[GUIDE] GridSeed 5-Chip USB, Blade & Black Miner Support/Tuning

[matt4054]

Hello Matt! So, you have your Gridseed 5 chip USB miners, mining? Fantastic!
Please share with us what you did step by step to get your 5 chip miners mining.
What program are you using? Which drivers? What configuration? etc...
I don't care about pictures. All I need is the correct/workable data....

I'm using this driver (provided by ST) and this modified version of cpuminer (provided by LightningAsic)

I ran into the "Open COMxx failed, GetLastError:2" on the first machine. I tried a lot of tweaking and stuff to get past that error, without any success.

I repeated the same drivers & software installation on a 2nd PC (running Windows 8, but I don't think it matters, because a VM on Win7 also works without the error for me), and this time, I didn't have the COM: port problem and it worked fine.

I wish I could figure out what makes it work on one PC and not on the other one, but I haven't found it yet.

Will post updates if I learn more about it.

[mxlx]

I need some help with Gridseed, I'm running cpuminer and when it starts

C:\Users\mining\Desktop\cpuminer\cpuminer-2.3.2-GC3355-win32>minerd  --freq=600
--gc3355=com17 --url=stratum+tcp://litecoinpool.org:3333 --userpass=XXXXXXXX.
XX:X
[2014-02-26 18:15:31] Starting Stratum on stratum+tcp://litecoinpool.org:3333
[2014-02-26 18:15:31] GC3355 chip mining thread started, in SINGLE mode
[2014-02-26 18:15:31] Open com17 failed, GetLastError:2

Any idea on what to do? The virtual com17 say is working properly.


thanks

[wolfey2014]

Hello Matt! So, you have your Gridseed 5 chip USB miners, mining? Fantastic!
Please share with us what you did step by step to get your 5 chip miners mining.
What program are you using? Which drivers? What configuration? etc...
I don't care about pictures. All I need is the correct/workable data....

I'm using this driver (provided by ST) and this modified version of cpuminer (provided by LightningAsic)

I ran into the "Open COMxx failed, GetLastError:2" on the first machine. I tried a lot of tweaking and stuff to get past that error, without any success.

I repeated the same drivers & software installation on a 2nd PC (running Windows 8, but I don't think it matters, because a VM on Win7 also works without the error for me), and this time, I didn't have the COM: port problem and it worked fine.

I wish I could figure out what makes it work on one PC and not on the other one, but I haven't found it yet.

Will post updates if I learn more about it.

Thanks!
But the modified cpuminer, the site is all in CHINESE! I can't read that language at all
Wish I could.
Is any of it in english? Is the program in english, at all?
If not, this won't help me or any other English speaker, at all. Bummer!
So close yet so far!
Thanks though. I'd love to try this on my Win7 laptop.
Can you still help me?
Thanks
Wolfey2014

[wolfey2014]

Its obviously trying to open comm 2. So you have to make sure comm 2 is working correctly.

While I don't have the solution, I can say from my experience that:

• The drivers where properly installed (as reported in Device Manager)
• The COM: port in question is correctly detected and listed (Device Manager, again)
• Zadig is reporting the correct USB driver (usbser.sys, if I recall well)
• Running the process as Administrator doesn't help
• Error code 2 *seems* to be 'File Not Found' in the Windows fopen() equivalent (I'm noob to Windows I/O, HAL and stuff)

Sorry, I meant that I think it means that it's failing to open comm 2, not comm 2 is failing.
You have to find out why it's failing. Perhaps M$loth has a tech bulletin on the issue?
"Open COM2 failed, GetLastError:2" Perhaps they have a TB on GetLastError:2 ?
I'm still guessing but it's possible.
Don't worry, I'm a noob on this one too.
My miners are all sitting idle because I can't figure out how to get them mining yet.
Have tried a few things suggested, but no luck yet! Darnit!
But it looks like you're making more headway than I am. Atleast your program is talking back to you

[matt4054]

I have attached my Gridseed back to the computer where I had the COM: open failed problem.

