GekkoScience NewPac / Terminus R606 (BM1387) Official Support Thread

[Searing]

I have not gotten my Apollo BTC Full 'loaded' version up yet...but was wondering if there is a timeline on when the scrypt node/type as such, 'full' loaded
version with all the 'bells & whistles' is back in stock? Even if out to 2024...thanks...

[n0nce]

I have not gotten my Apollo BTC Full 'loaded' version up yet...but was wondering if there is a timeline on when the scrypt node/type as such, 'full' loaded
version with all the 'bells & whistles' is back in stock? Even if out to 2024...thanks...

Huh? Wrong thread? This is a GekkoScience / sidehack thread.
You probably want to ask in Official FutureBit Apollo BTC Software/Image and Support thread, instead.

[Muppet007]

One's last Terminus R606 gone 'Zombie'. I use a HP 1200w PSU with a break out. Restarted everything, changed cables etc; 'found 0 chip(s)'
10x NewPac's, 2x 120W 8 port GekkoScience USB hub work like trojans on the same breakout board.
Where cgminer would normally read BM1387:12+ I get (minus the '+') BM1387:6; the previous dead terminus reads BM1387:10.
Anyone repaired or know if R606 repairable?

If it is dead chips then one assumes BM1387B chips and BM1387 tin tool will do the trick. I already own the other tools to remove and remount the chips if need be.

[mrbryceguy]

Hey- I need to be pointed in the right direction-

I got bored and cooked up a little Gekkoscience / RPi rig and ran into a spot of trouble with two of my new stick miners-

I have like 20 + of mixed models, original Compac, 2pac, Newpac, and Compac F's ( I am a mining degenerate ) .

ALL of my other stick run, hash, ect. for YEARS on end-

Since we are in the NewPac thread, we'll focus on that- but the same thing happens to one of my old 2Pacs

So- I am runnning a Raspberry Pi 3 B with the 2022-09-22-raspios-bullseye-arm64.img

I am using a Sotma 10 Port Powered USB 3.0 Hub. ( 12V/10A/120W ) specs say 5V /2.1A of output per port-

this is ONLY being used with 2 sticks. ( I have rotated the sticks all around, between different hubs, swapped PSU's, to no avail)

I run this - ( My coding skills are weak- )

sudo cgminer -o stratum+tcp://us-east.stratum.braiins.com:3333 -u miningpeon.gekko --gekko-compac-freq 175 --gekko-2pac-freq 200 --gekko-newpac-freq 300 --gekko-compacf-freq 350  -p x --suggest-diff 128 --gekko-lowboost --gekko-start-freq 155 --gekko-tune-up 85 --gekko-mine2 --gekko-tune2 60

cgminer version 4.12.1 - Started: [2023-02-19 18:58:39.494]

 SB management [P]ool management ettings [D]isplay options [Q]uit
 0: GSH 10037043: found 0 chip(s)         | ZOMBIE
 1: GSD 10010214: found 0 chip(s)         | ZOMBIE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 [2023-02-19 18:58:37.529] Started cgminer 4.12.1
 [2023-02-19 18:58:37.530] Probing for an alive pool
 [2023-02-19 18:58:37.778] Pool 0 difficulty changed to 8192
 [2023-02-19 18:58:37.907] Rejected untracked stratum share from pool 0
 [2023-02-19 18:58:38.791] 0: GSH 0 - Toggling ASIC nRST to reset
 [2023-02-19 18:58:39.493] 0: GSH 0 - NewPac Bitcoin Miner (10037043)
 [2023-02-19 18:58:39.494] 1: GSD 0 - 2Pac BM1384 Bitcoin Miner (10010214)
 [2023-02-19 18:58:39.495] Network diff set to 39.2T
 [2023-02-19 18:58:58.947] GSD 0 failure, disabling!
 [2023-02-19 18:59:00.135] GSH 0 failure, disabling!
 [2023-02-19 18:59:01.254] 0: GSH 0 - Toggling ASIC nRST to reset



This will continue- So, I just gotta know before I waste any more time- did these new ones I bought crap out> ?

[kano]

No idea where you got cgminer from,
but if it's the official one (mine) then either there's not enough power going to the miners or there's something wrong with them.

