ZTEX USB-FPGA Modules 1.15x and 1.15y: 215 and 860 MH/s FPGA Boards

[lame.duck]

So the entrance is circular and the exit is a very thin and long rectangle.

Maybe you should have a look at cross flow fans?

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[rupy]

So the entrance is circular and the exit is a very thin and long rectangle.

Maybe you should have a look at cross flow fans?

Hm, no but thanks for the suggestion.

I'm actually thinking about aquarium air pumps now for the "octopus" solution... but I know the final solution will be convection, even if it means wearing my chips a little.

[Beaflag VonRathburg]

Totally agree... One big silent fan instead of lots of humming small ones. I need something like this:

        / * FPGA
       /  * FPGA
FAN=   * FPGA
       \  * FPGA
        \ * FPGA

Like a big vacuum cleaner piece. Wonder if it exists?

I've been thinking about mounting three to six of them inside of the hard drive tray in my case. It has hot swap trays with 3.5 and 2.5 mounts already designed into them. The front of the case has a 230mm fan that blows directly on it.

[TheSeven]

ZTEX board support has finally hit the MPBM testing branch!

Available here: https://github.com/TheSeven/Modular-Python-Bitcoin-Miner/tree/testing

I appreciate any feedback!

If you run into any issues, please contact me on IRC: #mpbm on irc.freenode.net

[BR0KK]

Would love to test this.... But:

1. How Safe is it ? (i don't want my boards to blow up .....)
2. Is there a "how to" aviable (for a windows guy that moved to MAc OSX)

[TheSeven]

Would love to test this.... But:

1. How Safe is it ? (i don't want my boards to blow up .....)
2. Is there a "how to" aviable (for a windows guy that moved to MAc OSX)

1. The overclocking code tries to exactly match what ZTEX BTCMiner is doing. And I see no other way how it could be blown up, if at all.

2. Here are some general instructions:

• Check out the testing branch (git clone git://github.com/TheSeven/Modular-Python-Bitcoin-Miner.git -b testing)
• Run "python run-mpbm.py"
• Open http://localhost:8832
• Log in with user name "admin", password "mpbm"
• Configure the WebUI frontend to set your own password
• Add your own work sources to the "user work sources" group
• Right click on the created work sources and assign them to the "Bitcoin" blockchain (or whichever blockchain they belong to), to enable long poll aggregation
• When you're done, hit "save configuration" (will be done during a clean shutdown anyway, but it can't hurt to do it manually after lots of changes to reduce the risk of data loss)

The boards should be detected automatically. I haven't tested this on Mac OS at all though, so you might hit some OS dependent issues. If that happens, just let me know (ideally on IRC, so we can try to figure things out interactively).

If you leave the demo (and donation) work sources enabled (which I would of course appreciate), and don't have a hashrate of multiple gigahashes per second, the work distribution might not work correctly and allocate more than 1% of your hashrate to those demo/donation work sources. To fix that, just change the number of long poll connections on the BTCMP (demo) work source to zero.

[antirack]

Would love to test this.... But:

1. How Safe is it ? (i don't want my boards to blow up .....)
2. Is there a "how to" aviable (for a windows guy that moved to MAc OSX)

1. The overclocking code tries to exactly match what ZTEX BTCMiner is doing. And I see no other way how it could be blown up, if at all.

2. Here are some general instructions:

• Check out the testing branch (git clone git://github.com/TheSeven/Modular-Python-Bitcoin-Miner.git -b testing)
• Run "python run-mpbm.py"
• Open http://localhost:8832
• Log in with user name "admin", password "mpbm"
• Configure the WebUI frontend to set your own password
• Add your own work sources to the "user work sources" group
• Right click on the created work sources and assign them to the "Bitcoin" blockchain (or whichever blockchain they belong to), to enable long poll aggregation
• When you're done, hit "save configuration" (will be done during a clean shutdown anyway, but it can't hurt to do it manually after lots of changes to reduce the risk of data loss)

The boards should be detected automatically. I haven't tested this on Mac OS at all though, so you might hit some OS dependent issues. If that happens, just let me know (ideally on IRC, so we can try to figure things out interactively).

If you leave the demo (and donation) work sources enabled (which I would of course appreciate), and don't have a hashrate of multiple gigahashes per second, the work distribution might not work correctly and allocate more than 1% of your hashrate to those demo/donation work sources. To fix that, just change the number of long poll connections on the BTCMP (demo) work source to zero.

I have tested this according to your instructions and it worked without problems in my 3 Ztex (+5 Icarus) setup). It recognized the Ztex boards automatically, while I had to add my Icarus COM ports manually (as expected I guess). I only had 5 minutes so I didn't set up my own blockchains (pools), but everything worked as expected.

