GekkoScience 2Pac/Compac BM1384 Stickminer Official Support Thread

[JinglesMatilda]

Hey guys!

Total noob here but thanks to reading your forums I have managed to learn a heap since my first GekkoScience 2pac BM1384 stickminer arrived a week ago!

I have quite a few questions, please bear with me as I still have a lot to learn, so I'm a bit clumsy. 

Firstly I was curious about pools.  I have been working with ckpool as directed. I've managed to get it working there, I am currently having issues getting work reports in CGminer that don't look right but it is still returning a hash rate and data to the pool. (I will return to this later)

I've been reading the support forum and I'm not really sure that it's the best place to be directing my resources considering with most people in the pool Th and I am only providing measly 10-11Gh/s at this rate to the pool. I would like to support Ckpool (ck seems like a really cool dude and I don't understand why the pool isn't more popular) but I'm not sure how helpful my contribution is at this point. (Still it's surely better to be doing something rather than nothing at all?)

I am wondering if there are other pools that would be even marginally more productive for a small miner while I am learning until I am at a point where my contribution to Ckpool is significant? I have had people tell me to direct my stickminer to nicehash but I am still trying to figure out if it is possible let alone how to do that. I also had some one who directed me to ck solo pool, I am unsure is this different to the Ckpool that people are suggested to use when setting up their up stickminer, if so could someone please explain the difference between them?
Is there a forum somewhere that discusses the pros and cons of various pools for these devices? (I think I have a basic understanding how pools work but I'm not confident in my knowledge any guidance would be appreciated!)

I was also wondering if Zadig was the only option available to source the driver required for the stickminer?


Next of all I would like to go back to the issue I raised earlier about the work reports in CGminer that don't appear to be coming up correctly. I'm not sure if it is working and if it is not what I have to do to resolve the issue to get what I believe to be the correct work reports to display: 

([time stamp] Accepted (code) Diff (number)/32 GSD 0)

Instead I am getting work reports that read:

COMPAC-2 100.00MHz (7/154/390/0)(3s):12.53G (avg):10.83Gh/s | A:0 R:0 HW:0 WU:151.3/m
 [2017-09-12 00:37:21.199] (3s):12.53G (1m):11.25G (5m):7.614G (15m):3.520G (avg):10.82Gh/s
 [2017-09-12 00:37:21.841] Device reported nonce: 88dbda1c @ 8c
 [2017-09-12 00:37:21.841] GSD 0: Share above target
 [2017-09-12 00:37:22.632] Device reported nonce: 002a8633 @ 91
 [2017-09-12 00:37:22.632] GSD 0: Share above target
 [2017-09-12 00:37:23.891] Device reported nonce: 2d279c19 @ 98
 [2017-09-12 00:37:23.891] GSD 0: Share above target
 [2017-09-12 00:37:24.096] Device reported nonce: bc26db73 @ 99
 [2017-09-12 00:37:24.096] GSD 0: Share above target
 [2017-09-12 00:37:24.111] GSD 0 COMPAC-2 100.00MHz (7/154/390/0)(3s):12.82G (avg):10.83Gh/s | A:0 R:0 HW:0 WU:151.3/m
 [2017-09-12 00:37:24.111] (3s):12.82G (1m):11.28G (5m):7.655G (15m):3.547G (avg):10.82Gh/s

I've manage to successfully get what I believe to be the correct work reports to come up twice so far but tbh I'm not sure what I did (if anything) to get a different result.
None the less I mostly appear to be getting these work reports.  It still appears to be sending a hash rate to the pool and the level of derp changes in the user pool statistics but I'm not confident it is working as it should be.


