Now that usb sticks are being sold by sidehack here is a new usb hub thread.

[minefarmbuy]

Still nice. I've been wanting to try that tripp lite hub but a pretty penny when you can stack up on gs hubs now.

[1713984072]

1713984072

[1713984072]

1713984072

[Confused Coin?]

I have 6 2pacs.

Will the plastic Gekko Hub run all 6 at 300 MHZ on a PCIE 6pin? If not what am I looking at @spec vs what PCIE cable is capable of (non fire hazard). Or what would I need to max all 6?

[sidehack]

It should be enough to run all six above 500MHz.

[minefarmbuy]

I have 6 2pacs.

Will the plastic Gekko Hub run all 6 at 300 MHZ on a PCIE 6pin? If not what am I looking at @spec vs what PCIE cable is capable of (non fire hazard). Or what would I need to max all 6?

Let's get you some newpacs though.

[sidehack]

Oh right, 2Pacs. 300MHz is about the top-end for 2Pacs, but that hub should be able to do it provided you keep them cool.

[Confused Coin?]

Yeah I wasn't sure. My maths were saying that the 75watts (spec) from 1x 6 pin pcie off a power supply would be about 6.25amps*, but your chart said that it would take 2.80 amps per unit or 16.8a/18a that the hub can put out to get 300mhz on all. My Plugables do 5a but they can't even do 125mhz without constant resets and zombies that I have to reset the router or reseat the sticks. I have 2 fans on them.

I want to be able to run them higher.

I cant afford to drop $350 to replace them all, but if I can start with the router and get these guys running better, I can upgrade the sticks later. Can you mix 2pacs and Newpacs?

*One guy said PCIe can run over spec, but I don't want a fire hazard.

[sidehack]

PCIe, if the cables are well-made, can run way the heck over spec. Even an 18AWG cable should be good for 150W, assuming the power supply behind it is solid.

VH's driver maintenance is so good, it'll work with every GekkoScience miner at the same time.

[minefarmbuy]

Good bricks are hard to source at decent prices but I think 419 has some. We just set people up with a psu, and if mining in home a desk top psu is quiet. If you need a router send us what you're after.

[azjewels]

Saw this power brick on Amazon.. It might actually max out the power needs for the Gekko Hub as it puts out 10A vs the 7A the 419 brick has.. Until I found that I thought I was going to have to put the full power supply package and then just plug in more hubs as I got them to make sure I could run 6 of the NewPacs on the Hub.. Also saw a couple interesting fan options probably overkill for the hubs to keep them cool but better be safe then sorry.. I would think even if one fan failed it would keep them from overheating..

Power Brick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z9X4GLW

Dual 120mm Fans with 3 speed settings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JLV4BWC

Im going to probably buy my first newpac this week and hopefully get it up and running and then get the hub and such to expand soon.

[minefarmbuy]

Fans look fine, I can't recall the spec of brick you should be looking for.

You could a get $40 500W psu and have flexibility for at least three hubs maybe four than buying bricks.

[419mining]

Saw this power brick on Amazon.. It might actually max out the power needs for the Gekko Hub as it puts out 10A vs the 7A the 419 brick has.. Until I found that I thought I was going to have to put the full power supply package and then just plug in more hubs as I got them to make sure I could run 6 of the NewPacs on the Hub.. Also saw a couple interesting fan options probably overkill for the hubs to keep them cool but better be safe then sorry.. I would think even if one fan failed it would keep them from overheating..

Power Brick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z9X4GLW

Dual 120mm Fans with 3 speed settings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JLV4BWC

Im going to probably buy my first newpac this week and hopefully get it up and running and then get the hub and such to expand soon.

Careful on the Amazon power bricks, most are cheap junk in a pretty case. We sell one that we tore down to the bits to verify it was good quality. Has a 3 year warranty and passed all the certification test. You will pay more but you get what you pay for, or you get a fire, its that simple.
https://www.419mining.com/shop/power-supply/12v-7amp-power-supply-for-gekkoscience-products/

We are planning on getting 10A bricks, but its not cheap bringing in a full case of units to sell one or two. The other option like MineFarmBuy said, a good quality PSU if you dont mind the aesthetics/noise of it.

[Pi0Miner]

Careful on the Amazon power bricks, most are cheap junk in a pretty case. We sell one that we tore down to the bits to verify it was good quality. Has a 3 year warranty and passed all the certification test. You will pay more but you get what you pay for, or you get a fire, its that simple.
https://www.419mining.com/shop/power-supply/12v-7amp-power-supply-for-gekkoscience-products/

We are planning on getting 10A bricks, but its not cheap bringing in a full case of units to sell one or two. The other option like MineFarmBuy said, a good quality PSU if you dont mind the aesthetics/noise of it.

@419Mining,

I'm interested in that power supply,  do you know what the power efficiency is for it under decent load like 5-6 Amps?

I'm getting pretty terrible efficiency with the blocks I have, USB meter reporting ~9watts and the thing's pulling 12+ at the wall for ~80%.

[Pi0Miner]

Review of Acasis USB 3.0 Hub
Photo of the setup https://i.imgur.com/1czvtRM.jpg

Example Link https://www.amazon.com/Splitter-Adapter-Individual-Switches-Computer/dp/B07BNBLXTS/

Products I have
7 Ports US Version (w/3A PSU) purchased from Amazon
2x 10 Ports Version (w/4A PSU) purchased from AliExpress and imported from China.