Also, since you are on linux you would have to build it yourself, if it's my version, as per the steps explained on the gekko support page:
https://kano.is/gekko.php#lin

The only other official version for the older gekkos is VH's as per the start of this thread.
But that wont work on the CompacF and it also wont say 4.12.1

So if it's not working and you didn't get my (or VH's) version of cgminer, wipe the cgminer you got and get the version on here to be sure it's not a software problem: https://kano.is/gekko.php#lin

[mrbryceguy]

Hey thanks man- I did pull the repository from https://github.com/kanoi/cgminer.git - I think that there is a voltage thing going on with a few of them, I am going to toy around with the coupe that don't work when I get back Stateside from a business trip- again, thanks for all the time you put in on this- have a fantastic day!

[paid2]

sudo cgminer -o stratum+tcp://us-east.stratum.braiins.com:3333 -u miningpeon.gekko --gekko-compac-freq 175 --gekko-2pac-freq 200 --gekko-newpac-freq 300 --gekko-compacf-freq 350  -p x --suggest-diff 128 --gekko-lowboost --gekko-start-freq 155 --gekko-tune-up 85 --gekko-mine2 --gekko-tune2 60

May I ask what is the goal of "gekko-lowboost" ?

The readme only says :

--gekko-lowboost    GekkoScience NewPac/R606 AsicBoost - 2 midstate

I understand the usage of "--gekko-noboost " but I don't understand what is doing lowboost concretly

[sidehack]

Standard boost is 4 midstate, lowboost is 2 midstate. Changes the packet size and timings and I forget why exactly but it worked a bit better on whatever janky USB subsystem Windows uses.

[TheTeddybear]

Ok trying to setup a rpi zero w (cant find another decent use for it) as a lotto miner. Using a Newpac. I used to have it run on a win10 machine fine but I cant seem to get it to recognize in the pi. followed the steps but I am running into problems with the CFLAGS="-O2 -march=native" ./autogen.sh -enable-gekko make -j 2 command and then it wont see the newpac and since it wont see the newpac im up a creek. I am running the piOS lite 64. Im elevated to root. Im loosing what little mind I actually have. If anyone has ideas please feel free to drop them on me like a sack of hammers.

[sidehack]

That step you mentioned is a couple steps which compile the cgminer. What error are you getting? Without knowing what is failing and where, there's not much to help with. Are you doing "dash oh two" or "dash zero two"? Because it's a capital O, not a zero. That's a common/easy mistake that causes the compiler check to fail.

[paid2]

Ok trying to setup a rpi zero w (cant find another decent use for it) as a lotto miner. Using a Newpac. I used to have it run on a win10 machine fine but I cant seem to get it to recognize in the pi. followed the steps but I am running into problems with the CFLAGS="-O2 -march=native" ./autogen.sh -enable-gekko make -j 2 command and then it wont see the newpac and since it wont see the newpac im up a creek. I am running the piOS lite 64. Im elevated to root. Im loosing what little mind I actually have. If anyone has ideas please feel free to drop them on me like a sack of hammers.

I am not sure that I totally understood your issue to be honest, I mean in which step the problem appeared.

But, in case it could be useful for you, I want to mention that I needed to use the following commands to make it work on my Pi 0w :

Code:

cd cgminer
CFLAGS="-O2 -fcommon" ./autogen.sh --enable-gekko
make

Without the -fcommon option, I never managed to make it work properly. Hope it will help.

[TheTeddybear]

Ok trying to setup a rpi zero w (cant find another decent use for it) as a lotto miner. Using a Newpac. I used to have it run on a win10 machine fine but I cant seem to get it to recognize in the pi. followed the steps but I am running into problems with the CFLAGS="-O2 -march=native" ./autogen.sh -enable-gekko make -j 2 command and then it wont see the newpac and since it wont see the newpac im up a creek. I am running the piOS lite 64. Im elevated to root. Im loosing what little mind I actually have. If anyone has ideas please feel free to drop them on me like a sack of hammers.

I am not sure that I totally understood your issue to be honest, I mean in which step the problem appeared.

