Official Avalon Technical Support Thread

[CryptoCluster]

OK. It is finally mining again :-)
If someone fells into similar trouble, here is my escape route:
1) I did power off and on the unit but it did not help.
2) After that, I went to System -> Backup / flash firmware -> Perform reset
3) Whole configuration went to default, but after entering all the settings it still did not mine (although Cgminer status was at least Avalon Alive)
4) Then I powered it off and on again, and suddenly yellow led disappeared and it started mining :-)

[-ck]

Is there anyway to get a new & better fpga controller for a batch 1 avalon? (I would also need a new tp-link)

I get this error very often Avalon: Reset failed! not an Avalon?

Only thing thats help is to replug the usb connection..

Try the latest firmware, and disable the wifi and use an ethernet connection for maximum stability.

I started making firmware myself to keep it up to date with latest cgminer:

http://ck.kolivas.org/apps/cgminer/avalon/20130627/

Thanks. The avalon is already connected via usb to a computer and mines with bfgminer. I get this error sometimes after 6 or 12 or 18 hours and cant get a rid of it.
I tried two different psus. I think its the fpga controller.( that might be the reason why the controller is different on b2

Ok well that code is based on the ancient code base from earlier cgminer which used the serial usb interface which has long since been updated to fix an endless stream of issues with the code. It's your choice.

[eestimees]

Any ideas whats wrong? About 40h ago it stopped hashing, tried power off and back on, no changes.

Temps and fans are on status page : 0

Only discarded counter is slightly climbing...

Fw
20130419

Loose wire? Control unit dead?

Never cloked high than 300Mhz, and ambient temp is 20C.

Any ideas, besides opening it up (as I can't access it in two weeks)?

[allinvain]

The Avalon Wiki says how to set it up for mining via Wifi.  But people have suggested that using the Ethernet cable is more stable.

Is that true?

How do I set it up to mine via the Ethernet cable?

Easily. First you obviously need to run an ethernet cord from the Avalon box to your ethernet switch/router. Setup your laptop/computer IP address to 192.168.0.101 or anything in the 192.168.0.x range. Next open http://192.168.0.100.

Now assuming that you already have gotten further than the initial setup and are actively using the unit now but via wi-fi, then go to "Network" then "Interfaces" and edit the "LAN" interface. There you can give it a static IP assignment - ie 192.168.1.x subnetmask 255.255.255.0, default geteway 192.168.1.1, primary DNS 192.168.1.1, etc etc

[eestimees]

OK. It is finally mining again :-)
If someone fells into similar trouble, here is my escape route:
1) I did power off and on the unit but it did not help.
2) After that, I went to System -> Backup / flash firmware -> Perform reset
3) Whole configuration went to default, but after entering all the settings it still did not mine (although Cgminer status was at least Avalon Alive)
4) Then I powered it off and on again, and suddenly yellow led disappeared and it started mining :-)

Lucky you, but not helping me..

 [2013-06-27 17:01:33] Started cgminer 3.1.1
 [2013-06-27 17:01:33] Avalon: Reset failed! not an Avalon? (0: ef 92 10 ab)
 [2013-06-27 17:01:33] Avalon: Goto idle mode

 [2013-06-27 17:02:38] AVA0: Idle for more than 60 seconds, declaring SICK!
 [2013-06-27 17:02:38] AVA0: Attempting to restart
 [2013-06-27 17:02:39] Avalon: Timeout on select in avalon_get_reset
 [2013-06-27 17:02:39] Avalon: Reset failed! not an Avalon? (0: 00 95 9c f0)

Usb hub seems to be working...

