[Guide] Dogie's Comprehensive ASICMiner Cube Setup [HD]

[ShosMeister]

Simple questions but didn't seem to find an answer searching here nor reading through for a couple of days.

1. Is there a way to safely power down the cube? Just seems rough to turn off the power supply.
2. Is there a way to stop it from requesting more work and let it finish what it has then report it before shutting down?

Setup is basically as described in this guide with cube and proxy.

[DanZaph]

1. Is there a way to safely power down the cube? Just seems rough to turn off the power supply.

1. Is there a way to safely power down the cube?
    Just flip the switch.
Just seems rough to turn off the power supply.
   Not really. It actually does not die an instant death, there are capacitors that will discharge slowly (slowly if you are an electron traveling at close to the speed of light that is).

[JLebowskiTheDude]

Just wired one up, see pics.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/65xn2gvlqtuxdcs/IMG_0046.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ps56h7qppetyb1h/IMG_0045.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cpj7socup8wua4f/IMG_0047.jpg

Materials:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7CWSCG/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You need 2 of these:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10245&cs_id=1024503&p_id=2883&seq=1&format=2

Running on low now, ~32GHs

I'm going to let it run on low for awhile then kick it to high.
I'll post back after that.

I also installed a better fan (It moves a lot more air):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835132022

And a filter (Fit best on outside):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DBU88C8/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks   ...   Ken

Edit:
The fan is noisy.
Couldn't hear the stock fan.
This one is very noticeable.

Ken, wow!
Great cable harness, great find on the low cost PCI-E connectors. What gage wire did you use going to the power supply?

Yup.  Very interesting.

Similar to the Z750P project that sidehack is working on, except those are 62A. 

I have two Z750Ps running 4 of our Cubes at the moment and they work extremely well. 

$105 invested in two 62A 90+ power supplies ain't bad at all.

[sgginc]

Update on the $30 30 amp PS:

Running warmer now ~85℉
The PS fan has sped up also. Warm air is blowing out.
Wires are ~82℉

The new fan is blowing 3x the warm air out.
Its like a little heater.
The cube surface temp is about the same as the PS.

I'm using an infrared temp instrument.

I'm going to wait till morning to set the clock to high.
I'm cautious. Don't want to burn my apt down.

Ken

[DanZaph]

The new fan is blowing 3x the warm air out.
Its like a little heater.

Yep, basically 100% of the electricity ends up as heat—a real heater these miners. That is the main reason I will not be adding another cube.

What is the ambient temperate in the room the Cube is in?

[dogie]

The new fan is blowing 3x the warm air out.
Its like a little heater.

Yep, basically 100% of the electricity ends up as heat—a real heater these miners. That is the main reason I will not be adding another cube.

What is the ambient temperate in the room the Cube is in?

I bet the hippies hate us so much We just turn perfectly good electricity into waste heat just so we can attribute our virtual currencies to particular parties.

[sgginc]

The new fan is blowing 3x the warm air out.
Its like a little heater.

Yep, basically 100% of the electricity ends up as heat—a real heater these miners. That is the main reason I will not be adding another cube.

What is the ambient temperate in the room the Cube is in?

Right now (2AM, 09:54 GMT) it's 73℉ and 41℉ outside.
TV is on and Mac Pro is blowing hot air too.
When daytime temps rise to ~60℉ it gets up to 77℉
with the windows open.

Just now going to overclock the Cube to see if PS will hold.
Right now the fan on the PS has ratched up and the
body is slightly warm.

Thanks   ...   Ken

[DanZaph]

I bet the hippies hate us so much We just turn perfectly good electricity into waste heat just so we can attribute our virtual currencies to particular parties.

I disagree with that view of Hippies. Today the term is Hipsters which is where the term Hippie came from. I'm not sure what to call the "save the earth" people.

The defining thing in the mid to late 60's was the Vietnam war, the draft and the soldiers (former classmates) who came home in body bags and this spawned the hippies and the music as well, it was a great time for music.

At the time unless you were enrolled in college with a full schedule or married you were going to get drafted and go to Vietnam. The draft boards were very corrupt, selecting the poor, black and those who had moved. The youth felt that they had no control over their lives. Starting a career was not possible because the draft was going to yank you away for two years, perhaps life. I got my draft notice, was examined, deemed fit, and when my induction letter arrived in the mail I "dodged" it—I joined the Marine Corps that day. Every thanksgiving I play "Alice's Restaurant".