Once I have more time I will test a bit more and give you feedback in your thread, I have only been using the old version of MPBM so far. One thing I noticed, using Firefox the display on the top left (menu) was messed up. With Chrome it worked fine. Could be one of my Firefox add-ons though.

[TheSeven]

I have tested this according to your instructions and it worked without problems in my 3 Ztex (+5 Icarus) setup). It recognized the Ztex boards automatically, while I had to add my Icarus COM ports manually (as expected I guess). I only had 5 minutes so I didn't set up my own blockchains (pools), but everything worked as expected.

Once I have more time I will test a bit more and give you feedback in your thread, I have only been using the old version of MPBM so far. One thing I noticed, using Firefox the display on the top left (menu) was messed up. With Chrome it worked fine. Could be one of my Firefox add-ons though.

Yes, I haven't found a way to autodetect Icarus boards yet, their protocol doesn't really make that easy. It's kinda fire and forget.

What do you mean with "old version"? The old version (master branch) doesn't have ztex board support (except for nelisky's branch, but I'm not sure if that one even works yet, haven't tested it). The web user interface is the new (testing) branch.

The firefox issues are known, seems like it has a problem with sizing of scrollable divs. Need to look into that when I find time to do that.

[m3sSh3aD]

@RUPY

Please can you post a picture of how you've mounted the Zalman flower heatsinks to your 1.15x boards please - specifically how you've connected the fiddly pin-post connectors to the heatsink?

I'm in the process of sending Stefan a wad of money for 25 boards and I have 25 Zalman heatsinks to assemble. And they're tricky and fiddly.

I *really* don't want to assemble 25 of these damn things and then find I've got the 'hooks' pointing the wrong way!!!!



I'd *really* appreciate it

Wish i had a wod of cash for 25 boards

Good luck with that venture. I hope to some day, Maybe next gen FPGA's

[rupy]

They go with the hook through the board and the spring on the metal wing end. Also you have to turn one of the wings so it doesn't poke the big black square component (not because it's hot, but because you can't properly center the heatsink otherwise), but you'll notice; it only goes one way.

Also I used pliers to gently narrow the hook a bit so I didn't have to force the hooks through with too much pressure.

I would use some quality grease though, not the zalman one.

How are you going to cool these, passively?

[CA Coins]

@RUPY

Please can you post a picture of how you've mounted the Zalman flower heatsinks to your 1.15x boards please - specifically how you've connected the fiddly pin-post connectors to the heatsink?

I'm in the process of sending Stefan a wad of money for 25 boards and I have 25 Zalman heatsinks to assemble. And they're tricky and fiddly.

I *really* don't want to assemble 25 of these damn things and then find I've got the 'hooks' pointing the wrong way!!!!



I'd *really* appreciate it

Good luck catfish.  Stefan's latest batch is fast.  ~210 average, the fastest runs at 228Mhz (stock cooler).  I hope you can get them up and running soon.

[rupy]

Also catfish: please post the rig in FPGA Photo thread later, can't wait to see this thing!

[aTg]

Hello, I noticed a kind of anomaly in the circuit after 30 days of continuous use with proper refrigeration and good performance of the circuit.
The power supply is a 500W ATX supply with 35W load divided between the FPGA and an atom motherboard.

Seems to ooze a kind of resin, at the time that I've detected no heat in that area and the resin is hardened, the power connector makes good contact and 11.89 volts supplied stably.

Attached photos:

[TheSeven]

Hello, I noticed a kind of anomaly in the circuit after 30 days of continuous use with proper refrigeration and good performance of the circuit.
The power supply is a 500W ATX supply with 35W load divided between the FPGA and an atom motherboard.

Seems to ooze a kind of resin, at the time that I've detected no heat in that area and the resin is hardened, the power connector makes good contact and 11.89 volts supplied stably.

Attached photos:
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/1447/300320121111.jpg

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/3460/300320121116.jpg

Looks like the usual flux residue?

[Turbor]

Try some alcohol or acetone.

[ztex]

That are solder flux remnants. If you find it ugly you can clean it.

[aTg]

Not that I mind, it's just that I found was not from the beginning and that continued use appeared. It was simply to confirm that there is a serious problem, thanks.

[camolist]

ordered two last tuesday and received them today

though it's still early i can report that they appear to be working quite well so far

not hard at all for a first time miner to get setup and running


(just a temporary 12volt source waiting on a 1200 watt CMPSU-1200AX to power these boards and some other brands that are also on the way)

http://i39.tinypic.com/294p35y.jpg

[Shadow383]

Would anyone be interested in a group bulk order? I want to pick up a couple of these to test, but I don't see them ever being profitable @ 309 EUR.

[tnkflx]

Would anyone be interested in a group bulk order? I want to pick up a couple of these to test, but I don't see them ever being profitable @ 309 EUR.

Yes