Official FutureBit Apollo LTC Image and Support thread

[TopMiningMiner]

Are there any PSU that support 2 or 3 Apollos at a time?

I'm currently using an HP server power supply and Parallel Miner breakout board: https://www.parallelminer.com/product/baikal-bk-n70-power-supply-750w-110-240v-80-gold-92-efficiency/ At 750W, it could support 3 to 6 Apollos, depending on how you run them. On ECO mode 5 would be pretty safe; on TURBO it could handle 3 with a good margin of safety. You'd have to measure your power draw, and do some math to be sure.

Alright. I don’t know. I guess I’m antsy. - I settled on one, but now I think I’ve decided that 5 Apollo’s sounds like a good amount.

But before I put the plan I’ve thought up in action, I figure I should share it and get some feedback from you kind folks who, unlike me, know your stuff. And really it’s a simple plan. - Since I’m dedicating space for an Apollo, I figure I might as well dedicated the entire outlet to Apollo(s).

I’ve done some research and have some numbers, but they are bit confusing, so instead of confusing everyone, I’m just going state my assumption that in an ideal situation, to run 4 Apollo’s, you would need a PSU that delivers about 1200W. - As that would give each Apollo 200W each use while running at 70% of it’s rated load.

However, the highest PSU I’ve found that will run off of a 120V outlet is 900W.

https://www.parallelminer.com/product/platinum-psu-kit-hp-1200-watt-x8-for-asic-gpu-miner/

My thoughts are that it seems like it could be pushing it to run 4 Apollos on a 900 Watt PSU. And it would be running at full load, which should be fine. But I’m curious to hear what you experts think.

Which brings me to a few more questions:

(1) Hooking all this up to one outlet should be fine, right?
(2) Does this plan sound reasonable?
(3) Is that PSU actually good?
(4) Would a 900W PSU support 4 Apollo’s running turbo?
(5) Is there anything else I should know?

Side questions:
(S1) Why don’t power supplies come with power cords?
(S2) Does anyone know if the official Future Bit PSU will come with the power cord?

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[jstefanop]

Hi everyone. I had a nice long run with my Apollo on 1.0, with few to no issues. About a month ago I moved it to a new location which I visit once a week or so, and upgraded it to 1.1. Since then, on two occasions it has stopped mining. Because this is a remote site, I put an IP-enabled power switch at the location so I could remotely power cycle equipment at the site. Unfortunately, my Apollo is connected to an HP server power supply with a breakout board, which requires me to *also* physically press a button to turn power back on.

Anyhow, on the first occasion I tried power cycling the IP-enabled power switch, forgetting that the breakout board meant that I couldn't get the system restarted. So I don't have much diagnosis to go on. But on the second occasion when it stopped mining, I happened to be at the remote site. Before power cycling it, I could not get into the Apollo at all -- it wouldn't respond to SSH, ping, etc. It was down hard. I can presume, but cannot confirm, that the first lockup was similar.

I've since rebooted it and it is now mining successfully again. Is there anything I can look at -- log files, journal, etc. -- that may help diagnose what caused it to lock up? I had several months of successful running on 1.0 with no issues, and now two lockups on 1.1 within a month. (It may be mere coincidence, I'm just pointing it out.)

I'd like to get to the bottom of it, since I won't have the ability to remotely power cycle this thing except on weekends... until my Futurebit PSU shows up :-)

Could be your SD card starting to corrupt, which a re-flash would fix. Can you have someone physically check the device and see if its stuck on a red light? That would indicate some sort of hardware fault (Fan issue/MCU or ASIC overheat etc).

[jstefanop]

Are there any PSU that support 2 or 3 Apollos at a time?

I'm currently using an HP server power supply and Parallel Miner breakout board: https://www.parallelminer.com/product/baikal-bk-n70-power-supply-750w-110-240v-80-gold-92-efficiency/ At 750W, it could support 3 to 6 Apollos, depending on how you run them. On ECO mode 5 would be pretty safe; on TURBO it could handle 3 with a good margin of safety. You'd have to measure your power draw, and do some math to be sure.

Alright. I don’t know. I guess I’m antsy. - I settled on one, but now I think I’ve decided that 5 Apollo’s sounds like a good amount.

But before I put the plan I’ve thought up in action, I figure I should share it and get some feedback from you kind folks who, unlike me, know your stuff. And really it’s a simple plan. - Since I’m dedicating space for an Apollo, I figure I might as well dedicated the entire outlet to Apollo(s).

I’ve done some research and have some numbers, but they are bit confusing, so instead of confusing everyone, I’m just going state my assumption that in an ideal situation, to run 4 Apollo’s, you would need a PSU that delivers about 1200W. - As that would give each Apollo 200W each use while running at 70% of it’s rated load.

However, the highest PSU I’ve found that will run off of a 120V outlet is 900W.

https://www.parallelminer.com/product/platinum-psu-kit-hp-1200-watt-x8-for-asic-gpu-miner/

My thoughts are that it seems like it could be pushing it to run 4 Apollos on a 900 Watt PSU. And it would be running at full load, which should be fine. But I’m curious to hear what you experts think.

Which brings me to a few more questions:

(1) Hooking all this up to one outlet should be fine, right?
(2) Does this plan sound reasonable?
(3) Is that PSU actually good?
(4) Would a 900W PSU support 4 Apollo’s running turbo?
(5) Is there anything else I should know?