I was not a hippie, I had a business designing and manufacturing electronic hardware. We made fun of the hippies but underneath that we were at least a little bit jealous.
 
I think this hits the nail on the head, from "Country Joe and the Fish:
Come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send your sons off before it's too late.
You can be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.

[sgginc]

The new fan is blowing 3x the warm air out.
Its like a little heater.

Yep, basically 100% of the electricity ends up as heat—a real heater these miners. That is the main reason I will not be adding another cube.

What is the ambient temperate in the room the Cube is in?

Right now (2AM, 09:54 GMT) it's 73℉ and 41℉ outside.
TV is on and Mac Pro is blowing hot air too.
When daytime temps rise to ~60℉ it gets up to 77℉
with the windows open.

Just now going to overclock the Cube to see if PS will hold.
Right now the fan on the PS has ratched up and the
body is slightly warm.

Thanks   ...   Ken

Update Mar 03, 04:15 AM

I started my cooling tower fans which where off for above measurements:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/acd3g8p4wsutaho/Tower1.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bc9x8wc1t8etxz7/Tower2.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/udg0oblf6mzv84g/Tower3.jpg


PS fan is on high and side temp is 97℉
Cube temps remain unchanged (due to cooling tower fans?)

39+GH/s for ~20hrs

I have zero faith this $30 PS will hold up.
I fear that when it fails it will take
down the cube and fry it.

Thanks   ...   Ken

[DanZaph]

I have zero faith this $30 PS will hold up.
I fear that when it fails it will take
down the cube and fry it.

The only concern I would have is if there is an over voltage crowbar circuit. If there is then is no concern for the Cube on failure. I think that the power supply is a switching supply and I an not familiar with the failure modes of that kind of supply, they may fail in a manner that does not produce over voltage. Linear supplies have a failure mode of the voltage regulator transistor shorting in-to-out thus producing over voltage.

If it is running and under maximum current I see no reason to think it would fail in a room temperature environment.

Sure it is lower cost that an ATX type supply but it is much simpler with only one voltage and no cost for a plethora of cables.

There may be concerns other than those I have considered and I would be interested in hearing them.

I just ordered one so I can inspect it and in a few weeks when I get a chance I'll try it.

[HYPPS]

I have two miner cubes. One runs fine, the other stopped for some unknown reason. I have tried various things to troubleshoot the problem since I have a working one. I have took it apart, checked for any burnt signs and put it back together. It stopped working when I set up my second cube on a 850W PSU after adjusting them from high clock back to low and unplugging to change the pci-e connectors because they weren't connected in the neatest way possible. Before that, they worked fine, I could talk to both from my browser and could see them both hashing.

I need help, this is what I'm getting: Everything plugged in and on with the fuse, the fan starts working and the top SB PWR light comes on and the fan starts spinning. Then nothing... No click sound and the other PWR and Status lights do not light up like it did before and like it does on the working cube. Any ideas on what I should try to troubleshoot this, I've already spend the whole day reading threads to no avail, sadly(((((((

[stex2009]

I have two miner cubes. One runs fine, the other stopped for some unknown reason. I have tried various things to troubleshoot the problem since I have a working one. I have took it apart, checked for any burnt signs and put it back together. It stopped working when I set up my second cube on a 850W PSU after adjusting them from high clock back to low and unplugging to change the pci-e connectors because they weren't connected in the neatest way possible. Before that, they worked fine, I could talk to both from my browser and could see them both hashing.

I need help, this is what I'm getting: Everything plugged in and on with the fuse, the fan starts working and the top SB PWR light comes on and the fan starts spinning. Then nothing... No click sound and the other PWR and Status lights do not light up like it did before and like it does on the working cube. Any ideas on what I should try to troubleshoot this, I've already spend the whole day reading threads to no avail, sadly(((((((

If you don't hear a click, it could be your PSU ? what PSU are you using? other people can then confirm if that PSU works or not.

I had a similar strange situation where cubeA worked perfectly fine with this cheap PSU from frys , but cubeB would do the same thing as you are describing. Then I give like 5-10 min break and restart and it worked for a few minutes, then again stopped, and  couldn't connect to config page.
http://www.frys.com/product/6893426

[DanZaph]

It stopped working when I set up my second cube on a 850W PSU after adjusting them from high clock back to low and unplugging to change the pci-e connectors because they weren't connected in the neatest way possible. Before that, they worked fine

It is very important to be completely methodical isolating variables. Test one thing at a time in order to eliminate any conflicts.
1. Mark each Cube and PSU so you can easily keep track: Cube #1, PSU #1, Cube #2, PSU #2.
2. Make the settings exactly the same on each cube if possible.