[   12.610000] hub 1-1:1.0: USB hub found
[   12.610000] hub 1-1:1.0: 4 ports detected
[   12.890000] usb 1-1.1: new full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci-platform
[   13.000000] ftdi_sio 1-1.1:1.0: FTDI USB Serial Device converter detected
[   13.010000] usb 1-1.1: Detected FT232RL
[   13.010000] usb 1-1.1: Number of endpoints 2
[   13.020000] usb 1-1.1: Endpoint 1 MaxPacketSize 16384
[   13.020000] usb 1-1.1: Endpoint 2 MaxPacketSize 16384
[   13.030000] usb 1-1.1: Setting MaxPacketSize 64
[   13.030000] usb 1-1.1: FTDI USB Serial Device converter now attached to ttyUSB0

[allinvain]

It seems like several people are having trouble with their TP Link boards and may need new ones but don't have the tools/know how to make one. There may not be any interest if the wifi still works, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway. If there's any interest in a new board (US only) that is "Avalon Ready" please PM me since I don't check this thread regularly.

I've modded these TP Link WR703N boards before with RAM upgrades, USB power mod, and flashed their firmware -- (i.e. everything you need for an Avalon). I'm in the US and if anyone wants a new modded TP Link unit I will sell them for 1BTC (includes standard shipping). I have them in stock on hand ready to ship.

Do you still offer this service. I'd be interested in picking up 1 modified WR703N ready for use with Avalon miner. I'd also be interested in getting another one later on if the first unit you send works (I'd keep it as a backup).

Please respond ASAP.

[JerimiahJohnson]

this is an awesome service to offer but thankfully Avalon is putting much more effort in packaging these things which is greatly reducing the number of units that arrive with broken components.

Also just want to congratulate Avalon on the new black design. Really like it - stepped it up a big notch.

With my broken units I just used the modules that survived to upgrade other units to four module units. Which has worked quite well.

I do have one unit that I run through a linux box because the tplink was destroyed, and I did not feel like tearing apart any of solid units and it works fairly well with bfgminer. Although it is not the most stable. Seems like it needs a reset once a day, not sure if its bfgminer or my fpga controller is slightly damaged.


Also want to throw it out there I have I think 4 broken modules, that were damaged during shipping. Only thing I can really tell is some capacitors snapped off - I do not notice any other damage but I am interested in selling them as is, if anyone wants them - please PM me an offer.

thanks for your time and keep up the good work team Avalon the new black units are really killer

-JJ

[candoo]

this is an awesome service to offer but thankfully Avalon is putting much more effort in packaging these things which is greatly reducing the number of units that arrive with broken components.

Also just want to congratulate Avalon on the new black design. Really like it - stepped it up a big notch.

With my broken units I just used the modules that survived to upgrade other units to four module units. Which has worked quite well.

I do have one unit that I run through a linux box because the tplink was destroyed, and I did not feel like tearing apart any of solid units and it works fairly well with bfgminer. Although it is not the most stable. Seems like it needs a reset once a day, not sure if its bfgminer or my fpga controller is slightly damaged.


Also want to throw it out there I have I think 4 broken modules, that were damaged during shipping. Only thing I can really tell is some capacitors snapped off - I do not notice any other damage but I am interested in selling them as is, if anyone wants them - please PM me an offer.

thanks for your time and keep up the good work team Avalon the new black units are really killer

-JJ

Why dont you try to solder the capacitors?

[JerimiahJohnson]

Mostly because I have found the v1 of the machines which is most of what my farm consists of to be a huge pain in the ass to take apart and work on and I would rather just leave them mining then try to fix the modules my self which may or may not work, some capacitors could be damaged - who knows and dont forget the whole time the machine in question would be down and that difficulty is just rising and rising like crazy.

Plus I have 26 machines running right now and with the air conditioning have basically maxed out my electrical capacity.

So at this point if there is a market for it I would rather just sell the broken modules for parts/repair and continue on with the 26 running units undisturbed.

[-ck]

I just got my second Avalon.

It started up at 300 MHz doing 71 GHash/sec.  That is what my first one does.

But, within a few minutes its status changed to "Sick" and the hash rate dropped.  I changed the frequency to 282 MHz and it worked for a few more minutes untill it went "Sick" again.

Firmware is 20130519 using cgminer 3.1.1, same as my other unit.  The temp3 is 48 degrees.

Any advice before I start hunting through this topic?