I have also have this come upon this in work reports in the past, it's not an issue now but I was wondering what could be the cause of it and how to remedy the issue should it arise again:

 [2017-09-09 14:49:39.075] USB init, open device failed, err -3, you don't have privilege to access - BSC device 2:6
 [2017-09-09 14:49:39.079] See README file included for help
 [2017-09-09 14:49:39.083] GekkoScience detect (2:6) failed to initialise (incorrect device?), resetting
 [2017-09-09 14:49:39.085] failed usb_init
 

I currently have the single USB operating through a 4 port 5v Powered 3.0 USB hub, running the prebuilt CGminer program on a 64-bit windows 10 OS via a Dell Latitude i5-2520M @ 2.50 GHz with 8GB of ram. I am getting about 10-11 GH/s at 100MHz freq (I'm not sure how to adjust frequency) 
(I am not sure how much of this information is relevant but better have it and not need it than need it and not have it right?)

I am not expecting to make much of a muchness out of the one but I do want to invest more in the future as I slowly get more of an idea what I'm doing, I don't expect to ever be a seriously large contributor either but I still see being a small player (particularly in the early stages) over the long term to be worthwhile.

I have seen that there are people running multiple sticks and was curious at what number of sticks did people find that it was producing a high enough hash rate that it was of any significance to them?   

Is this also dependent on which pool you are in?

In people's experience does the operating system or program that you are using have any effect on productivity?

What (if any) factors are there to consider in relation to productivity of these devices?

Is the suggested set up considered the optimal set up (operating system/programs/ pool) for these devices?

I apologise for the lengthy post, I know I am asking a lot, being so new I have many questions, any helpful insight/guidance would be appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read! 

[1715161863]

1715161863

[1715161863]

1715161863

[1715161863]

1715161863

[brush242]

Hey Jingles,

Well, some of what you asked is in the first post and READMEs. But quickly:

Zadig: is the only driver you can use. Windows chooses the wrong one.

Pools: this is a hobby. You aren't likely ever to make any money on sticks. However, if you mine solo, you *may* hit the jackpot and get 12.5 BTC for yourself. The odds are weak, but (and I haven't checked this) probably better than Lotto or Big Ball and trillions have been "invested" into that. If you mine mmpool, for example, and someone hits, it's small so you may make a bit of money there, too. Some (many, most?) of the stickminers point to mmpool.org for the fun and camaraderie.  Overall, run the numbers or read around, stick mining is just for fun and to learn. In my case, my nephew has stickminers pointed to mmpool and an old S3+ pointed to ckpool.

If you can use the word "marginally" as you did in your post, you can truly learn how small a margin can be with stick miners. HA! Similarly, you mentioned "significance" "worthwhile", and "productivity"; the most honest answer is that they aren't significant, worthwhile, or productive unless you enjoy them as a hobby that may, someday, make you a few bucks. Hell, donate whatever dust you make to the sidehack's friend's medical bills: https://www.gofundme.com/lauras-eating-disorder-recovery and along with generating some heat for your home this winter, you've done a good thing. Your best bet for "optimal" is to get the sticks tuned so that they run as efficiently as possible as at high a frequency as possible at as low a voltage as possible without throwing many hardware errors.

Frequency: First post. For example:

Code:

cgminer.exe -o stratum+tcp://pool.ckpool.org:3333 -u 1BURGERAXHH6Yi6LRybRJK7ybEm5m5HwTr -p x --suggest-diff 32 --gekko-2pac-freq 150

See that tag at the end? There is a chart, in the first post under expected performance, Vcore/Freq. that will give you some idea what you can do.

Work Reports: I don't have time to explain, but that miner isn't likely set up correctly.

Gotta go, but seriously, read the first post carefully, skipping all the linux stuff and the README in detail.

Best of luck!

[maggsh]

Hi all! I have been lurking here a while, trying to absorb some of your invaluable experience and knowledge about this gloriously fun stick miner. For now I am running 2 of them in a powered hub / Raspberry Pi setup, and I have managed to tweak them both to run solidly at 225MHz with no HW errors in sight. Lovely.

One aspect that I haven't been able to find much information about though is the difficulty setting. How does this come into play, and what difference does it make if I set it to for example 32, 64, 128 or... Something else.

