GekkoScience 2Pac/Compac BM1384 Stickminer Official Support Thread

[philipma1957]

Good  I will play with it the next few days.

I ordered 2 newpacs

Plan is to run  5 compacs 1 Twopac  2 NewPacs at bravomining

[bakersoft]

In the cgminer output, what is the purpose of the HW label just to the right of the MHz?

I'm running two of these on Windows 10, the third is being returned to the seller because it came defective. I adjusted the voltage as suggested for these to run better / longer but still after maybe 4 hours of operation one of them ceases to stop and become ZOMBIE. I was wondering if there's anything else on screen I can look at to give me a hint as to why only 1 seems to go ZOMBIE over time?

This was happening when running one instance of cgminer and now I am trying it using 2 instances of cgminer where each of them is focused on 1 individual stick. Running at 200MHz with a fan blowing on them.

[bakersoft]

In the cgminer output, what is the purpose of the HW label just to the right of the MHz?

I'm running two of these on Windows 10, the third is being returned to the seller because it came defective. I adjusted the voltage as suggested for these to run better / longer but still after maybe 4 hours of operation one of them ceases to stop and become ZOMBIE. I was wondering if there's anything else on screen I can look at to give me a hint as to why only 1 seems to go ZOMBIE over time?

This was happening when running one instance of cgminer and now I am trying it using 2 instances of cgminer where each of them is focused on 1 individual stick. Running at 200MHz with a fan blowing on them.

Looks like the solution really is if using Windows whether you're overclocking or not and using a USB HUB to run each stick on its own cgminer thread. That has made all the difference to me so far. Also, I was hoping to find other pools to mine against for let's say, DigiByte but the high requirement for the lowest diff seems to get in the way of actually seeing anything other than ckpool working. If anyone has other similar pools in mind that work in a similar fashion (specifying low diff) then please do share especially for anything else but Bitcoin.

[albypaul]

GSD0: GetResults (amt=0 err=-7 ern=138)

This error is often generated by an issue in the extension cables or hub.
Start minimizing parts between the miner and the pc to see if you can track it down.

Thank you vh i am looking for the source right now.

[philipma1957]

I just loaded a few PCs with Linux mint.

Your software mentions it is for Ubuntu so do I need to load ubuntu 16.0.4 rather then mint ?

Those first post instructions are just hints to which dependencies is needed to be installed first.
It should works just fine on any Linux environment once you get cleanly through the compiling stage.

Just confirmed:

Fresh install of Mint:
Linux Mint 19 - Cinnamon Edition
build of cgminer using "Debian" section instructions looks good.

(run the extra udev steps in the Q&A for privilege as a standard user)

Have to try the Q&A as I crash when I reach compile step. Tired of playing with it will try on weds

[sidehack]

I'm gonna guess, without knowing what the error is, that you're doing -02 instead of -O2

[philipma1957]

I'm gonna guess, without knowing what the error is, that you're doing -02 instead of -O2

good guess  thanks 

[bitmunkey]

(im very new *today* so dont get mad with me)

i have a gekko 2pac, i have it setup on my work PC (no elec worries    lol)
i have it up and running on win7 and working on cgminier BUT... if i make a bat file, it just flashes up for a split second then vanishes.

is a bat file the only was to OC the stick? or can you do it from inside the cgminer?


@echo off
cgminer -o mypool -u username -p x --gekko-2pac-freq150

this is my bat.. what is wrong here?

[jsays]

(im very new *today* so dont get mad with me)

i have a gekko 2pac, i have it setup on my work PC (no elec worries    lol)
i have it up and running on win7 and working on cgminier BUT... if i make a bat file, it just flashes up for a split second then vanishes.

is a bat file the only was to OC the stick? or can you do it from inside the cgminer?


