GekkoScience is now dabbling with 16nm ASICs for new designs

[sidehack]

Good news on the dev front. I just sent off for some parts which will start grinding on the second batch of 2Pacs, and also a bunch of stuff for USB hubs and the new pod formfactor. I also got my hub chips in today, as well as stencils for both the hub and new pod.

In better news, I breadboarded a communication setup for BF16 stuff today and it appears to work, which solves one of the delays there. I'm going to try and assemble a BF16 single-chip test board tomorrow and wire it up for VH to see if he can get it hashing. If he can get it going, I might be ordering prototype PCBs of a BF16 Compac (well, 2Pac) as early as the end of next week.

After the end of next week I'm taking a week's vacation so there won't be any updates. Wasn't my idea, I'd rather keep doing stuff but oh well.

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[kipper01]

Vacation is good I just got back from Spring training in Goodyear, AZ.

Put me down for 2 hubs!  MY 10 port hub from Klintay is down to 2 ports.  The other 8 went dead for some reason.  Was a good hub while it lasted.

[sidehack]

My 49-port from him is still chugging along, testing 2Pacs full time. Yesterday my hot air station went belly-up though, that wasn't fun. Gonna slow down progress until the replacement gets here. I had a bunch of spares, but the ones issued to various minions over the years were kept by said minions when they left. Oh well, got 4 years of hard labor out of it.

[Morguk]

Excited for any form of pod!

[gt_addict]

Excited for any form of pod!

Same here. Looking forward to a few BF pods to play with.

[AJRGale]

Excited for any form of pod!

Same here. Looking forward to a few BF pods to play with.

We all are..
just remember to PM sidehack "Whens the BF out!?" "how much are the compac pods?!" and "can i buy the pods?!" everyday to annoy him till he releases them. He like that kind!










(anything stated here is not factual, do not annoy sidehack, he is already slaving over the 2pacs for everyone)

[sidehack]

Yep, I absolutely love being annoyed. Just ask my least favorite customers, who I've been intentionally rude to on occasion to discourage unnecessary conversation.

Speaking of working, looks like VH is gearing up to test the USB comms I'll need for the BF16 Compac. So that's pretty great.

[AJRGale]

...
Speaking of working, looks like VH is gearing up to test the USB comms I'll need for the BF16 Compac. So that's pretty great.

that one step closer

[xleejohnx]

its been awhile since i been in this side of forums
is the replacement s1 etc boards still a thing or did it fall thru?
keep up the good work sidehack!!!

[philipma1957]

its been awhile since i been in this side of forums
is the replacement s1 etc boards still a thing or did it fall thru?
keep up the good work sidehack!!!

I saw your name here and said WTF is he doing posting here.


From you and I to sidekick:

 Are we there yet?


as for replacement boards  down the road maybe?

[sidehack]

I just received prototype boards for a new pod formfactor and the USB hub today. Gonna try and get something working in the next week or so, but manufacture comes first since I'm way behind on 2Pacs.

VH is working on the first steps for BF16 code. I've got a few things to run by him that should make the advanced controls necessary for a full-scale pod easier to get going. The first step is a stick (already have everything for a proof-of-concept, just need driver code) followed by a half-scale pod (new formfactor) based off stick controls; the next step is a full-scale pod with advanced controls and then the S1/3/5 refit boards, which will basically be three of the full-scale pod integrated on a single board with a single controller.

[xleejohnx]

its been awhile since i been in this side of forums
is the replacement s1 etc boards still a thing or did it fall thru?
keep up the good work sidehack!!!

I saw your name here and said WTF is he doing posting here.


From you and I to sidekick:

 Are we there yet?


as for replacement boards  down the road maybe?

haha yeah im never here anymore
i quit mining btc with the prices of S9 miners and the others i dont wanna invest so much in a little return
but i am wanting to replace some s3 boards!! thats affordable and ROI wouldnt take as long!!!

[sidehack]

I haven't done any serious mining in a couple years. The last thing I bought new was a single S7LN; before that it was a single S3. Power's cheap enough here I can make do with older gear but mostly I've been mining for heat. New gear prices have sucked for a long time. Pretty much since the S5/SP20 price wars followed by the S5 openly unapologetic price gouging (when it jumped something like 30% in one day, the reason being "because we know we can get away with it"), that was kinda what killed it for me.

You, me and about a thousand other people are really looking forward to those upgrade boards.

[takagari]

Got my sticks and now I can't find the setup guide I knew I saw. Sorry been away and busy and havn't been keeping up, andone able to point me to the closest guide?
Thanks

[sidehack]

Assuming you're talking about 2Pacs, https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1764803.0

It was on page 2.

[takagari]

Thanks
Was hoping for a hell of a lot less compiling to get these going, don't do much of that.
Will give it a shot.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

Thanks
Was hoping for a hell of a lot less compiling to get these going, don't do much of that.
Will give it a shot.

Or fire up an old Windows pc and use it as the Host. There is a ready-to-run Win binary for it...

[takagari]

Seems I'm getting closer

[NotFuzzyWarm]

Seems I'm getting closer

If using Windoze, you *did* dl and install the Zadig USB driver right? CGminer requires it for all USB linked devices.

[Lincoln6Echo]

Can't wait for the new generation of mining sticks!

One or two USB Sticks with the power of one Avalon first gen!  Time flies...