GekkoScience is now dabbling with 16nm ASICs for new designs

[sidehack]

I was going to reply sarcastically with a search result, but searching let me know I hadn't actually said much about this in a while and a lot of things have changed since then.

The heatsink has not changed since then.

I gave up on CPU cooler compatibility a long time ago; it was an okay idea for a while but presented way too many problems to really be practical. From now on I'll be working around an 8cm square heatsink, atop which will sit a standard 2/3-wire case fan.

The pod is designed to be 12cm square with mounting holes at each corner for an enclosure or tower stack standoffs. It will ship with rubber feet adhered to these corners. The heatsink will be screwed on through an aluminum base plate to help maintain planar contact of the chips underneath. The pods will take in USB from either a Mini or B plug, and will take power through a barrel jack or PCIe 6-pin. There is a second 6-pin for daisychaining power to multiple boards from one master cable. All these connections are lined up along one side. On the manual-adjust pods (short-term plan) there's also a small potentiometer which can be turned to adjust core voltage. BF16 pods will implement software-adjustable voltage control with internal calibration.

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[ZACHM]

2-chip stick using BM1384, wholesale price about $30, estimated 15GH/5WDC
10-chip BM1385 pod, wholesale price about $70, estimated 250GH/60WDC

2-chip stick using BF16, wholesale price around $40, estimated 60GH/5WDC
11-chip BF16 pod, wholesale price around $125, estimated 650GH/75WDC
33-chip BF16 S1/3/5 refit board, wholesale price unknown, estimated 2TH/200W

Put me down for:
1 - BM1384 stick @$30
1 - BM1384 pod @$70


1 - BF16 stick @$40
1 - BF16 pod @$125
2 - 33-chip BF16 refit boards (maybe more when you have a price figured out.)

[sidehack]

Remember, those prices are still tentative. Could end up higher, hopefully not by much.

[kipper01]

I was going to reply sarcastically with a search result, but searching let me know I hadn't actually said much about this in a while and a lot of things have changed since then.

Thanks

I was asking as I could perhaps get my hands on quite a few.

[sidehack]

Yeah and I've still got a couple cases of 'em at the shop, but trying to fit all the geometric constraints for CPU cooler compatibility and still fit a respectable number of chips in there sucks. Just putting a big square heatsink on there and giving myself all kinds of room for the chip field is way easier. I am intentionally making it the right size to find replacement fans easily, and there's a lot of variety in 80mm case fans depending if you want maximum cooling or silence or whatever.

[QuintLeo]

From now on I'll be working around an 8cm square heatsink, atop which will sit a standard 2/3-wire case fan.

 Will it be possible to mount a 92mm fan to that heatsink, twist-tied in a pinch?

 80mm are certainly VERY common, but I see a lot of 92mm surplus as well.

[qctechno]

It would be nice if you use PCI-e connector to replace the DC barrel ( I hate those ) for power connection.
It's overkill for a pod, but overkill never fail 

[sidehack]

You might wanna actually read the description then.

[takagari]

Sooo any eta on those stocks or pods I have free power for 5 months coming January and could really use them

[gt_addict]

Sooo any eta on those stocks or pods I have free power for 5 months coming January and could really use them

I think he's already mentioned a rough ETA of around January

[ZACHM]

Remember, those prices are still tentative. Could end up higher, hopefully not by much.

Yes, I realize those are just estimates now and exact pricing will not be known until you have them ready.

I think I speak for everyone when I say I'm excited to get these in my hands.

[gt_addict]

Remember, those prices are still tentative. Could end up higher, hopefully not by much.

Yes, I realize those are just estimates now and exact pricing will not be known until you have them ready.

I think I speak for everyone when I say I'm excited to get these in my hands.

Most certainly. I've always wanted another pod type miner like the U3. I know they will look different but always been a fan of USB miners.