@echo off
cgminer -o mypool -u username -p x --gekko-2pac-freq150

this is my bat.. what is wrong here?

bitmunkey, a couple bits to help you on your way...
1. You can OC from the command line, simply by adding that frequency call, but not from withing the running cgminer:

Code:

--gekko-2pac-freq 150

2. Your instruction, as typed above is missing a space between the frequency argument and its value

Code:

--gekko-2pac-freq 150

...not

Code:

--gekko-2pac-freq150

Good luck, and happy mining.

[bitmunkey]

thanks for the heads up on that muppet mistake i made on the spacing.

more advanced question... is the PCB for the 2pac and the NEWpac the same?
if i had a few bm1387 chips floating about, could i remove the 1384's and switch them to 1387? just an out there question lol.

[sidehack]

No. They use the same main regulator, but almost literally everything else is different - even the USB chip. One cannot become the other.

[bitmunkey]

thanks for the info sidehack..
also, jsays, after i edited the bat file to put a space in after the freq setting... everything works fine.

....now, time to find WHY its so friggin hot.. even running 100mhz, with a 120mm fun funneled towards it, its almost too hot to touch :/

[bitmunkey]

https://preview.ibb.co/hGRdGV/Capture.jpg

also, just a quick check.. is this normal? not understanding why it keeps saying request restart. :/

[philipma1957]

also, just a quick check.. is this normal? not understanding why it keeps saying request restart. :/

that pool has a crazy high difficulty   1,000,000

so it does not easily  register your stick.


Do you realize  that  pointing a stick at nicehash is pretty short of earning money?

you have 23 gh   that is about   15 cents a month in BTC


go here and punch in 23gh

https://bitcoinwisdom.com/bitcoin/difficulty


I suggest mining at pools like


http://www.bravo-mining.com/


you get the same 15 cents a month  but if you stumble on a block you get a 1 btc bonus

I point my sticks at bravo mining

[bitmunkey]

thanks for the pool change info, running alot smoother now.

only issue i have left.. this thing is STUPID hot, almost get 3rd degree burns if i touch the heatsink. could it of arrived with the voltage set too high?

i have a 120mm fan ducted and pointing all its air towards the stick.. im sure it shouldnt be THIS hot lol.

[sidehack]

"could it have arrived with the voltage set too high?"

There's a pretty easy way to test for that. Turn the knob. Visually verify its position, or take a measurement if you have the tools. At stock it shouldn't be hot enough to burn you even without a fan.

[bitmunkey]

grabbed my multimeter, checked the voltage. was set to 1.61v 

brought it back down to 1.275v and now it seems to be cool enough to touch with a light breeze across it. also, running at 175mhz now.
seems stable and cool at last.. crazy how it arrived with such a crazy high voltage

thanks for all the help guys, you have been great at helping this muppet haha.

[sidehack]

That's the maximum possible voltage without breaking or modifying something. Stock should be no more than 1.26, so you're in the right neighborhood. Peak voltage is only really necessary for people trying to run 350MHz and up.

Glad to hear it's in shape.

[bitmunkey]

just thought id pop this on here to give you all a little laugh..

decided to change the cooler on the 2pac. (yes, i know warranty goes out the window lol)

got an old heatpipe cooler from an old socket7 AMD CPU, drilled the mounting holes into the baseplate, and popped it on with some liquid metal thermal paste. seems to work a treat

https://ibb.co/i74Bhq

[scryptr]

just thought id pop this on here to give you all a little laugh..

decided to change the cooler on the 2pac. (yes, i know warranty goes out the window lol)

got an old heatpipe cooler from an old socket7 AMD CPU, drilled the mounting holes into the baseplate, and popped it on with some liquid metal thermal paste. seems to work a treat

GOOD CRAFTSMANSHIP--

How hard can you drive the 2PAC now?  I'd be interested in the specs.  Did you use the stock screws?

I have plenty of oversized CPU coolers, and I just bought a Peltier kit on a whim.  Peltier kits were a big deal (for CPU cooling) for a while circa 2009, but problems with frost and condensation did them in.       --scryptr