Looking through the thread, and peering at the various screenshots of cgminer running I can tell that different people on here run at different difficulty settings. I also vaguely recall from when I set up the first stick I received that I saw a recommendation on setting --suggest-diff to 32, so I used that for a long time. But having played with it the last couple of days I can't really see anything happening if I change it?

Any insights on this would be much appreciated, or links to a place where this may already have been explained (my sincerest apologies if I missed it previously in the thread).

Thanks for all your contributions on here, this thread is gold!

/m

[brush242]

One aspect that I haven't been able to find much information about though is the difficulty setting. How does this come into play, and what difference does it make if I set it to for example 32, 64, 128 or... Something else.

Looking through the thread, and peering at the various screenshots of cgminer running I can tell that different people on here run at different difficulty settings. I also vaguely recall from when I set up the first stick I received that I saw a recommendation on setting --suggest-diff to 32, so I used that for a long time. But having played with it the last couple of days I can't really see anything happening if I change it?

Any insights on this would be much appreciated, or links to a place where this may already have been explained (my sincerest apologies if I missed it previously in the thread).

Thanks for all your contributions on here, this thread is gold!

That's gold, Jerry! Gold!!

From this thread:

Shares are what you're sending to the pool. It's the result of the hashing calculation. The diff you get from the pool is a share value threshold below which cgminer doesn't bother to send that share to the pool. This keeps down traffic, since if a pool accepted every value-1 share bandwidth requirements would be through the roof with modern high-hashrate miners. Your returned shares could have a value in the millions or billions; this is statistically unlikely but it does happen on occasion. The more hashrate you have, the more likely you are to return higher shares, so the higher the pool's discard threshold gets. Every share is weighted by that threshold and summed up (that's the "A" field in cgminer's display, means Accepted), and that's what is used to determine your mining payout because it's a representation of how much work you're doing. Shares are all weighted by that diff value but every individual share could have a different value (which is reported in cgminer when a share is accepted). The only share that actually matters is the one over network difficulty, which is the one that makes a block. The rest are just used to divvy up the block payout to everyone in the pool.

So "shares" is the total number of shares you've submitted, "bestshare" would be the highest-value share you submitted in the current round (?) and bestever would be the highest-value share ever submitted under your mining account. They're not really used for any payout calculations or anything (except total shares, indirectly), but some people like to know that info.

I'm not sure it matters much with the 2Pacs, or any other stick miner, other than at start up.

[lunas]

I just got one of these on order and was reading about them as of minera 6 bfg 5.4.x was baked in from what i have read that would mean i dont need to mess with adding a custom miner to my rpi i can literally plug this in and begin tweaking?

[sidehack]

Nope. As far as I know, there is no BFG support for this product.

[lunas]

Nope. As far as I know, there is no BFG support for this product.

i was reading about it and they were saying 5.3.2 added it but you needed to set the clock by hex codes.

i suppose i can go back to cg miner... Humm starting to wonder if ill need a second rpi to run this.

I currently have a rpi 2 b+ with a gridseed orb and zeus blizzard (i know i would make more money unplugging them and selling them than they will mine...getting 2MH/s scrypt mining)

[sidehack]

No, what 5.3.2 added was the Compac. The 2Pac is a different breed of cat about a year and a half newer.

[yxc890119]

./cgminer -o stratum+tcp://pool.ckpool.org:3333 -u 1BURGERAXHH6Yi6LRybRJK7ybEm5m5HwTr -p x --suggest-diff 32
 [2017-09-14 22:08:06.815] Started cgminer 4.10.0
 [2017-09-14 22:08:07.349] Probing for an alive pool
 [2017-09-14 22:08:07.453] Found 2 chip(s) on GSD 1
 [2017-09-14 22:08:07.455] Found 2 chip(s) on GSD 0
 [2017-09-14 22:08:17.463] Waiting for work to be available from pools.
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] No servers were found that could be used to get work from.
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] Please check the details from the list below of the servers you have input
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] Most likely you have input the wrong URL, forgotten to add a port, or have not set up workers         
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] Pool: 0  URL: stratum+tcp://pool.ckpool.org:3333  User: 1BURGERAXHH6Yi6LRybRJK7ybEm5m5HwTr  Password: x
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] No servers could be used! Exiting.

