Swedish ASIC miner company kncminer.com

[Ytterbium]

My theory is this: They won't announce anything. They'll simply start providing tracking numbers to customers. Let the customers spread the word like fire to a pinetree farm. That'll be the best announcement which could ever be made.

Paul Revere's ride would hold nothing compared to KNC customers screaming they have tracking numbers.

You had me at hello....this would be an awesome way to let the news drop.

We'll actually see our units hashing on our pool accounts before they send them.

[kkooks]

Is this company legit or what... anyone have dropped by their offices?

[Ytterbium]

Perhaps your eidetic memory can recall this link
https://www.kncminer.com/news/news-25

Specifically the statement "Embedded Linux SO_DIMM module"
As far as I know that still stands.

I'm prepared to be proven wrong, even though I never claimed it was a fact.
You no doubt remember me stating "If they use the SO-DIMM pictured"

Yes however that doesn't mean things don't change.   KNC has reported in separate occasions that the package would be 2797 ball and 2046 ball and looking at the PCB today it is clearly neither.  The photos of the board (identified upthread not by me BTW) appear to be .  Still even if the SO-DIMM board is used, the reasons aren't the ones you listed.   USB isn't used, only single Ethernet port used, no need for FPGA to run cgminer, etc.

Actually there is what appears to be a USB micro-b port above the Ethernet port.  If it's a beagleboard plugged into something else (which is what it looks like) there will also be a full sized USB-A port on the back for plugging stuff into.

I'd like to run this over wifi.  I run my Avalon over wifi and I did the same with my old GPU miners. I'd been planning on using an old router and using it in bridged mode but if I could just plug in a USB wifi dongle from my old GPU miners, that would be nice.  (I'm planning on cannibalizing a PSU from one of them anyway).

Also, you said an FPGA would be useless, but not really - you'd use it to send signals to the pins on the ASICs.  The Avalon uses one.  Otherwise you'd need to embed Ethernet, USB, PCIe or something like that directly into the ASICs.

Anyway, the board doesn't seem to be JUST a beaglebone, but rather a beaglebone plugged into some other PCB as a shield.  The other PCB is probably some custom thing ORSoC cooked up. It could just be distributing the signal from the beagleboard or it could have an FPGA for controlling the chips.  We'll see.   Some simple FPGAs can be really cheap, like a couple dollars.

[AussieHash]

Is this company legit or what... anyone have dropped by their offices?

You probably haven't read every single post in this thread but on YouTube there is a bitcoinorama video of open day at KnC. There is also another bitcointalk member's writeup of the same day posted to google docs (can't recall the link) and there is also an interview of Emmanuel of cloudhashing describing how as part of their due diligence in ordering (likely $2 million dollars of Jupiters) they thoroughly checked out KnC and visited them.

found it : https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=214285.msg2391522#msg2391522
For the lazy : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqOx3O09ol4 view from 5:40

[DeathAndTaxes]

The connection to the ASICs is serial.  I didn't say there is no USB port just that it isn't used.  The rPi on Bitfury has 2 USB ports but they aren't used.   Not sure what you mean by you must use an FPGA or embedding ethernet in the ASIC.  Neither Bitfury nor ASICMiner do and I am sure KNC doesn't either.  You have a microprocessor based host (beagle board, Single board computer, rPi, etc doesn't really matter) and it sends instructions to ASICs over serial link.   No FPGA, no need for USB, no embedding anything in the ASIC cores.

Simple version
host controller ---- serial link ---- ASIC board ---- serial link ----- ASIC board ----- serial link----- ASIC board ---- serial link ---- ASIC board.

The serial data connectors are visibile on the ASIC board https://www.kncminer.com/userfiles/image/ASIC_PCB.jpg
The ribbon connector from host controller to ASIC board is partially visible in this photo: https://www.kncminer.com/pictures/product/big/5421_big.jpg

[demonmaestro]

hang on a sec. where are these videos?

[Ytterbium]

The connection to the ASICs is serial.  I didn't say there is no USB port just that it isn't used.  The rPi on Bitfury has 2 USB ports but they aren't used.   Not sure what you mean by you must use an FPGA or embedding ethernet in the ASIC.  Neither Bitfury nor ASICMiner do and I am sure KNC doesn't either.  You have a microprocessor based host (beagle board, Single board computer, rPi, etc doesn't really matter) and it sends instructions to ASICs over serial link.   No FPGA, no need for USB, no embedding anything in the ASIC cores.

Simple version
host controller ---- serial link ---- ASIC board ---- serial link ----- ASIC board ----- serial link----- ASIC board ---- serial link ---- ASIC board.

The serial data connectors are visibile on the ASIC board https://www.kncminer.com/userfiles/image/ASIC_PCB.jpg
The ribbon connector from host controller to ASIC board is partially visible in this photo: https://www.kncminer.com/pictures/product/big/5421_big.jpg

USB is one type of serial link, obviously it's not the only type, as there are simpler older systems like RS-232, etc which would fall under "something like that"

[FUKT]

[12:06 AM]   Searing : although kncminer and others offerting regular credit card stuff etc plus paypal etc may have to be addressed by bfl someday ....people are (less monarch upgrades who are stuck ) are gonna be cautions on pre-orders from now on and use cc imhjo
[12:06 AM]   BFL_Josh : We'll see if they are still in business in 6 months.

