Build a miner using parts from sparkfun.com is it possible?

[Wintermute420]

I'm wondering if I can build a miner using available components found on most hobby electronics sites like https://www.sparkfun.com/

I know it won't be profitable, but I just am wondering if it is possible and more for fun than anything else.

Anyone have any ideas on how build one?

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[cypher1024]

You can mine on an Arduino if you really want to.

Someone on IRC was doing it a while ago. I think he was getting less than 1kh/s.

[Wintermute420]

You can mine on an Arduino if you really want to.

Someone on IRC was doing it a while ago. I think he was getting less than 1kh/s.

I have one of those as well. I was thinking more along the lines of putting together components on a breadboard. To build my own "ASIC"

[Zalfrin]

You know how many "components" are in the Spartan 6 FPGAs that are popular? 150k logic cells with 6-input LUTs, so you could estimate around half a million XORs/ANDs/ORs/etc. Most of those get consumed when you're hashing.

You really want to wire up something of that magnitude on a breadboard? We're not even talking about how much slower running something over long wires is going to be versus the relatively tiny traces in an FPGA/ASIC.

[Wintermute420]

You know how many "components" are in the Spartan 6 FPGAs that are popular? 150k logic cells with 6-input LUTs, so you could estimate around half a million XORs/ANDs/ORs/etc. Most of those get consumed when you're hashing.

You really want to wire up something of that magnitude on a breadboard? We're not even talking about how much slower running something over long wires is going to be versus the relatively tiny traces in an FPGA/ASIC.

Point taken. It was long shot.

[J35st3r]

Sparkfun does PIC microcontrollers. The SHA256 algorithm isn't all that complex, so it might well fit on one of those. It won't be fast, but probably more than a few kHash/sec.

Alternatively, looking beyond Sparkfun, the TQFP FPGA's are just about within a hobbyist's scope, tricky to solder but not impossible, So you could get up to a few MHash/sec.  Just don't think of using the BGA packages. Nightmare, though it has been done, I recall seeing a post on this very forum, he used a skillet to solder Spartan6 LX150's 

Anyway, joking aside, if you're going for that, why not homebrew something with one of Biftury's new chips (yes, I am considering it, but seeing as I've only got 0.,5BTC to play with, I'll have to wait for a single chip group buy  )

[Wintermute420]

Sparkfun does PIC microcontrollers. The SHA256 algorithm isn't all that complex, so it might well fit on one of those. It won't be fast, but probably more than a few kHash/sec.

Alternatively, looking beyond Sparkfun, the TQFP FPGA's are just about within a hobbyist's scope, tricky to solder but not impossible, So you could get up to a few MHash/sec.  Just don't think of using the BGA packages. Nightmare, though it has been done, I recall seeing a post on this very forum, he used a skillet to solder Spartan6 LX150's 

Anyway, joking aside, if you're going for that, why not homebrew something with one of Biftury's new chips (yes, I am considering it, but seeing as I've only got 0.,5BTC to play with, I'll have to wait for a single chip group buy  )

I would need some detailed instructions in order to feel comfortable buying single chips and doing it myself.

[J35st3r]

I would need some detailed instructions in order to feel comfortable buying single chips and doing it myself.

It would be a pretty advanced hobbyist project (almost certainly not cost effective). Most people would buy the pre-built boards instead, which is much more sensible. Take a look a this thread for what's likely to be involved https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=228677.0

[Wintermute420]

I would need some detailed instructions in order to feel comfortable buying single chips and doing it myself.

It would be a pretty advanced hobbyist project (almost certainly not cost effective). Most people would buy the pre-built boards instead, which is much more sensible. Take a look a this thread for what's likely to be involved https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=228677.0

Yeah I've seen those posts all over. I did buy Steamboats/K16 chips/boards.

[southerngentuk]

I think BKKCoins will be selling K1 kits that you can DIY just grab a couple of Avalon chips and get soldering  you'll need a some form of rework set up but there are cheap diy options...

[Zalfrin]

I saw this posted today on Facebook, it reminded me of this thread. Guy builds a single FPGA logic cell on a breadboard.

http://hackaday.com/2012/09/20/homebrew-fpgas/

[GigaWave]

You can mine on an Arduino if you really want to.

Someone on IRC was doing it a while ago. I think he was getting less than 1kh/s.

Do you know who this was? I would really like like get the code from this person. Would be cool to checkout.