3. Turn off both PSUs
4. Power Cube #1, PSU #1 up and write the results down.
5. Power Cube #1, PSU #1 down.
6. Power Cube #2, PSU #2 up and write the results down.
7. Power Cube #2, PSU #2 down.

8. Swap the PCE-E connectors between  toned up with: Cube #1, PSU #2 and Cub2 and PSU #1 being careful to insure the connectors are moved to the same (left/right) connectors. The two PCI-E connectors on the Cube are connected differently internally.
9. Power Cube #1, PSU #2 up and write the results down.
10. Power Cube #1, PSU #2 down.
11. Power Cube #2, PSU #1 up and write the results down.
12. Power Cube #2, PSU #1 down.

Examine the matrix of results. At this point you should know which CPUs and PSUs work and which don't.
If it is a Cube you may need to perform a variation of the above with the Ethernet cables and Cubes.

[HYPPS]

I have two miner cubes. One runs fine, the other stopped for some unknown reason. I have tried various things to troubleshoot the problem since I have a working one. I have took it apart, checked for any burnt signs and put it back together. It stopped working when I set up my second cube on a 850W PSU after adjusting them from high clock back to low and unplugging to change the pci-e connectors because they weren't connected in the neatest way possible. Before that, they worked fine, I could talk to both from my browser and could see them both hashing.

I need help, this is what I'm getting: Everything plugged in and on with the fuse, the fan starts working and the top SB PWR light comes on and the fan starts spinning. Then nothing... No click sound and the other PWR and Status lights do not light up like it did before and like it does on the working cube. Any ideas on what I should try to troubleshoot this, I've already spend the whole day reading threads to no avail, sadly(((((((

If you don't hear a click, it could be your PSU ? what PSU are you using? other people can then confirm if that PSU works or not.

I had a similar strange situation where cubeA worked perfectly fine with this cheap PSU from frys , but cubeB would do the same thing as you are describing. Then I give like 5-10 min break and restart and it worked for a few minutes, then again stopped, and  couldn't connect to config page.
http://www.frys.com/product/6893426

Thanks for your reply. This is the link to the PSU I have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00596CP9E/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm attempting to run both cubes off one PSU. I have ran both the cubes on that PSU. I was running Cube 1 for around 3 weeks before I switched to Cube 2 when it arrived and that worked fine for 5 days while I was waiting for some connectors to come so I could wire the PSU to run them both. Eventually I got them both running but they were powering off the PSU as they were both set on high clock mode, then I set them both to low clock mode and it seemed to work fine for 30 minutes so then finally I unplugged everything and rearranged the pci-e connectors on the cubes and when I came to power them on again, Cube 1 working and Cube 2 only got one green light as well as the fan spinning.

I have tried all the combinations of connectors(in turns not both together), they all work on Cube 1, but none work on Cube 2 so I think there is some connection problem on Cube 2, its getting power, just not starting, maybe one of the connections is loose that provides the power to some component that is required for the cube to start up. I'm mining as a hobbyist anything I know, I've learned by reading forums in the past week, I don't have a computer hardware background or seen the insides of computer hardware prior to this. Relying on you guys to point me in the right direction.

[HYPPS]

It stopped working when I set up my second cube on a 850W PSU after adjusting them from high clock back to low and unplugging to change the pci-e connectors because they weren't connected in the neatest way possible. Before that, they worked fine

It is very important to be completely methodical isolating variables. Test one thing at a time in order to eliminate any conflicts.
1. Mark each Cube and PSU so you can easily keep track: Cube #1, PSU #1, Cube #2, PSU #2.
2. Make the settings exactly the same on each cube if possible.

3. Turn off both PSUs
4. Power Cube #1, PSU #1 up and write the results down.
5. Power Cube #1, PSU #1 down.
6. Power Cube #2, PSU #2 up and write the results down.
7. Power Cube #2, PSU #2 down.

8. Swap the PCE-E connectors between  toned up with: Cube #1, PSU #2 and Cub2 and PSU #1 being careful to insure the connectors are moved to the same (left/right) connectors. The two PCI-E connectors on the Cube are connected differently internally.
9. Power Cube #1, PSU #2 up and write the results down.
10. Power Cube #1, PSU #2 down.
11. Power Cube #2, PSU #1 up and write the results down.
12. Power Cube #2, PSU #1 down.