But, in case it could be useful for you, I want to mention that I needed to use the following commands to make it work on my Pi 0w :

Code:

cd cgminer
CFLAGS="-O2 -fcommon" ./autogen.sh --enable-gekko
make

Without the -fcommon option, I never managed to make it work properly. Hope it will help.

Its not recognizing the newpac for some reason, any chance someone would be willing to copy/ paste all commands I need to put in for the shell to get this working (minus wallet address). Im about to reflash and start over.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

This is what I did for my Compacs. Works with original Compac, 2Pac, Newpac & F.
Running on a Pi-3B & Raspian. I'd think that should work with a RiPii-0 as well..

Code:

Nov 2, 2021
Installation and running cgminer on Raspi or other `UX
My Solo Account on Kano.is is  somename (fake) To break down per-worker add .<workername>
For CompacF it's  somename.CompacF
Newpacs are  somename.OldNewpacs
Highly suggested to run he F's and any pods on a seperate instance from slower sticks like the Newpacs, 2Pacs, Compac, etc.

Main Forum page for the F's  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5355470.msg58200639#msg58200639
- Speeds -
--gekko-compac-freq 305 --gekko-2pac-freq 200 --gekko-newpac-freq 225 --gekko-compacf-freq 425

-- Running CGMiner -
linux:
./cgminer -o stratum+tcp://stratum.kano.is:3333 -u somename.<wokername> -p x --suggest-diff 442 <type & speed>

eg for the Ferarri's 
./cgminer -o stratum+tcp://stratum.kano.is:3333 -u somename.CompacF -p x --suggest-diff 442 --gekko-compacf-freq 425

-------------
Installation info
- CGMiner Git -
The master git for cgminer is https://github.com/kanoi/cgminer

CGMiner README https://github.com/kanoi/cgminer/blob/master/README
That includes linux compile steps, but to repeat, on linux:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y

sudo apt-get install -y build-essential autoconf automake libtool pkg-config libcurl4-openssl-dev libudev-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev libncurses5-dev zlib1g-dev git

cd
git clone https://github.com/kanoi/cgminer.git
cd cgminer

CFLAGS="-O2 -march=native -fcommon" ./autogen.sh --enable-gekko --enable-icarus

make

-----------
-Tweaks -
To run it at a higher frequency, add on to the commands above e.g.
 --gekko-compacf-freq 400

The latest version of the gekko driver (as of 2021-10-17) has a new mining option:
--gekko-mine2

This uses a slightly different mining loop that also reports all frequency changes to the screen,
and why they change if it stepped down.

There's a second option if you have enabled the mine2 option:
--gekko-tune2 60

that allows the miner to recover lost frequencies if it was unable to match the frequency requested due to the environment, but it later improves e.g. gets cooler.
The '60' means check once per hour - default is don't do it.
The miner may just end up stepping up and down once per check if it can't do better, so there's a lower limit of once per 30 minutes, range is 30-9999

[AsYouWishForMe]

Hello everybody, I know this thread hasn’t been used for a while…

Anyway, I bought two used NewPacs. One is working perfectly, the other one not.
I found out that it presents a wrong device id (0000:0002) instead of 0403:6015.

The seller claimed he got it new and couldn’t get it to work, which is likely because of the wrong id, and I couldn’t get it to work, too, trying ed if n different Laptops, PCs, Macs with win 10, win 11, Raspbian, Lubuntu, …).

Do you know whether it is possible to (re-)flash the NewPac‘s firmware, so it presents itself properly? I already searched here and a while on google, but found no way.

Appreciate the help!

Alex

[Nexus9090]

Hello everybody, I know this thread hasn’t been used for a while…

Anyway, I bought two used NewPacs. One is working perfectly, the other one not.
I found out that it presents a wrong device id (0000:0002) instead of 0403:6015.

The seller claimed he got it new and couldn’t get it to work, which is likely because of the wrong id, and I couldn’t get it to work, too, trying ed if n different Laptops, PCs, Macs with win 10, win 11, Raspbian, Lubuntu, …).

Do you know whether it is possible to (re-)flash the NewPac‘s firmware, so it presents itself properly? I already searched here and a while on google, but found no way.

Appreciate the help!

