[Announcement] Block Erupter USB

[radiumsoup]

Ok, maybe for small companies. The smallest I worked for was 1500 employees, the biggest 250000.

I once worked at a Fortune 100 biotech company where intellectual property was a primary asset and they didn't block outbound traffic, nor did they monitor use of USB devices like thumb drives to prevent theft of data. At the other end of the spectrum, I also currently work with a company of just 40 people that goes so far as to literally unsolder WiFi and Bluetooth components in company laptops to prevent use of wireless snooping by neighbors in the office complex (this is my favorite client to visit, btw, they're an engineering and robotics lab)... so there is definitely a large variance in paranoia levels out there

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[Shevek]

All of this is true, but these people are helping secure the bitcoin network by adding to the network hashrate. We should be encouraging this kind of behavior

This is a common fallacy in bitcoin propaganda. There is no secure bonus with higher hashrates. The network keeps secure by an adequate balance of difficulty and hashrate. And this balance is guaranteed by the algorithm, not the miners.

Disagree.  51% becomes more and more difficult the more hashrate + higher distribution. 

I agree with higher distribution.

But not with higher hashrates. In fact, now we are in much more higher risks of 51% attack due to the almost centralised production of ASICs. If some ASIC maker would take over bitcoin the cards are on her hand.

True.  Which is why it's a combination of high hashrate plus high distribution.  If you have low hashrate and high distribution, it's easy to take 51%.  If you have high hashrate but low distribution, then it's also easy to take 51%.  You need HIGH hashrate AND HIGH distribution.  Only both makes it secure.

In fact, there is no such things "low/high hashrates". Low, high... compared to what!? In every moment you have the hashrate the actual technology allows, so it is evenly difficult to take 51% whatever the hashrate is.

[bigbeninlondon]

Low compared to the potential at the time.  When Bitcoin was in its infancy, one supercomputer could have wiped it out.  The network had a low hashrate at that time.  The hashrate is now such that a large number of supercomputers together still couldn't compete with the network, so the hashrate is much higher.  With ASICs, it will even be higher, such that the only way to 51% is to either be centralized or to obtain specialized chips in extreme quantity (as opposed to utilizing existing powerful hardware).  At the moment, the hashrate is very high.  When ASICs flood the market, today's hashrate will be very low comparatively.  Low and High are definitely relative; but that doesn't make them meaningless.

[bitcoindaddy]

I wonder why the "spikey" heat sink was replaced with a flat piece of aluminum?  Wouldn't the spikey one conduct heat away from the device better?  Or perhaps it didn't make any different during testing?  It wouldn't even be an issue except for the 1-2 percent hardware errors that they get. Maybe someone can sell us an after-market heatsink.

[alibert]

I get around 1 HW error per 1-2 hours.

[af_newbie]

I get around 1 HW error per 1-2 hours.

What h/w error percentage are you guys getting?  I'm running bfgminer 3.0.2 and I'm getting 0-6%, most of them are around 2-3%, with one stick hovering just under 6%.

[bigbeninlondon]

I get around 1 HW error per 1-2 hours.

What h/w error percentage are you guys getting?  I'm running bfgminer 3.0.2 and I'm getting 0-6%, most of them are around 2-3%, with one stick hovering just under 6%.

I'm hovering at 1% almost precisely.

[SpaceCadet]

Has anyone tried using a BE for sha altcoins like terracoin or ppcoin?  Just curious how well it performs on other (non-scrypt) blockchains...

[alibert]

I get around 1 HW error per 1-2 hours.

What h/w error percentage are you guys getting?  I'm running bfgminer 3.0.2 and I'm getting 0-6%, most of them are around 2-3%, with one stick hovering just under 6%.

A:357  R:3  HW:4

Less than 1% with cgminer

[bitcoindaddy]

I get around 1 HW error per 1-2 hours.

What h/w error percentage are you guys getting?  I'm running bfgminer 3.0.2 and I'm getting 0-6%, most of them are around 2-3%, with one stick hovering just under 6%.

A:357  R:3  HW:4

Less than 1% with cgminer

My wizard-like math skills says otherwise...  you have slightly more than 1 percent.