Examine the matrix of results. At this point you should know which CPUs and PSUs work and which don't.
If it is a Cube you may need to perform a variation of the above with the Ethernet cables and Cubes.

Thanks for your reply. This is the link to the PSU I have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00596CP9E/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it works.

Read my above reply, the PSU works one Cube 1 but not Cube 2 with every combination of PCI-E connectors that could be tried, I tried. The ethernet cables are not the problem, Cube 2 isn't starting, comparing to Cube 1, there other green PWR light does not come one, the Red status light is also off, and there is no click noise which is parallel to the lights coming one to tell me the cube is powered. The cube is getting power but maybe one connection or internal component is faulty or something and therefore Cube 2 cannot start.

Relying on you guys to point me in the right direction.

[DanZaph]

Relying on you guys to point me in the right direction.

Some people have had luck removing the mining boards and replacing them one at a time to find a bad mining board.

[chadwickx16]

It stopped working when I set up my second cube on a 850W PSU after adjusting them from high clock back to low and unplugging to change the pci-e connectors because they weren't connected in the neatest way possible. Before that, they worked fine

It is very important to be completely methodical isolating variables. Test one thing at a time in order to eliminate any conflicts.
1. Mark each Cube and PSU so you can easily keep track: Cube #1, PSU #1, Cube #2, PSU #2.
2. Make the settings exactly the same on each cube if possible.

3. Turn off both PSUs
4. Power Cube #1, PSU #1 up and write the results down.
5. Power Cube #1, PSU #1 down.
6. Power Cube #2, PSU #2 up and write the results down.
7. Power Cube #2, PSU #2 down.

8. Swap the PCE-E connectors between  toned up with: Cube #1, PSU #2 and Cub2 and PSU #1 being careful to insure the connectors are moved to the same (left/right) connectors. The two PCI-E connectors on the Cube are connected differently internally.
9. Power Cube #1, PSU #2 up and write the results down.
10. Power Cube #1, PSU #2 down.
11. Power Cube #2, PSU #1 up and write the results down.
12. Power Cube #2, PSU #1 down.

Examine the matrix of results. At this point you should know which CPUs and PSUs work and which don't.
If it is a Cube you may need to perform a variation of the above with the Ethernet cables and Cubes.

Thanks for your reply. This is the link to the PSU I have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00596CP9E/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it works.

Read my above reply, the PSU works one Cube 1 but not Cube 2 with every combination of PCI-E connectors that could be tried, I tried. The ethernet cables are not the problem, Cube 2 isn't starting, comparing to Cube 1, there other green PWR light does not come one, the Red status light is also off, and there is no click noise which is parallel to the lights coming one to tell me the cube is powered. The cube is getting power but maybe one connection or internal component is faulty or something and therefore Cube 2 cannot start.

Relying on you guys to point me in the right direction.

I'm not an expert, but it seems that the power relay is starting to go out on some cubes. I had to short circuit one of my four. Works perfectly now!

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=352658.msg5420936#msg5420936

[HYPPS]

I'm not an expert, but it seems that the power relay is starting to go out on some cubes. I had to short circuit one of my four. Works perfectly now!

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=352658.msg5420936#msg5420936

I just got some electrical tape and copper wire and did the short circuit and the cube came on. I don't have a solder, is it safe to run it with the copper wire and tape only? Is it safe to run it on short circuit or could the potentially be greater risks as I don't fully understand the power relay function in a circuit? Anyway thanks, so the problem was the power relay going dead. Is there a way to replace or fix the relay and also can I run on high clock or better to keep it on low? Thanks in advance, but the main concern was finding the problem so the rest is not urgent.

[DanZaph]

I don't have a solder, is it safe to run it with the copper wire and tape only?

No it is not, there are 20+ amps of current and a good electrical connection is required. Perhaps you could get a friend or computer service shop to solder a wire across the relay contacts.

I don't fully understand the power relay function in a circuit?

I don't think any of us do, there is little to no documentation.

so the problem was the power relay going dead. Is there a way to replace or fix the relay

It can be replaced, there is info on the relay a few pages back on the forum.

Can I run on high clock or better to keep it on low?

I would run it on high. But I would probably to many things you wouldn't. :-) Your choice.

[dogie]

Relying on you guys to point me in the right direction.

Some people have had luck removing the mining boards and replacing them one at a time to find a bad mining board.

+1