
![Smiley](https://bitcointalk.org/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
I have an old antminer s1 kicking around, and just got an s3 for around 20$. Now, after mining with nicehash for awhile, I noticed they have custom firmware binaries for some of the newer S series, however they only offer the 'extra-nonce' cgminer binary for s1 and s3. This got me thinking, why just the newer models? Why not make a full .bin thats easily flashable by everyone?
My question is this, how was nicehash able to open and modify the s4-s7 bin files? is there possibly a linux program that will open the file to a semi readable state? Or am I going to have to try some type of debugger and hex-editing?
UPDATEOk, so from the bit of research i've done it seems that the firmware file is strictly binary info. It is not a cd-rom image that has been converted to bin... which would allow modification directly.
So .... I've moved to a new avenue, when taking a backup through the LUCI interface, the /etc/config folder is backed up into a tar.gz file.
Through the combination of the backup, and a bit of scp work, Ive got a complete (or a close as possible) backup of the entire firmware. Now as I only have one s3+, and any mistakes require me wipe changes and start from scratch again, this project is going to take awhile.
UPDATE #2So, after some messing around, it seems that (as i expected) files outside the etc/config folder can be added to an antminer s3+ backup, and during the flash the corresponding files are modified. So heres a small Proof Of Concept to show this goal is attainable
link to beta (p.o.c) =
https://mega.nz/#!btBxBQyS!34-QS3Vzw11jztwnYq2DGiVf1HNgSXHBaI0iRnvlZYoI suggest everyone who decides to try it, open the .tar.gz and read the changes firsthand..... all about transparency here.
My semi-custom backup currently:
-uses the newest s3 firmware available from bitmain
-add frequencies to the asic-freq config file, allowing smaller steps for overclocking (more to come)
-sets default asic-freq to 231.25
-changes antminer logo slightly (still want to give credit to the OG creators of course)
-changes antminer hostname to antMiner-L8nit3-MOD
-sets the static IP to 192.168.0.13 - avoids having to screw with your router or eth settings if your network is x.x.0.1 (will be switching on dhcp next)
-Changes default timezone to America/Toronto EST-5
-Changes default pool settings (as a normal backup would) - If you like the work, throw a few hashes my way
![Smiley](https://bitcointalk.org/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
Still in the works:
-Dhcp by default, no longer have to mess with ip settings to do initial setup.
-updated cgminer binary with nicehash extranonce patches
-hashrate graph
-auto-refresh stats page
-VDD re-enable (disabled in most recent firmware)
-small UI tweaks
-Packaging into an OpenWRT flashable bin file (final step)
ClarificationMy goal is for slightly customized binaries (or update packages) for s3/s3+ and eventually s1. In no way am I attempting anything that will magically convert an asic into a faster machine with higher hashrates. This would require different hardware (asic chips).
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