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

[Hpman]

Give me Ztex Squads (lol) at 800 USD and I'll cancel my BFL order now.

Give me BFLs within six weeks and I'll cancel my Ztex order .

Stefan, if you're reading this: Have you thought about switching to 10 Amp buck controllers?

Are there any layout optimization for heat transfers to the board?  I didn't check the papers but I guess with 10A@ 1.2V the BGA plastic package is near the limits.

Hpman

[Epoch]

Give me Ztex Squads (lol) at 800 USD and I'll cancel my BFL order now.

Give me BFLs within six weeks and I'll cancel my Ztex order .

Guess you'll be hanging on to your Ztex order, then. BFL has just begun shipping their mid-January orders.

[Syke]

Typical performance should be 850 MH/s. (The prototype achieves 870 MH/s.)

Prices are:
1..4 units: 999 EUR (1355 USD)

It's great to see a quad board, but...

850 MH/s @ $5 per btc = $82/month (ignoring power costs).

$1355/82 = 16.5 months to break even...

but it gets worse, in 8 months the btc reward will drop in half. Unless the price of bitcoins doubles when the reward drops, this product will need roughly 2 full years to break even, even without taking into consideration power costs.

[ztex]

One question - how much does shipping in the EU cost for these quad boards? Also, is VAT included in the prices you quoted?

See there for payment and shipping methods: http://shop.ztex.de/shipping.php. Prices are without VAT (which has to be paid by private customers from EU without VATIN)

[spiccioli]

One question - how much does shipping in the EU cost for these quad boards? Also, is VAT included in the prices you quoted?

See there for payment and shipping methods: http://shop.ztex.de/shipping.php. Prices are without VAT (which has to be paid by private customers from EU without VATIN)

ztex,

I'm not a fiscal consultant, but european companies, for what I know, have to pay VAT as well when they receive goods from another european state.

Your invoice will not have VAT in it, but receiving company has to pay it, using its national VAT fee.

There are some exceptions, at least in Italy, like a company which imports goods to transform into different ones and/or puts them into a customs deposit while it waits to resell them.


spiccioli.

[ztex]

One question - how much does shipping in the EU cost for these quad boards? Also, is VAT included in the prices you quoted?

See there for payment and shipping methods: http://shop.ztex.de/shipping.php. Prices are without VAT (which has to be paid by private customers from EU without VATIN)

I'm not a fiscal consultant, but european companies, for what I know, have to pay VAT as well when they receive goods from another european state.

Would mean: As more companies are involved in a product as more expensive a product would be because every company would have to pay VAT.

VAT is a consumption tax. In general (there may be exceptions) companies get it returned or do not have to pay it. (Even if they consume the good, e.g. if I purchase a pencil I get the VAT refunded (if I purchase in Germany) or I do not have to pay VAT (If I order from outside Germany and within EU).

[spiccioli]

One question - how much does shipping in the EU cost for these quad boards? Also, is VAT included in the prices you quoted?

See there for payment and shipping methods: http://shop.ztex.de/shipping.php. Prices are without VAT (which has to be paid by private customers from EU without VATIN)

I'm not a fiscal consultant, but european companies, for what I know, have to pay VAT as well when they receive goods from another european state.

Would mean: As more companies are involved in a product as more expensive a product would be because every company would have to pay VAT.

VAT is a consumption tax. In general (there may be exceptions) companies get it returned or do not have to pay it. (Even if they consume the good, e.g. if I purchase a pencil I get the VAT refunded (if I purchase in Germany) or I do not have to pay VAT (If I order from outside Germany and within EU).

ztex,

if a company, here in Italy, buys something and this something is related to its core business, VAT gets returned, and the value of the goods reduces its earnings with a ratio of one fifth of the goods' price each year (there are exceptions and longer/shorter durations).

If a company, on the other hand, buys something which is not related to its core business (I don't think there are companies with crypto-currencies as core business; they could be considered hardware/computers, but if this company buys too much of them can get into troubles during a fiscal control) it pays VAT in the same way as a final consumer.