Edit: It's been up for 2 hour now at 282 MHz and hasn't gotten sick yet.  Maybe it was just homesick from all the mining it was doing in China.

Lols.

Anyway, new firmware comes out for a reason. Try the latest that I put up.

http://ck.kolivas.org/apps/cgminer/avalon/20130627/openwrt-ar71xx-generic-tl-wr703n-v1-squashfs-factory.bin

Also a lot of the reliability issues go away if you mine with ethernet and disable wifi.

[Humax]

Finally my Avalon arrived and have been trying to get it mining, but sofar no success.

Did everything I could find on the forum. Everthing seems to be fine, but it just won't connect to a pool or to my proxy.

Anybody familiar with this? Flashing to new firmware now....

edit: just finished flashing.
cgminer API log
[Firmware Version] => 20130627
cgminer-3454759
luci-d854edc+
cgminer-openwrt-packages-800cc58
Socket connect failed: Connection refused

[SolarSilver]

cgminer API log
[Firmware Version] => 20130627
cgminer-3454759
luci-d854edc+
cgminer-openwrt-packages-800cc58
Socket connect failed: Connection refused

First of all, check if your avalon can talk to the internets, go to:

Network -> Diagnostics

Try a ping or traceroute

If that works, check the

Status -> cgminer configuration

Does the second last entry "API Allow(Default: W:127.0.0.1)" actually have the parameter "W:127.0.0.1"
filled in?

If the above is all OK, then I only one solution and that is log into the machine with SSH and look around for error logs and check if the cgminer process is running (and if not, why).

By the way, you need to give the cgminer process a minute or so to start up. Otherwise the logs are empty. Patience? :-)

[Sitarow]

Anyway, new firmware comes out for a reason. Try the latest that I put up.

http://ck.kolivas.org/apps/cgminer/avalon/20130627/openwrt-ar71xx-generic-tl-wr703n-v1-squashfs-factory.bin

I an using the auto feature to set the frequency.  One of my units has 2 sections of one of the modules not working.  I noticed this units sits at a higher frequency than the other 2.  It is the silver unit so maybe it has some batch 1 design features.  Changing temperature by -10C using an air conditioner does not affect the frequency or hashing rate.  I am not sure what it means but maybe this gives a hint about how to go higher.


The silver it is running 78617.32 gH/s at frequency 366

Black units
83078.42 @355
82862.54 @ 352

This is from the silver unit, getworkcount1 and getworkcount8 are zero and the freq is up to 365:


  
  [match_work_count1] => 0
  [match_work_count8] => 0

the module on Slot 1 on my unit it was the furthest to the right if your facing the avalon from the front. It is the furthest from the control unit has card 1 and 8 not working. you are down 20 chips for what ever reason. Perhaps they are not getting communication or there is another issue at play.

[Humax]

Thank you both SolarSilver and HELP.org!

Unfortunately, still not very clear what causes the problem. It stops after a few minutes, then it starts hashing again. Hickups all the time....

After wrestling with this "problem unit" I decided to work on my second unit. Just in a few minutes with the same settings, it works just fine!
So 1 Avalon is working as it should and this one is giving me trouble. Orange led goes on and off in few minutes interval. Working unit just the green led lighting up.

Maybe Yifu has been mining to aggressively with this unit and it's like my old dad now...........

[Humax]

I an using the auto feature to set the frequency.  One of my units has 2 sections of one of the modules not working.  I noticed this units sits at a higher frequency than the other 2.  It is the silver unit so maybe it has some batch 1 design features.  Changing temperature by -10C using an air conditioner does not affect the frequency or hashing rate.  I am not sure what it means but maybe this gives a hint about how to go higher.

The silver it is running 78617.32 gH/s at frequency 366

Black units
83078.42 @355
82862.54 @ 352

This is from the silver unit, getworkcount1 and getworkcount8 are zero and the freq is up to 365:

Your silver should hash more than 78617.32 GH/s at such high frequency. Have you checked the inside and the cables of those 2 non working modules?

My good unit is running 79524.26 GH/s at frequency 336. Should be similar to your Black units when running at the same freq.

