DRILLBIT SYSTEM Miners - Avalon range available - Now $104.99!

[nexus99]

That's great news! Touchdown in the USA in a few hours!

[1714539278]

1714539278

[1714539278]

1714539278

[1714539278]

1714539278

[1714539278]

1714539278

[Barntech]

Hey Guys.

Most of the packages have been sent. My very lovely helpful girlfriend and i have been furiously testing and packaging boards for the last 24 hours straight. Unfortunately we didn't get through them all, but the last few will be sent on Monday. Good news is the boards are all hashing reliably around 20 GH/s on stock settings and can be pushed from there there with overclocking! 

There are a few peculiarities they we have been struggling to work out and troubleshoot. Most importantly, the miniplane code is not working yet. The guys are working on it now that they have a fully stacked one to test on and hopefully will have a firmware update soon that will sort it out. It's nice and easy to update firmware, basically there is a button on the board that you hold in while powering it up to start it in bootloader mode, then you run an executable. What this means is for now you will have to connect each board by its own USB cable. You all have one per boards, and very sexy ones at that.  Now, the part that gets really weird and annoying, and we haven't properly diagnosed this yet, is if you connect more than 2 boards in a USB hub, things start to get very unstable, the hubs don't like it. Right now, the best possible configuration which works entirely stably is to connect each board to its own USB port on your computer. I know this will be a pain if you have a lot of boards, and by all means, feel free to play around, but i know that this will work. Hopefully we'll have this firmware update soon and all this won't be an issue any more.

Ok, some other things. There are legs and spacers in each package. Unfortunately the smaller bolt things in the U.S. packages are the wrong size so you guys will need to go buy some extra bits to hold it all together properly. All other others have been sorted with all the bits and pieces you need to make a nice solid block with your setup. I'll post some photos of how it all holds together soon but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

The fan connectors on the miniplanes and double scrolls have been put on backwards so you will need to turn the connector around and push the little plastic bit out, then it will work, or alternatively you could just snap that little plastic bit off if you want to.

The little heatsinks are for the mosfets, the 3 square guys in a row near the molex connector, apply the middle one first and then the one on each side. this will help with the thermal dissipation of the power supply.

Ok thats about it. You will all have your boards very soon. Enjoy!

Pics and extra bits coming soon. 

Barntech

[jedimstr]

My order is out for delivery too in NJ... It was already in Newark, NJ when I woke up yesterday, but delivery had to wait for today. Damn Gobble Gobble Day got in the way.

Got my tracking from both bobsag3 and from myUPS service.

[Barntech]

I have one problem when trying to run the Drillbit8 board on the same pc that runs the Drillbit Thumb - can't get 2 separate instances of cgminer to run with separate settings for the 8board and Thumb.  The 1st instance 'captures' both devices and the 2nd instance is left with 'nothing'.  Does anyone know how to convince cgminer to run a single device out of a few similar ones?  (on Win7).  Both are seen by device manager as 'thumb', the only difference being in the detailed properties where the hub/port are listed, but I don't know how to apply this in Cgminer.

This is necessary if you want to run non-stock settings, which are different for each.  If I run them both in 'stock settings' there is no problem (other than the Thumb getting quite modest hashing rate).

Cheers

The ability to do this will also be coming in future firmware updates.

[jedimstr]

Now, the part that gets really weird and annoying, and we haven't properly diagnosed this yet, is if you connect more than 2 boards in a USB hub, things start to get very unstable, the hubs don't like it. Right now, the best possible configuration which works entirely stably is to connect each board to its own USB port on your computer. I know this will be a pain if you have a lot of boards, and by all means, feel free to play around, but i know that this will work. Hopefully we'll have this firmware update soon and all this won't be an issue any more.

Hmm.. This bit could make setting up on a RPi a big problem with more than a few boards....  Hope you can get a new firmware update out soon.  

[kabopar]

I have one problem when trying to run the Drillbit8 board on the same pc that runs the Drillbit Thumb - can't get 2 separate instances of cgminer to run with separate settings for the 8board and Thumb.  The 1st instance 'captures' both devices and the 2nd instance is left with 'nothing'.  Does anyone know how to convince cgminer to run a single device out of a few similar ones?  (on Win7).  Both are seen by device manager as 'thumb', the only difference being in the detailed properties where the hub/port are listed, but I don't know how to apply this in Cgminer.

This is necessary if you want to run non-stock settings, which are different for each.  If I run them both in 'stock settings' there is no problem (other than the Thumb getting quite modest hashing rate).

Cheers

Managed to run 2 separate instances of cgminer using the --usb :1 addition to the batch files calling up the Thumb and the 8Board.  Now the Thumb can have its different setting and the board its unique setting.
The single board is connected to a spare PC power supply, the 4 pin Molex powers the board and the USB connector goes to the controlling PC.  A small fan cools the heatsink side.  My board came without the small heatsinks on the MosFETs (QF1 - QF3) which are getting quite hot.  I tried some overclocking, but now wound it back to stock settings as I feel that it is getting too hot with the present cooling arrangement.

Cheers

[techman05]

Hey Guys.

Most of the packages have been sent. My very lovely helpful girlfriend and i have been furiously testing and packaging boards for the last 24 hours straight. Unfortunately we didn't get through them all, but the last few will be sent on Monday. Good news is the boards are all hashing reliably around 20 GH/s on stock settings and can be pushed from there there with overclocking!  