[sobe-it]

Because of buck overheads and other things, the low-end hashing efficiency of the 2-chip BM1384 would only be at best a marginal improvement over the existing Compac. However, overclocking is where it'll really shine. The old stick's 5W performance was around 12GH, where 15GH is hopefully a conservative estimate for this one; 7W should see over 20GH instead of 16GH and the top-end 10W would get you about 27GH instead of the old stick's maybe hitting 20GH if it didn't burst into flames. Cooling should also be better because of the reduced heat density of two chips.

Looking foreword to this to push it to the max, hope it don't let out the magic smoke. I will at least get 2, one for normal mining and one for "testing". The one chip compac didn't seem to get too hot anywhere as far as I pushed it. Only had the IR temp gun but I think it did very well considering I topped it out at around 25+Gh.

[hurricandave]

I'm glad you chose to go with case fans over cpu. Those who can find an old Dell may remember seeing a giant green shroud thing attached to the case fan from the cpu. This maybe just the thing to reuse with this project.

[leowonderful]

Was planning to use a liquid cooled CPU loop on the miner once it came out.. looks like it ain't going to happen :p I have plenty of case fans either way, so no big deal for me, but CPU coolers were a big interest for me. Either way, it works.

[sidehack]

I was pretty sure I had said from the beginning that I wouldn't do CPU cooler compatibility this time, for a long list of practical reasons, but that must have been said somewhere else because I don't think it's mentioned in this the thread that actually matters.

Yep, I bailed on CPU coolers months ago. I could try and make a small U3-sized thing that'd mount up to a cooler but it'd be power-limited (probably only 4-6 chips) and to do any just compactness (without custom machining the heatsink like U3 does) would require double-sided assembly, something I'm still not too sure on.

[rockmoney]

Getting excited as you continue working on this sidehack! I know there are many people waiting with anticipation to get their hands on one of these, but if there is any type of reservation list for the first batch of units, please put my name at the very top! Tried to get one of your BW LK-1402 Compac Prototype sticks from your auction, but was outbid at the last minute.

Keep up the GREAT work & thanks! 

[takagari]

I think.. honestly the issue is. Sidehack is spending to much time sleeping.
6-8hrs is to much, a few 20 minute power naps is all you need sidehack.

Sleep when your dead!

[sidehack]

Time's only one of the problems. Doing all the manufacture and maintaining a 100KW datacenter does eat up time, but that's only part of it. Waiting 2-3 weeks for a prototype PCB slows things down a bit. I know VH is putting all the time he can into it, but the lack of documentation on BM1384 stuff isn't helping his time efficiency a whole lot. I'm at the shop right now actually, bus-sniffing him some more data out of a makeshift S5 setup.

I'll probably start shopping around again for an affordable domestic prototyping place here soon, but right now where I'm getting 'em from is China (which sucks for a variety of reasons) because it's about 1/4 the cost of what I've seen in the US and to say I'm on a shoestring budget would be an insult to shoestrings.

[takagari]

Time's only one of the problems. Doing all the manufacture and maintaining a 100KW datacenter does eat up time, but that's only part of it. Waiting 2-3 weeks for a prototype PCB slows things down a bit. I know VH is putting all the time he can into it, but the lack of documentation on BM1384 stuff isn't helping his time efficiency a whole lot. I'm at the shop right now actually, bus-sniffing him some more data out of a makeshift S5 setup.

I'll probably start shopping around again for an affordable domestic prototyping place here soon, but right now where I'm getting 'em from is China (which sucks for a variety of reasons) because it's about 1/4 the cost of what I've seen in the US and to say I'm on a shoestring budget would be an insult to shoestrings.

Oh yes I'm just kidding. Greatly appreciate what you do, can't wait to support it! I've had stuff prototyped and built in the past, it is a nightmare, the waiting is the hardest part!

As for prototyping.. Ya see that all the time, china always cheaper.
And half the american companies probably outsource it to china anyway and triple the price lol.