I still can't figure out exactly what does the magic, but here's exactly what I did:

• My Virtual COM: port was COM11: so I tried again with COM11: => same problem as before
• Re-mapped COM11: to COM2: using the Device Manager (go to Advanced...)
• Tried again with COM2: => same problem as before
• Disconnected the miner, reconnected the miner, waited for about 2 minutes
• Tried again with COM2: => this time, it worked   

So it might be worth trying this, although I'm still not getting it 100%

[lajz99]

I need some help with Gridseed, I'm running cpuminer and when it starts

C:\Users\mining\Desktop\cpuminer\cpuminer-2.3.2-GC3355-win32>minerd  --freq=600
--gc3355=com17 --url=stratum+tcp://litecoinpool.org:3333 --userpass=XXXXXXXX.
XX:X
[2014-02-26 18:15:31] Starting Stratum on stratum+tcp://litecoinpool.org:3333
[2014-02-26 18:15:31] GC3355 chip mining thread started, in SINGLE mode
[2014-02-26 18:15:31] Open com17 failed, GetLastError:2

Any idea on what to do? The virtual com17 say is working properly.


thanks

This is the same issue I reported above.  At this point nobody knows what the issue is it sounds like...

[lajz99]

• Disconnected the miner, reconnected the miner, waited for about 2 minutes
• Tried again with COM2: => this time, it worked    

So it might be worth trying this, although I'm still not getting it 100%

This is the key!!!
[/list]

[mxlx]

Thanks. Now what is this, I unplug the usb and plug again and I change to com1 that seems available even that is not the virtual one.

C:\Users\mining\Desktop\cpuminer\cpuminer-2.3.2-GC3355-win32>minerd  --freq=600
--gc3355=com1 --url=stratum+tcp://litecoinpool.org:3333 --userpass=XXXXXXXX.XX:X
[2014-02-26 18:34:29] Starting Stratum on stratum+tcp://litecoinpool.org:3333
[2014-02-26 18:34:29] GC3355 chip mining thread started, in SINGLE mode
[2014-02-26 18:34:29] open UART device com1
>>> LTC : 55aac000c0c0c0c00500000001000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef020000000000000000000000000000000000000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef3020000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2810000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2813000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef000500e082
[2014-02-26 18:34:29] set GC3355 core frequency to 600Mhz
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffff000000000000000000000000000000000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffffffff00000000000000000000000000000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffffffffffff0000000000000000000000000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffffffffffffffff000000000000000000000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffffffffffffffffffff00000000000000000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffffffffffffffffffffffff0000000000000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffffffffffffffffffffffffffff000000000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff00000000
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff0000
>>> LTC : 55aaef02ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
[2014-02-26 18:34:31] dispatching new work to GC3355 LTC core
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2810000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2813000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000fcff0300
004869f45e1f88826a483f5ceb83414773ed46563087d024373df8e7ff16f7c78b00000002a223b 8
19881506baf9c056fb774f5c006ad5d79feeccaf1ad42daec3c5e3fe06e3cd6f4ce305bf391b80c 0
8229d58fab9393dce981b584822a6bac38e052f0ad530ea4551b13b9a000000000ffffffff12345 6
78
[2014-02-26 18:34:50] dispatching new work to GC3355 LTC core
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2810000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2813000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000fcff0300
00b080dce6668f5fe08324c8eb8c5697e8a206991582fb2ad94eab51bf3a9e57f900000002a223b 8
19881506baf9c056fb774f5c006ad5d79feeccaf1ad42daec3c5e3fe06239736e8e2f93441694ae 4
9d641e3007cfae5836a8df937a991752a62343b5fe530ea4821b13b9a000000000ffffffff12345 6
78
[2014-02-26 18:35:35] dispatching new work to GC3355 LTC core
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2810000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2813000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000fcff0300
0028b4cdc30f65d35e5f493d86f530a03a56acc127ed5122fb1be3ae1d806a93a500000002a223b 8
19881506baf9c056fb774f5c006ad5d79feeccaf1ad42daec3c5e3fe061ed645fd9a18eec102bd0 9
07f50f09023043ab69b4aac7e445fd0fc7bc315bb0530ea4af1b13b9a000000000ffffffff12345 6
78
[2014-02-26 18:36:59] dispatching new work to GC3355 LTC core
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2810000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2813000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000fcff0300
003443936de6f6b47397ba9a69c45bae255ad7b66ec57d8a7e67d092d9b9767f5300000002a223b 8
19881506baf9c056fb774f5c006ad5d79feeccaf1ad42daec3c5e3fe062c2b6d037f3f53e6cbc5e 4
8d77044dfebfb882d0ac2c1b5cb96bae72caa3f23a530ea4dc1b13b9a000000000ffffffff12345 6
78
4-02-26 18:37:09] Stratum detected new block
[2014-02-26 18:37:12] dispatching new work to GC3355 LTC core
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2810000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f2813000000
>>> LTC : 55aa1f00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000f0ff0f00
00cecb41fd9d055f2da2930768259ae560e27b9fe16545cf4bb74ea80820ce5c07000000026e45e 3
073436ed5b78d2734e34f9993397f18d824622383167e874af7ccd6e9e7198b6c4b7905204c3392 b
6a9a478e9c109438c822099d778213d8ff581e2dc4530ea50e1b13b9a000000000ffffffff12345 6
78