I don't think this is the wrong input which is in the "=How to Run=", please help!

[licutis]

./cgminer -o stratum+tcp://pool.ckpool.org:3333 -u 1BURGERAXHH6Yi6LRybRJK7ybEm5m5HwTr -p x --suggest-diff 32
 [2017-09-14 22:08:06.815] Started cgminer 4.10.0
 [2017-09-14 22:08:07.349] Probing for an alive pool
 [2017-09-14 22:08:07.453] Found 2 chip(s) on GSD 1
 [2017-09-14 22:08:07.455] Found 2 chip(s) on GSD 0
 [2017-09-14 22:08:17.463] Waiting for work to be available from pools.
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] No servers were found that could be used to get work from.
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] Please check the details from the list below of the servers you have input
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] Most likely you have input the wrong URL, forgotten to add a port, or have not set up workers          
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] Pool: 0  URL: stratum+tcp://pool.ckpool.org:3333  User: 1BURGERAXHH6Yi6LRybRJK7ybEm5m5HwTr  Password: x
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] No servers could be used! Exiting.

I don't think this is the wrong input which is in the "=How to Run=", please help!

This appears to be a network/pool issue, not a 2pac issue. Try another pool like Slush. Also verify connectivity with the pool (eg: telnet pool.ckpool.org 3333) and check with your pool operator.

Are you intending to donate all your mining to sidehack? Correct me if I am wrong, but that's the purpose of the 1BURGERAXHH6Yi6LRybRJK7ybEm5m5HwTr address. If you don't understand you should use a pool with an online wallet like Slush until your bitcoin knowledge is more developed.

[yxc890119]

./cgminer -o stratum+tcp://pool.ckpool.org:3333 -u 1BURGERAXHH6Yi6LRybRJK7ybEm5m5HwTr -p x --suggest-diff 32
 [2017-09-14 22:08:06.815] Started cgminer 4.10.0
 [2017-09-14 22:08:07.349] Probing for an alive pool
 [2017-09-14 22:08:07.453] Found 2 chip(s) on GSD 1
 [2017-09-14 22:08:07.455] Found 2 chip(s) on GSD 0
 [2017-09-14 22:08:17.463] Waiting for work to be available from pools.
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] No servers were found that could be used to get work from.
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] Please check the details from the list below of the servers you have input
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] Most likely you have input the wrong URL, forgotten to add a port, or have not set up workers          
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] Pool: 0  URL: stratum+tcp://pool.ckpool.org:3333  User: 1BURGERAXHH6Yi6LRybRJK7ybEm5m5HwTr  Password: x
 [2017-09-14 22:09:07.388] No servers could be used! Exiting.

I don't think this is the wrong input which is in the "=How to Run=", please help!

This appears to be a network/pool issue, not a 2pac issue. Try another pool like Slush. Also verify connectivity with the pool (eg: telnet pool.ckpool.org 3333) and check with your pool operator.

Are you intending to donate all your mining to sidehack? Correct me if I am wrong, but that's the purpose of the 1BURGERAXHH6Yi6LRybRJK7ybEm5m5HwTr address. If you don't understand you should use a pool with an online wallet like Slush until your bitcoin knowledge is more developed.

Thanks for the reply, it's the network issue, I'm now using "socks-proxy", and it's looks fine.

No, I know what am I doing, that is just for testing.

[derbx]

Hello!

My gekko is working fantastically, I love it.

I wonder though, if there is a way to Temporarly Disable LED lights on the unit while it's working.

?any of you has tried it?

cheers!

[Biodom]

Hello!

My gekko is working fantastically, I love it.

I wonder though, if there is a way to Temporarly Disable LED lights on the unit while it's working.

?any of you has tried it?

cheers!

watching the LED lights for too long is known to result in the following side effect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPJTZdA7t3U

EDIT: I kind of liked it.