Edit:  I have 1.7% hardware errors after letting them run for a day.

[Luke-Jr]

FWIW, seems my Emerald is dead already.
It's regressed to over 95% hardware errors despite having plenty of constant external cooling for a while now.
Hoping my Sapphire lasts longer...

[tidus_13]

FWIW, seems my Emerald is dead already.
It's regressed to over 95% hardware errors despite having plenty of constant external cooling for a while now.
Hoping my Sapphire lasts longer...

...the Emerald had a heatsink?

you also got a Sapphire? they must be very similar instead mA

[Rant2112]

I'm getting about 3% errors.

[Luke-Jr]

FWIW, seems my Emerald is dead already.
It's regressed to over 95% hardware errors despite having plenty of constant external cooling for a while now.
Hoping my Sapphire lasts longer...

...the Emerald had a heatsink?

Emeralds don't have heatsinks.

Update: Stuck it in the freezer for 15 mins, it got 1 good nonce immediately after I plugged it in, but doesn't seem to be working any better.

Update 2: Looks like it might be related to the excess power demands of the Emerald... switching to another USB hub works fine for now.

[bitcoindaddy]

I also noticed that the things get so hot the silkscreened logo is tacky (sticky) to the touch. Not complaining - I love the little things.

I wonder if friedcat can tell us if the heatsinks shown in some of the original photos were custom made or can they be ordered somewhere?
The ones with the fins like this:

[Naelr]

I also noticed that the things get so hot the silkscreened logo is tacky (sticky) to the touch. Not complaining - I love the little things.

I wonder if friedcat can tell us if the heatsinks shown in some of the original photos were custom made or can they be ordered somewhere?
The ones with the fins like this:

Hell make your own... I took the metal plate off it just requires some screw holes drilled in the proper place and tapped out with a tap/die set.  It isn't glued or stuck to the board in anyway except for the plastic screws.  Or take an old cpu heat sink and grind it down... I am looking for an adequate one at this very minute.


Right now I have a 120 mm case fan blowing across my 2 and they are cold to the touch.

Naelr

[Naelr]

This has the worst Mhash/$ ratio of any asic device out there at 1.22Mh/s per $1. The runner up is asicminer's erupter blade at 1.87Mh/s per $1.

How do they get away with it? Because it's basically the only form of asic being shipped without a pre-order...

I think it's a big novelty factor - these things are selling on Ebay for $400 at the moment.

I bought 3 of these in the first group buy and sold one on Ebay today for $450. so it paid for 2... I am happy hahahah

Naelr

[HTML5 Gordon]

Right now I have a 120 mm case fan blowing across my 2 and they are cold to the touch.

Same here, but I just have a 92mm USB fan blowing on mine (plugged into the same hub).  Amazingly cool to the touch.  When I first ran without the fan, it got so hot I could barely touch it.  Makes all the difference in the world.

[alibert]

A:357  R:3  HW:4
Less than 1% with cgminer

My wizard-like math skills says otherwise...  you have slightly more than 1 percent.

*ashamed*

[mr_john]

pic from yesterday: 5 of them hashing happily together with a Jalapeno  
(unfortunately not mine):

https://photos-1.dropbox.com/t/0/AABxruyM8Jn6VsF961EEK10axZ8BSzIzxhZJ2uyzoUyo6g/12/16898473/jpeg/32x32/3/1370419200/0/2/IMG_20130604_211328.jpg/YQjSx9wBVQFWnrdhvNHVnEk0As3tDNfMUYiL7QpdLV8?size=1024x768

[edit]
and here another one:
https://photos-4.dropbox.com/t/0/AABewHEh2Thd7ivSFkdbmrg2u3F5NhnZI3_FHiPkXwX3Pw/12/16898473/jpeg/32x32/3/1370419200/0/2/IMG_20130604_211719.jpg/JuEC4GQnFRCHMyIpyfKz1JyHpSe8jt6IY92ds0BHJYM?size=1024x768

Pictures taken yesterday in Hackerspace Metalab in Vienna (as Austrian group buy package arrived)