[lajz99]

What is the format for entering multiple miners in the .bat file?  Can't figure that part out...got 1 running...

[Beastlymac]

What is the format for entering multiple miners in the .bat file?  Can't figure that part out...got 1 running...

It doesn't look like you can. The software only supports one device per instance with a maximum of 3 instance. I have a step by step setup in my thread for the silver/gold units if people are looking for one. It is in my signature.

[matt4054]

What is the format for entering multiple miners in the .bat file?  Can't figure that part out...got 1 running...

You can try forking using the 'start' command of Windows. Can't test myself though, but AFAIK it may work in the batch file:

Code:

start minerd (...) --gc3355=COM1 (...)
start minerd (...) --gc3355=COM2 (...)
start minerd (...) --gc3355=COM3 (...)

Up to 3 concurrent processes will be OK, not more, according to Beastlymac.

[mxlx]

Don't we suppose to use the virtual com port?

thanks

[matt4054]

Don't we suppose to use the virtual com port?

thanks

Yes, replace COM1, COM2 and COM3 in my example with the appropriate virtual COM ports for your machine.

(this example is only useful to those who want to start multiple instances from the same batch file)

[mxlx]

If I put the com17 that is the virtual is an error and com1 is working but pool not receiving, any thoughts?

thanks

[matt4054]

If I put the com17 that is the virtual is an error and com1 is working but pool not receiving, any thoughts?

• Open your device manager,
• Double click the Virtual COM port (your COM17) to open 'Properties' dialog
• Go to the 2nd tab, 'Port Settings'
• Click 'Advanced...'
• Change the COM: port number to the lowest available number (not sure about this)
• Note the new COM: port number
• Change your batch file to the new COM: port number
• Disconnect your miner from USB port
• Reconnect your miner to USB port
• Wait for two minutes
• Try again

It seemed to work for me and for lajz99 too (right?)

[mxlx]

thanks is working but only 320ks, any idea how to increase the hashes?

thanks again

[matt4054]

thanks is working but only 320ks, any idea how to increase the hashes?

thanks again

Try increasing the frequency (--freq) from 600 to 800.

Beware of overheating, though! I left mine hashing at --freq=600 (getting about 300 khs, which is the nominal = announced hashrate)

[mxlx]

They working but the hashing is 220 to 320 and I change the frequency from 600 to 800, any other secret?

thanks

[matt4054]

They working but the hashing is 220 to 320 and I change the frequency from 600 to 800, any other secret?

There is quite a bit of variance in pool-side reported hashrate. I think these are designed to hash at 300 khs, not more. That was the deal when I ordered my unit at least, so I don't expect more.

However, maybe others have secrets to share when it comes to overclocking?

[wolfey2014]

I have attached my Gridseed back to the computer where I had the COM: open failed problem.

I still can't figure out exactly what does the magic, but here's exactly what I did:

• My Virtual COM: port was COM11: so I tried again with COM11: => same problem as before
• Re-mapped COM11: to COM2: using the Device Manager (go to Advanced...)
• Tried again with COM2: => same problem as before
• Disconnected the miner, reconnected the miner, waited for about 2 minutes
• Tried again with COM2: => this time, it worked   

So it might be worth trying this, although I'm still not getting it 100%

The sequence is out. Move some of the steps around in different combinations until you get the same result every time. Then you've got it.
Remapping played a big part in the resolution of not being able to open comm 2...so now it opens comm 2 but it's really comm11? or remapping then changing the config file to match the same comm port as the remap?
Just thinkin out loud.....
wolfey2014