[hedgy73]

Hello!

My gekko is working fantastically, I love it.

I wonder though, if there is a way to Temporarly Disable LED lights on the unit while it's working.

?any of you has tried it?

cheers!

I'm not sure about the 2PACs but with the Compacs there wasn't an option to dim them or turn them off so I dabbed a spot of nail varnish on the LED which dulled them down by about 95%.

[lunas]

No, what 5.3.2 added was the Compac. The 2Pac is a different breed of cat about a year and a half newer.

So ok that might be what i got... https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B016CWBYJK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

i have yet to receive it and it seemed like a batch was being made so i guess i have no idea what ill actually be getting till it gets here


update it is here got a 2 pac it doesn't much care for 250mhz needs a blast chiller and lots of volts... but does 200-237 rather happily now i am just trying to find the lowest volts i can run it at above 200 with out it needing a fan

[vh]

Hello!

My gekko is working fantastically, I love it.

I wonder though, if there is a way to Temporarly Disable LED lights on the unit while it's working.

?any of you has tried it?

cheers!

I'm not sure about the 2PACs but with the Compacs there wasn't an option to dim them or turn them off so I dabbed a spot of nail varnish on the LED which dulled them down by about 95%.

The LED flashing is physically tied into data coming out of the chip [successful nonce found].   
There no software way at the moment to turn them off.

[DFiSlayer]

Hello, I have been trying to build a miner for the last 4 days now and I have been progressing really slowly right now I am stuck at

"From MINGW32 shell:
Code:
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/opt/git/bin:/opt/git/mingw64/bin:/opt/git/usr/bin/' > ~/.profile
mkdir /opt
exit
"

I type mkdir /opt and press enter and MinGW32 shell crashes, I am running windows 10 64 bit please any help and guidance will be greatly appreciated

[emmiitbrown]

Hello all,

     I've been working on linux for about 8-10 weeks now and I've alot to learn still. After about 4 dozen installs and learning how to screw up display drivers and fix them from the command line. I've a reasonable grasb on compiling cgminer. Beg your patience but this USB init / voltage issue is a persistent issue that is kind of met with an eye roll. I get it. I have one working, I know. Here it is...

I've purchased two sticks. One of which works great on two pc's. Both with ubuntu 16. One of these machines has Xubuntu12.04 w/ cgminer3.7 and works. I've been tweaking my way around the potentiometer (clockwise) al the way around multiple times, plugging in, testing voltage, and cgminer -n shows the device most of the time.

*On one hand I'm raising the voltage to initiate  the device (as described on the first page and throughout the thread) on the other hand, when i plug it in the blue light "trips" and causes the freeze.  The measurements thus far have been consistently 480mV on top and the bottom CPU eats up whatever comes through the potentiometer.

 * running the good stick off of a yellow Usb 3.0-2.0 w/bc1.2 (charging feature/eSATA) @ 125MHz (1.36v) where the top end amperage is slightly out of range but it runs fine with no HW errors.
* Trying a more powerful mobo with extra charging support disabled has same effect "failed USB init" "-3r" privledges error. I'm going for the low-end frequency of 25 but I can't say I've ever even gotten any frequency to take.

The 2.0 case headers readbabout  480mA and the last good reading I had on the 3.0 (with 15xcharging support) was 2-5A. Disabling that feature allows the miner will show up same as any other 3.0 port on any other of the the Linux's or Win10 comp @ 840- 900mA.

Just bought an Anker powered 3A hub and waiting for it to come in. I hope to be just as happy with this stick as  I am with the current one.

Any ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks! 

P.S.

Currently, as of this weekend, the cpu lead 1 (bottom) now shows negative voltages whereas the top still shows 480mV.
These are running off of mobo direct plug USB. The only time I've gotten this stick to read is when I tripped the blue light to stay on while putting a mutimeter lead on processor 1. After a reboot showed the GSD0 but no chips. Raising the voltage even a slight milimeter turn put the whole thing back into lock-up since. I don't figure how it can be that the same build on two different systems can support one stick in any usb2.0 slot  at a higher V/MHz, yet another stick can't initialize at 1.28v or after going around the pots 2-3 mm at a time, multiple times around. Analog blues with a static wriststrap and screwdriver.  