I hope it's just worn out cables in your Silver unit.

[allinvain]

this is an awesome service to offer but thankfully Avalon is putting much more effort in packaging these things which is greatly reducing the number of units that arrive with broken components.

Also just want to congratulate Avalon on the new black design. Really like it - stepped it up a big notch.

With my broken units I just used the modules that survived to upgrade other units to four module units. Which has worked quite well.

I do have one unit that I run through a linux box because the tplink was destroyed, and I did not feel like tearing apart any of solid units and it works fairly well with bfgminer. Although it is not the most stable. Seems like it needs a reset once a day, not sure if its bfgminer or my fpga controller is slightly damaged.


Also want to throw it out there I have I think 4 broken modules, that were damaged during shipping. Only thing I can really tell is some capacitors snapped off - I do not notice any other damage but I am interested in selling them as is, if anyone wants them - please PM me an offer.

thanks for your time and keep up the good work team Avalon the new black units are really killer

-JJ

There is a guy on the forum that is selling modified tp-link routers (same ones in the avalon units). His name is Kartaiv. You can give that a try if you want to build an integrated system again. I found myself in a similar situation and while mining via an attached Raspberry Pi I did get a few lockup situations. As far as I  understand things this is due to the cgminer software or something with the raspberry pi. I'm more inclined to think it's a combination of the cgminer version 3.2.2 (used in minepeon) and the flaky usb interface all pi's have.

As far as the capacitors if they are snapped off you definitely want to replace them. What I do is steal capacitors off old motherboards.

[allinvain]

Thank you both SolarSilver and HELP.org!

Unfortunately, still not very clear what causes the problem. It stops after a few minutes, then it starts hashing again. Hickups all the time....

After wrestling with this "problem unit" I decided to work on my second unit. Just in a few minutes with the same settings, it works just fine!
So 1 Avalon is working as it should and this one is giving me trouble. Orange led goes on and off in few minutes interval. Working unit just the green led lighting up.

Maybe Yifu has been mining to aggressively with this unit and it's like my old dad now...........

Not sure if anyone asked you this, but did you disable the wi-fi on your unit yet? This can cause the symptoms you describe. It happened to me.

[Humax]

Thank you both SolarSilver and HELP.org!

Unfortunately, still not very clear what causes the problem. It stops after a few minutes, then it starts hashing again. Hickups all the time....

After wrestling with this "problem unit" I decided to work on my second unit. Just in a few minutes with the same settings, it works just fine!
So 1 Avalon is working as it should and this one is giving me trouble. Orange led goes on and off in few minutes interval. Working unit just the green led lighting up.

Maybe Yifu has been mining to aggressively with this unit and it's like my old dad now...........

Not sure if anyone asked you this, but did you disable the wi-fi on your unit yet? This can cause the symptoms you describe. It happened to me.

Yep, that was the first thing I did.

Both settings are identical except one is 192.168.0.101 and the other .102. duh......    Both wifi off and with newest firmware.

I am running out of options. No heat issue, fans working ok, switch is ok, cable is ok, settings are ok etc.

[allinvain]

Thank you both SolarSilver and HELP.org!

Unfortunately, still not very clear what causes the problem. It stops after a few minutes, then it starts hashing again. Hickups all the time....

After wrestling with this "problem unit" I decided to work on my second unit. Just in a few minutes with the same settings, it works just fine!
So 1 Avalon is working as it should and this one is giving me trouble. Orange led goes on and off in few minutes interval. Working unit just the green led lighting up.

Maybe Yifu has been mining to aggressively with this unit and it's like my old dad now...........

Not sure if anyone asked you this, but did you disable the wi-fi on your unit yet? This can cause the symptoms you describe. It happened to me.

Yep, that was the first thing I did.

Both settings are identical except one is 192.168.0.101 and the other .102. duh......    Both wifi off and with newest firmware.

I am running out of options. No heat issue, fans working ok, switch is ok, cable is ok, settings are ok etc.