Pros & Vendor Claims

• Individual port power button - Good for turning on/off your RPI or hard reboot 2PAC
• 2.1Amps 5V per port (Vendor claimed) and I have tested this to be relatively true
• Hub recognized as a smart USB power hub by uhubctl utility for software power reset.  Have NOT tested this.
• Work with RPI 3 flawlessly thus far running 12+ hours

Cons
The supplied PSU is pretty weak, the 7 ports came with a 12v@3A and 10 ports 12v@4A.  I am currently running the pictured hub with my Anker 5A PSU pulling 49watts at the wall measure by Kill A Watt.

Summary
I like these as they have individual power buttons and worked with the RPI and has uhubctl support.  Uhubctl allows you to software cycle a logical hub and port to hard power cycle a zombied stick even though I have not had a chance to test it out since the NewPac has been good enough to not zombied out.  Supplied PSU has better efficiency than my Anker PSU even though there are weak and would only be enough to power 3 sticks.

As you can see from the photo, my sticks has modified heatsinks (40x40x20mm and 60x60x10mm).  The heatsink in horizontal fin position worked out very well, I can hold my finger on any of them permanently with the fan blowing and not get burnt, though the one with slightly less airflow in the front is a bit warmer than the other.  The other 3 are lukewarm.  The downside to these mods is obviously the GS hub is not really an option for me as I would only be able to use 4 ports at best.  That's why I used this hub with a single linear row of USB ports instead.

Testing condition is 4x NewPac running at 450Mhz.
https://i.imgur.com/nvVfTkR.png

Will await more $ available to get the 7A PSU from 419Mining and see how many sticks I can run.  I have 5 NewPac, a 2Pac.  And yes, the spacing does allow me to fit 6 in there even with the 20mm heatsinks.

Caveat found during testing with RPI
There is some sort of flaw in the setup when plugging in too many NewPacs would trigger a kernel panic on Pi Zero W, though there can be multiple causes there from power feedback into the Zero, to too many adapters to get it hooked up.  Since running 4 x NewPac with a Pi 3B it has operated 1 day 14 hours plus at of this posting without kernel panic.  Previously I was able to get runtime up to 3 days continuously with a connected Pi Zero W and 2x NewPac,  but when plugging in 4x NewPac the Zero W kernel went crazy after a few minutes to 15 minutes max.  The crashes are observed with multiple known good Zero using multiple known good 32GB Samsung EVO Select cards.  The problem appeared more with the Zero than the hub, though I do not have further time nor equipment to test conclusively and have given up using Zeros as controllers.

[419mining]

@419Mining,

I'm interested in that power supply,  do you know what the power efficiency is for it under decent load like 5-6 Amps?

I'm getting pretty terrible efficiency with the blocks I have, USB meter reporting ~9watts and the thing's pulling 12+ at the wall for ~80%.

I dont have any of the units set up on a test bed right now but they are DOE Level VI rated at 88% efficient. They have less than 1mA of power leakage so most of the efficiency is lost as heat but at 88%, unless you buy a meanwell or a titanium PSU, you wont get better quality. When I get to the shop tonight, Ill see if i can run a few tests for you.  Sidehack may also have a quick answer, we sent him a few test samples when we brought them into the states.

[Pi0Miner]

I dont have any of the units set up on a test bed right now but they are DOE Level VI rated at 88% efficient. They have less than 1mA of power leakage so most of the efficiency is lost as heat but at 88%, unless you buy a meanwell or a titanium PSU, you wont get better quality. When I get to the shop tonight, Ill see if i can run a few tests for you.  Sidehack may also have a quick answer, we sent him a few test samples when we brought them into the states.

No worries, don't trouble yourself with tests. Upper 80% really great for these little AC/DC blocks,  no good way of getting better than that without spending nearly $100 on a real ATX PSU anyhow.

Just put in order for 3, looking forward to seeing how far I can take the Acasis USB hub and my 5 NewPacs.  

[klintay]

Just got the NEW EDITION Gekkoscience 8-Port USB hub (perfect for mining)!
here is a side by side comparison with the older model:



it has a new metallic casing this time, slightly slimmer and a more sleek look and feel. Ports 1-7 are for data transfer + charge, the last port 8 is charge only
diagram on the back shows the max power draw for the groups of usb ports on the hub, very useful and removes the guess work

All you need is this hub and one of these 12V 10A power bricks for $15 $12 (au/eu/uk/usa plugs available) and you are good to go                
You won't find a more reliable usb hub and power supply.

[419mining]

... All you need is this hub and one of these 12V 10A power bricks for $15 $12 (au/eu/uk/usa plugs available) and you are good to go                
You won't find a more reliable usb hub and power supply.  

Just watch your power draw, the barrel plug on the USB is only rated at 8A.

[Confused Coin?]

Ran 6x 2pacs off PSU 6 pin (evga 430, 80+) for about 2 hours and now it won't detect anything.

I was running them at 175 which should be 9.72a max.

The lights are all solid green on the 2pacs, but they aren't being seen by windows. There's a little red light under 7 and 4.

I can feel the 2pacs in 3,4, and 5 are all very warm to the touch. 7 is mildly warm. 2 and 6 are pretty much cold. Didn't mess with 1.

Tried another PSU and USB wire, no luck.

[sidehack]

On the black hub, I believe the 6/7 regulator also feeds the hub controller. If something went wrong with that, it'd drop out.

Not sure what would have gone wrong that a power-cycle wouldn't fix, especially at only 175.

[gcanelson]

Ran 6x 2pacs off PSU 6 pin (evga 430, 80+) for about 2 hours and now it won't detect anything.

I was running them at 175 which should be 9.72a max.

The lights are all solid green on the 2pacs, but they aren't being seen by windows. There's a little red light under 7 and 4.

I can feel the 2pacs in 3,4, and 5 are all very warm to the touch. 7 is mildly warm. 2 and 6 are pretty much cold. Didn't mess with 1.

Tried another PSU and USB wire, no luck.

And for cooling you used - what