-----Update
Rechecked this
https://ip.bitcointalk.org/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fs11.postimg.org%2F65w217gnn%2Fcompac_cgminer_pot.jpg&t=580&c=1WW01P-m7AWXwA

*Uninstalled ALL USB controllers except one reboot and went through all for upgrades, installed proper drivers. Reboot.

On Win10 the libusb-win32 (1.2.6) (libusb0) shows the GSD 0 (err -1) in prebuilt.
 WINUSB shows 1 known device and 0 devices 0 enabled 0 inactive 0 zombie. USB init (err -3)

[dyurdz]

HI guys,


just want to share my stats regarding the usage of gekko 2pac.


- 1 unit of GekkoScience 2pac(bought from eyeboot on ebay)
-unitek 7 port usb hub, 2A.
-and sub fan that i bought with led light(detroy the led light though)

so i am currently running @250Mhz and getting 25Gh/s to 30Gh/s
i have turned the voltage a little to be able to run the device until 300Mhz, which is not stable, because i think my usb hub is not that powerful.


-i am mining a little at around 80 to 90 satoshi per round with slushpool.
- @250Mhz, sometimes i experience that the device/miner is resetting at 100mhz, and not working, still not sure with the reason, maybe overheating?

-i bought the miner just to experience this, and not really expecting to earn, as i bought it at $100, and only expecting 1$ a month of earning. so that's a 100 months ROI.
-if i could buy a lot of this in a cheap price, i may invest on it. but as of now i am thinking of building a mining GPU.

[pumplerod]

With help from this thread I have been able to get cgminer compiled and running on my mac (10.12 sierra), however, even though the GekkoScience USB stick is recognized, it does not seem to actually get used when cgminer executes.

cgminer 4.9.2

Code:

%> ./cgminer -ndevs
 [2017-09-19 20:17:13.891] USB all: found 11 devices - listing known devices
.USB dev 0: Bus 20 Device 6 ID: 10c4:ea60
  Manufacturer: 'GekkoScience'
  Product: '2Pac BM1384 Bitcoin Miner'                    
 [2017-09-19 20:17:13.891] 1 known USB devices 

When run I get a message that no devices are detected.

Code:

%> ./cgminer -o stratum+tcp://stratum.mining.eligius.st:3334 -u BITCOIN_ADDRESS --compac-freq 150

 cgminer version 4.9.2 - Started: [2017-09-19 20:25:34.861]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 (5s):0.000 (1m):0.000 (5m):0.000 (15m):0.000 (avg):0.000h/s
 A:0  R:0  HW:0  WU:0.0/m
 Connected to stratum.mining.eligius.st diff 4.1K with stratum as user BITCOIN_ADDRESS
 Block: b2060a9f...  Diff:1.1T  Started: [20:25:34.861]  Best share: 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 [U]SB management [P]ool management [S]ettings [D]isplay options [Q]uit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 [2017-09-19 20:25:33.620] Started cgminer 4.9.2
 [2017-09-19 20:25:33.859] No devices detected!
 [2017-09-19 20:25:33.859] Waiting for USB hotplug devices or press q to quit
 [2017-09-19 20:25:33.859] Probing for an alive pool
 [2017-09-19 20:25:34.176] Pool 0 difficulty changed to 4095.9
 [2017-09-19 20:25:34.861] Network diff set to 1.1T

under SB Management, [L]ist all known devices:

Code:

Bus 20 Device 6 ID: 10c4:ea60 GekkoScience 2Pac BM1384 Bitcoin Miner inactive
1 total known USB device
Hotplug interval:5
0 USB devices, 0 enabled, 0 disabled, 0 zombie

I'm not sure what steps to take next in getting cgminer to access the Stickminer