Did you try 05-19 firmware. I remember I too tried the latest (at least latest on the wiki) and it completely borked the unit where it stopped hashing after 1 min (this was on Batch 1 unit but that should not matter).

Another thing you can look into is the F1 or F2 fuse issue (if your unit was early batch 2). Sorry I can't give you specifics which fuse it is as the avalon wiki is offline at the moment, but I do remember that if you do have the fuse in place you need to disable it.

[shmadz]

Thank you both SolarSilver and HELP.org!

Unfortunately, still not very clear what causes the problem. It stops after a few minutes, then it starts hashing again. Hickups all the time....

After wrestling with this "problem unit" I decided to work on my second unit. Just in a few minutes with the same settings, it works just fine!
So 1 Avalon is working as it should and this one is giving me trouble. Orange led goes on and off in few minutes interval. Working unit just the green led lighting up.

Maybe Yifu has been mining to aggressively with this unit and it's like my old dad now...........

This sounds the same as the problem I'm having (Feb 18 order batch 2, just got it a few days ago) -- anyways let me know if you're seeing similar symptoms..


Symptoms: CGminer restarts intermittently (sometimes will last more than an hour, but usually restarts after 20 minutes or so)

What I've tried: Disable WIFI, disable NTP, opened the case and checked all connectors, replace PSU, replace router, update firmware with 2013.06.27 - (keep settings)

*after updating the firmware, it was ok for a little more than 2 hours before I went to bed, but then I checked this morning and it had re-started within the last 20 minutes  

system logs:
   -- this is what I was seeing with the original firmware (0519) - pages and pages of this:

Code:

[29560.890000] ftdi_sio ttyUSB0: failed to get modem status: -71
[29560.900000] usb 1-1: clear tt 1 (8090) error -71
[29560.910000] ftdi_sio ttyUSB0: failed to get modem status: -71
[29560.920000] usb 1-1: clear tt 1 (8090) error -71
[29560.920000] ftdi_sio ttyUSB0: failed to get modem status: -71
[29560.930000] usb 1-1: clear tt 1 (8090) error -71
[29561.050000] ftdi_sio ttyUSB0: failed to get modem status: -71
[29561.050000] usb 1-1: clear tt 1 (8090) error -71

^^ I don't know what that means, but it made me think to try replacing the router (it was quite old anyways) -- but it still re-starts all the time.

  -- now I don't get that message anymore but I do get a ton of this..

Code:

Sat Jun 29 06:42:01 2013 news.info crond[596]: crond: USER root pid 2082 cmd /usr/bin/cgminer-monitor
Sat Jun 29 06:44:01 2013 news.info crond[596]: crond: USER root pid 2105 cmd /usr/bin/cgminer-monitor
Sat Jun 29 06:46:01 2013 news.info crond[596]: crond: USER root pid 2114 cmd /usr/bin/cgminer-monitor
Sat Jun 29 06:48:01 2013 news.info crond[596]: crond: USER root pid 2123 cmd /usr/bin/cgminer-monitor
Sat Jun 29 06:50:01 2013 news.info crond[596]: crond: USER root pid 2132 cmd /usr/bin/cgminer-monitor

^^ that just goes on and on, I'm not sure if that's normal or not.

I've just tried to re-flash the 0627 firmware with "keep-settings" disabled - turned off the WIFI (removed the interface in the GUI) and I tried running with Con's donation pool settings (maybe there's something wrong with the way I set up my pools?) -- he deserves it anyways. -- been running half an hour now, got my fingers crossed!

:UPDATE: running over an hour now, Humax's comment below gave me the idea to try turning system log to "warning" to remove the news.info logs, didn't work, maybe needs reboot to apply?
 --- new update, just restarted again, right after I added my bitminter pool... I'm going to try to run it to ozcoin with similar settings to what Con was using and see how that goes  
 --- update, ozcoin mining on port 80 was doing fine, tested bitminter on port 5050 and it's been over 2 hours ok. Starting to wonder if my ISP is limiting or watching port 3333 somehow as every time I try to mine on that port cgminer reboots after a short time... dunno, could be anything