[Ytterbium]

[12:06 AM]   Searing : although kncminer and others offerting regular credit card stuff etc plus paypal etc may have to be addressed by bfl someday ....people are (less monarch upgrades who are stuck ) are gonna be cautions on pre-orders from now on and use cc imhjo
[12:06 AM]   BFL_Josh : We'll see if they are still in business in 6 months.

I'm sure BFL will still be in the business of scamming n00bs in six months, which is sad.

It's kind of amazing he doesn't even believe it's possible for a company to just say what it's going to do, when it's going to do it, and then actually deliver.

[kuriboh]

[12:06 AM]   Searing : although kncminer and others offerting regular credit card stuff etc plus paypal etc may have to be addressed by bfl someday ....people are (less monarch upgrades who are stuck ) are gonna be cautions on pre-orders from now on and use cc imhjo
[12:06 AM]   BFL_Josh : We'll see if they are still in business in 6 months.

Well... OrSoc and K&C have more time in business than BFL

note: OrSoc + K&C = KNC

[kingcoin]

it sends instructions to ASICs over serial link.   No FPGA, no need for USB, no embedding anything in the ASIC cores.

It might be that the serial protocol used is not a standard one and need to operate at higher frequency than what you would do using PIO on a microcontroller.

[merv77]

I hope they have used a "Beaglebone Black" for the Linux controller as this board has HDMI video output.



It will be useful in the event of network problems (if you have problems establishing connection to you router).

If you have to troubleshoot network connection problems and need to see startup logs and/or change settings, then a keyboard and monitor will be important.

PS. I have posted this question in KnC forums.

EDIT... got reply from Sam already.. and it's confirmed...

Hi

Yes all of our devices have a beaglebone installed on the controller card.

Sam

[demonmaestro]

I hope they have used a "Beaglebone Black" for the Linux controller as this board has HDMI video output.



It will be useful in the event of network problems (if you have problems establishing connection to you router).

If you have to troubleshoot network connection problems and need to see startup logs and/or change settings, then a keyboard and monitor will be important.

PS. I have posted this question in KnC forums.

EDIT... got reply from Sam already.. and it's confirmed...

Hi

Yes all of our devices have a beaglebone installed on the controller card.

Sam

Giggidy! 

[sickpig]

(asked also @KnC forum)


the miner will come with a beaglebone (0) or with a beaglebone black (1)?

sorry for being pedantic but I just want to be sure since the two are quite different in terms of spec

(0) http://beagleboard.org/Products/BeagleBone
(1) http://beagleboard.org/Products/BeagleBone%20Black

[demonmaestro]

(asked also @KnC forum)


the miner will come with a beaglebone (0) or with a beaglebone black (1)?

sorry for being pedantic but I just want to be sure since the two are quite different in terms of spec

(0) http://beagleboard.org/Products/BeagleBone
(1) http://beagleboard.org/Products/BeagleBone%20Black

true but why should it really matter. as long as they work.. and get you a miner when they say they do is what matters!

[sickpig]

(asked also @KnC forum)


the miner will come with a beaglebone (0) or with a beaglebone black (1)?

sorry for being pedantic but I just want to be sure since the two are quite different in terms of spec

(0) http://beagleboard.org/Products/BeagleBone
(1) http://beagleboard.org/Products/BeagleBone%20Black

true but why should it really matter. as long as they work.. and get you a miner when they say they do is what matters!

sure you're right the main things is that the miner has to mine

but regarding your "why" this is one of the b/c :

If you have to troubleshoot network connection problems and need to see startup logs and/or change settings, then a keyboard and monitor will be important.

another one that I can add is that the more powerful the linux controller will be the better will be for miner usability.
e.g. let say you want to add a vpn client (like  this one: http://www.ntop.org/products/n2n/) to monitor remotely your miner, I'd dare to say that you will have a higher probability to  succeed in case KnC have taken the BB black route

[tolip_wen]

I stand corrected regarding the SO-DIMM.

[sickpig]

I stand corrected regarding the SO-DIMM.

fwiw I can say that I was sure they would have used the a SO-DIMM device developed by OrSoC...

[timmmers]

[12:06 AM]   Searing : although kncminer and others offerting regular credit card stuff etc plus paypal etc may have to be addressed by bfl someday ....people are (less monarch upgrades who are stuck ) are gonna be cautions on pre-orders from now on and use cc imhjo
[12:06 AM]   BFL_Josh : We'll see if they are still in business in 6 months.

I'm sure BFL will still be in the business of scamming n00bs in six months, which is sad.

It's kind of amazing he doesn't even believe it's possible for a company to just say what it's going to do, when it's going to do it, and then actually deliver.

If KnC succeed (which I'm feeling good about), you're likely to be wrong there mate, a side effect of being on time and honest as a company will destroy the business of scamming noobs...why would anyone take a risk with a company like BFL once it's proven that KnC do things right? Other companies will have to deliver or die from the day the KnC rigs arrive on time (and over spec most likely).

The back of Joshes underpants must look like the grid at Monza after all the news from KnC about things being on schedule.

[kingcoin]

I stand corrected regarding the SO-DIMM.

fwiw I can say that I was sure they would have used the a SO-DIMM device developed by OrSoC...

Some earlier slide had a picture of the orsoc dimm. Did they replace it or is the bb in addition to the dimm?