Alex

Sounds like the USB-UART Chip has been mis-configured. Goto https://ftdichip.com/utilities/#ft_prog and find their programming application FT_Prog, this should allow you to view and adjust the VID and PID device for the USB interface as well as the device ID manufacturer and description strings.

Have a look at the working one first, you should be able to download a copy of the working one's settings as a template. Once you have that saved, disconnect it and then connect the one with the bad device ID and you should be able to use the template to reprogram it.

Make sure you only have one device connected at a time and no other USB devices connected to your computer.

Hopefully that'll fix your problem.

[slurfius]

Is it possible to solo mine a block with a single newpac?

[NotFuzzyWarm]

Is it possible to solo mine a block with a single newpac?

Technically - yes.
Realistically - bloody unlikely even over several lifetimes. Should you buy 1 with the hopes it will find a block? Maybe if it cost say $20 or so, sure. That said, considering they cost next to nothing to run and if you have a computer that can be on 24x7x365 for it to be plugged into, go for it.

Be aware that fed directly from a PC there is zero chance of over clocking it because a PC's USB ports cannot feed it enough power. To OC at all will require a hub that can supply at least 3a per-port.

[slurfius]

I have old newpacs that I learned with laying around and a MacBook I travel with. I like that I don’t have to actively cool the newpac and can run it without a hub. I don’t think any other small portable device can run directly from the MacBook usb port. Free hotel power and WiFi gives me a very small chance but it’s a chance so I’ll point to ck and take it. I had previously been pointing it at the pool. At home I have a few Apollo a few compac F an A1 a bitaxe a nano 3  and an s19xp mining to braiinspool for lightning payouts, heat and ideological reasons because it’s impossible to turn a profit as a home miner since the halving.

[CHRS-One]

Sorry everyone I have no idea if this is the right place to post this and I did some searching and am having a ton of trouble finding out what I need. So I had to move four R909 pod miners to a little handheld PC that is running Windows 11. I can get all the R909s to start with the .bat file but I find they won't run at full pace or anything near that. It also keeps telling me one of the units is "plateau" and it is seemingly resets the and tries again. The 4 units together have only reached 2 THs total and then they die and start back up from 0. I am. Not using barrel plus and have moved them all to a PSU. The voltage knob is turned almost all the way up and the frequency is set to 400 or even under that at times to see if I can get it stable. I have NO idea what I am doing wrong as I easily connect to viabtc and it starts to hash only for me to continue to run into the "plateau" issue. Could this be something going on with one R909 that isn't working well or do I have something not correct in the settings. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Nexus9090]

Sorry everyone I have no idea if this is the right place to post this and I did some searching and am having a ton of trouble finding out what I need. So I had to move four R909 pod miners to a little handheld PC that is running Windows 11. I can get all the R909s to start with the .bat file but I find they won't run at full pace or anything near that. It also keeps telling me one of the units is "plateau" and it is seemingly resets the and tries again. The 4 units together have only reached 2 THs total and then they die and start back up from 0. I am. Not using barrel plus and have moved them all to a PSU. The voltage knob is turned almost all the way up and the frequency is set to 400 or even under that at times to see if I can get it stable. I have NO idea what I am doing wrong as I easily connect to viabtc and it starts to hash only for me to continue to run into the "plateau" issue. Could this be something going on with one R909 that isn't working well or do I have something not correct in the settings. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Every time I've run into "Plateau" issues its been because of dodgy USB set-up. Win 7, Win 10 etc have been notoriously bad for that. I can't comment on Win11 since I've never used it and will likely never use it, but I'd expect it to follow the same.

If I were you I'd ditch windows as I did and set-up a Linux machine or even a Raspberry PI to run it on.

However, if that's not something you can or want to do try making sure that each device is connected to a root hub on your PC, not all PC USB ports are the same some are a hub or two downstream from a root hub which can introduce problems with timing and latency.

If you're using an external USB hub, again make sure its plugged into a root hub on your PC. Or try a different external USB hub.

Bottom line, Windows can be a pain in the butt getting reliable USB comms.

I run all of my rigs on Rasberry PI's these days along with Kano's CGMiner and a few command line tweeks to get the USB stable. I currently have 16 GSF's running on one Raspberry PI 3B and its doing that without so much as breaking a sweat.