There are a few peculiarities they we have been struggling to work out and troubleshoot. Most importantly, the miniplane code is not working yet. The guys are working on it now that they have a fully stacked one to test on and hopefully will have a firmware update soon that will sort it out. It's nice and easy to update firmware, basically there is a button on the board that you hold in while powering it up to start it in bootloader mode, then you run an executable. What this means is for now you will have to connect each board by its own USB cable. You all have one per boards, and very sexy ones at that.   Now, the part that gets really weird and annoying, and we haven't properly diagnosed this yet, is if you connect more than 2 boards in a USB hub, things start to get very unstable, the hubs don't like it. Right now, the best possible configuration which works entirely stably is to connect each board to its own USB port on your computer. I know this will be a pain if you have a lot of boards, and by all means, feel free to play around, but i know that this will work. Hopefully we'll have this firmware update soon and all this won't be an issue any more.

Ok, some other things. There are legs and spacers in each package. Unfortunately the smaller bolt things in the U.S. packages are the wrong size so you guys will need to go buy some extra bits to hold it all together properly. All other others have been sorted with all the bits and pieces you need to make a nice solid block with your setup. I'll post some photos of how it all holds together soon but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

The fan connectors on the miniplanes and double scrolls have been put on backwards so you will need to turn the connector around and push the little plastic bit out, then it will work, or alternatively you could just snap that little plastic bit off if you want to.

The little heatsinks are for the mosfets, the 3 square guys in a row near the molex connector, apply the middle one first and then the one on each side. this will help with the thermal dissipation of the power supply.

Ok thats about it. You will all have your boards very soon. Enjoy!

Pics and extra bits coming soon.  

Barntech

So I have to do without the backboard for now till updates but any idea if you have an end game plan to send out a new backplane with the fan pins in the right spots and some good links to local stores so I don't have to confuse home depot looking for screws. My sylvania tv taught me all screws are not the same when I installed my xbox 360 connect.

/e scratches his head... "What open ports ;("

I don't need powered ports as long as I find a way to get the board power right[I hope]?

[Greenny]

Hey Guys.

There are a few peculiarities they we have been struggling to work out and troubleshoot. Most importantly, the miniplane code is not working yet.

But we still can use miniplane to distribute power via it?

Any problems, which can be solved by software patching are not problems at all

Cheers.

[techman05]

But we still can use miniplane to distribute power via it?


Cheers.

I didn't ask that one yet but the way barntech said it you can't since boards don't play nice together or on the board  plane right now

[jedimstr]

But we still can use miniplane to distribute power via it?


Cheers.

I didn't ask that one yet but the way barntech said it you can't since boards don't play nice together or on the board  plane right now

Read it again... They don't play nice data wise. So you can't chain them and use one USB yet when connected to miniplane or double scroll.   You have to use multiple USB cables for data for now.   But you are definitely able to still have them all connected to the miniplanes and use power.   

It's just the board firmware that needs updating to allow chip chaining across the miniplane (the miniplane and double scroll have no brains/firmware and are passive connections in terms of data).

[flemeister]

The way I interpreted it, is that it's just the USB data connection that isn't 100% working yet (but can with the aforementioned workaround). No mention of the miniplane being unable to power the boards.

We await confirmation from Barntech I guess.

[erk]

The way I interpreted it, is that it's just the USB data connection that isn't 100% working yet (but can with the aforementioned workaround). No mention of the miniplane being unable to power the boards.

We await confirmation from Barntech I guess.

No, that's just a symptom, it will be something in the SPI firmware, which the bitfury chips use to make the chain. The firmware needs to detect how many boards/chips there are, then set up a chain using SPI.

There is a USB problem, but that is most likely separate, the one where multiple boards don't work off the same PC port. Probably some device identification thing.

[monkeynutts]

Well done barn on getting as many out the door as possible, understandable you didn't get through them all.

Hoping mine went out, but if its monday before it ships its monday before it ships

fingers crossed !!

[techman05]

But we still can use miniplane to distribute power via it?


Cheers.

I didn't ask that one yet but the way barntech said it you can't since boards don't play nice together or on the board  plane right now

Read it again... They don't play nice data wise. So you can't chain them and use one USB yet when connected to miniplane or double scroll.   You have to use multiple USB cables for data for now.   But you are definitely able to still have them all connected to the miniplanes and use power.   

It's just the board firmware that needs updating to allow chip chaining across the miniplane (the miniplane and double scroll have no brains/firmware and are passive connections in terms of data).

Well that's good . now I can plug my board sandwich in properly.

[techman05]

When I don't plug them in the blade they work fine single hub . when I put them in the blade then they don't play nice. That's a pain ;(

edit crap somethings going funky I gently placed both in the mini plane unpowered and ones not showing life anymore. Any ideas, is there a reset switch?

[jedimstr]

When I don't plug them in the blade they work fine single hub . when I put them in the blade then they don't play nice. That's a pain ;(

edit crap somethings going funky I gently placed both in the mini plane unpowered and ones not showing life anymore. Any ideas, is there a reset switch?

Hmmm.. I guess we'll have to hook up multiple molex and no miniplane for now until the firmware is updated. 

If they aren't on the miniplane, do you still get the issue with them all identifying as Drillbit 0 instead of 0,1,2,etc ?

[techman05]

I think they still do the zero but now I'm freaking that one of my boards is not working. I noticed the zero outside of the plane. I had them placed outside with a cooling fan between them.

The board was working but after I plugged it in the the plane it was discovered and then showed it was disconnected and marked as zombie. I've so far unpluged the working one and tried to see if its a power issue but its not working .

I hope it wasn't something I did.

[guyver]

Barntech

Please tell me you have shipped the UK orders
Can't wait til. Monday.

Thanks

[forevernoob]

Barntech

Please tell me you have shipped the UK orders
Can't wait til. Monday.

Thanks

Just wondering, did you ask for express shipping?
Because if he shipped them today it would be extremely fast delivery to get them on Monday.

[ryanb]

hey guys
i received my kit now

i am having issues only one are running but i see all 4 boards on my device manager

it seems like usb 3 is not supported?