So, for example, I could buy your boards with my company VATIN, but as soon as they reach Italy I'd have to pay Italian VAT on them and I cannot ask this VAT back since they are not related to my company business (which is not even computers).

spiccioli.

[norulezapply]

Any estimates on a release date when I'll be able to order a quad FPGA board?

[BR0KK]

Ztex told me via mail that it should be in the Shop by next week

[ztex]

New software release (number 120417) has been released on the BTCMiner Homepage.

A list of new Features and a few hints can be found in the Software thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=40047.msg856930#msg856930

[aTg]

With the new version of firmware and a small incorporation of a heatsink reaches back beyond the 211.8 MH / s







I have taken the previous temperature and with the current firmware, the FPGA may be hot in different areas with the firmware change?

[SamHa1n]

Has <serial number string> size been increased? Noticed the addition of -1 to the end of device listing.

[norulezapply]

Anyone know what power adapters will be compatible with the new Quad boards?

I don't really want to spend like £30 on a power supply.

[Inspector 2211]

Anyone know what power adapters will be compatible with the new Quad boards?

I don't really want to spend like £30 on a power supply.

Any regulated 12V DC supply that supplies at least 3.5 Amps.
Some old netbooks have exactly such a power supply.
Or take an old PC power supply.

[ztex]

With the new version of firmware and a small incorporation of a heatsink reaches back beyond the 211.8 MH / s
[...]
I have taken the previous temperature and with the current firmware, the FPGA may be hot in different areas with the firmware change?

The only diference between the new bitstreams (ztex_ufm1_15d4.bit and ztex_ufm1_15y1.bit) and the old one (ztex_ufm1_15d3.bit) are some changes in the glue logic. Routing and placement of the hashing pipelines is the same. This does not influence the heat generation and it is almost impossible that this influences the speed.

[ztex]

Has <serial number string> size been increased? Noticed the addition of -1 to the end of device listing.

"-<n>" denotes the number of the FPGA.

[ztex]

Anyone know what power adapters will be compatible with the new Quad boards?

I don't really want to spend like £30 on a power supply.

See there and there http://www.ztex.de/usb-fpga-1/usb-fpga-1.15y.e.html#con2
and there http://wiki.ztex.de/doku.php?id=en:ztex_boards:ztex_fpga_boards:cluster_power_supplies&#usb-fpga_modules_115ysmall_clusters (just updated)

[aTg]

With the new version of firmware and a small incorporation of a heatsink reaches back beyond the 211.8 MH / s
[...]
I have taken the previous temperature and with the current firmware, the FPGA may be hot in different areas with the firmware change?

The only diference between the new bitstreams (ztex_ufm1_15d4.bit and ztex_ufm1_15y1.bit) and the old one (ztex_ufm1_15d3.bit) are some changes in the glue logic. Routing and placement of the hashing pipelines is the same. This does not influence the heat generation and it is almost impossible that this influences the speed.

The speed increase to 211.8 MH / s is because the previous version 210MHZ to 216MHz jumping and having a high error rate was returning to 210MHz. Now 208MHz to 212MHz passes and with a little extra cooling support this so often gets almost 212MH / s.
Prove also put the circuit inside the fridge and came up to 216MHz without problems.

[roomservice]

With the new version of firmware and a small incorporation of a heatsink reaches back beyond the 211.8 MH / s
[...]
I have taken the previous temperature and with the current firmware, the FPGA may be hot in different areas with the firmware change?

The only diference between the new bitstreams (ztex_ufm1_15d4.bit and ztex_ufm1_15y1.bit) and the old one (ztex_ufm1_15d3.bit) are some changes in the glue logic. Routing and placement of the hashing pipelines is the same. This does not influence the heat generation and it is almost impossible that this influences the speed.

The speed increase to 211.8 MH / s is because the previous version 210MHZ to 216MHz jumping and having a high error rate was returning to 210MHz. Now 208MHz to 212MHz passes and with a little extra cooling support this so often gets almost 212MH / s.
Prove also put the circuit inside the fridge and came up to 216MHz without problems.

GREAT!!! Can't wait for test result when you put the ztex board into the freezer!

[SamHa1n]

if you collect enough condensation points, you get to bonus round.