Side questions:
(S1) Why don’t power supplies come with power cords?
(S2) Does anyone know if the official Future Bit PSU will come with the power cord?

1) Depends on the Amp rating on your breakers...most are 15A, so you dont want to push them more than 1500 or so so 900 is more than fine
2/3/4) Yes these are server rated PSUs designed to be run at max load 24/7...you can easily run 4 Apollos @ 800 watts on it
5)Just make sure you buy two pcie cables per Apollo and plug both of them in running turbo

S1)Because the input socket is standard for all PSUs (C14) but people have diffrent plugs around the world so its easier to just buy the PSU and buy your own power cable locally
S2)US shipments will have power cord for sure, ill probably stock one or two major Euro cord types (UK/Eurozone)

[peetee]

Hi everyone. I had a nice long run with my Apollo on 1.0, with few to no issues. About a month ago I moved it to a new location which I visit once a week or so, and upgraded it to 1.1. Since then, on two occasions it has stopped mining. Because this is a remote site, I put an IP-enabled power switch at the location so I could remotely power cycle equipment at the site. Unfortunately, my Apollo is connected to an HP server power supply with a breakout board, which requires me to *also* physically press a button to turn power back on.

Anyhow, on the first occasion I tried power cycling the IP-enabled power switch, forgetting that the breakout board meant that I couldn't get the system restarted. So I don't have much diagnosis to go on. But on the second occasion when it stopped mining, I happened to be at the remote site. Before power cycling it, I could not get into the Apollo at all -- it wouldn't respond to SSH, ping, etc. It was down hard. I can presume, but cannot confirm, that the first lockup was similar.

I've since rebooted it and it is now mining successfully again. Is there anything I can look at -- log files, journal, etc. -- that may help diagnose what caused it to lock up? I had several months of successful running on 1.0 with no issues, and now two lockups on 1.1 within a month. (It may be mere coincidence, I'm just pointing it out.)

I'd like to get to the bottom of it, since I won't have the ability to remotely power cycle this thing except on weekends... until my Futurebit PSU shows up :-)

Could be your SD card starting to corrupt, which a re-flash would fix. Can you have someone physically check the device and see if its stuck on a red light? That would indicate some sort of hardware fault (Fan issue/MCU or ASIC overheat etc).

Thanks for the reply. If it happens again, I'll let it sit until I get to lay eyes on it myself. I just re-flashed it recently to 1.1, so I'm less inclined to think it's the SD card. We'll see if it happens again, and I'll report back.

[TopMiningMiner]

1) Depends on the Amp rating on your breakers...most are 15A, so you dont want to push them more than 1500 or so so 900 is more than fine
2/3/4) Yes these are server rated PSUs designed to be run at max load 24/7...you can easily run 4 Apollos @ 800 watts on it
5)Just make sure you buy two pcie cables per Apollo and plug both of them in running turbo

S1)Because the input socket is standard for all PSUs (C14) but people have diffrent plugs around the world so its easier to just buy the PSU and buy your own power cable locally
S2)US shipments will have power cord for sure, ill probably stock one or two major Euro cord types (UK/Eurozone)

Right on! Order has been sent through! Thanks!

[Jake-R]

Are there any PSU that support 2 or 3 Apollos at a time?

This modular Coursair PSU has 6 PCI power ports and runs silent with my two Apollos on ECO: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015YEI7LK/. It could run 6 Apollos on ECO.

[TopMiningMiner]

Are there any PSU that support 2 or 3 Apollos at a time?

This modular Coursair PSU has 6 PCI power ports and runs silent with my two Apollos on ECO: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015YEI7LK/. It could run 6 Apollos on ECO.

I ended up getting the 900-1200W Server PSU I linked above. It came with the breakout board and (10) PCIe cables, 16AWG 6pin to 6pin. Which I'm assuming should work. But I could also be wrong.

[jstefanop]

Are there any PSU that support 2 or 3 Apollos at a time?

This modular Coursair PSU has 6 PCI power ports and runs silent with my two Apollos on ECO: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015YEI7LK/. It could run 6 Apollos on ECO.

I ended up getting the 900-1200W Server PSU I linked above. It came with the breakout board and (10) PCIe cables, 16AWG 6pin to 6pin. Which I'm assuming should work. But I could also be wrong.

Yes you can easily run 5 Apollos in Turbo mode with that PSU.

[TopMiningMiner]

Yep. Thanks again for the double confirmation! Although I was more concerned about the PCIe cables since they are not PCI. But since that e apparently stands for efficiency, I figured it would be fine.

Also got your email update! Looks good. Can’t wait for them to arrive!

[ClaytonBigsby]

Any recommended replacement fan, like stock or even something a little more quiet?

[jstnryan]

I Still cant figure out the IP address for my first Apollo... this one is plugged in - not going wireless seemed the easier way to test it out.  I downloaded a program and nothing stuck out as future bit or Apollo ... any tips would be great (I'm almost there!)

The answer is going to depend entirely on how your network is setup. Check these things in order.

1. Open a browser tab, and go to http://futurebit.local. Under some conditions (though, not many, unfortunately), this will take you to the device, automatically.

2. Do you have access to your router/switch that it is plugged into? Log in to the administration panel, and it should be listed among the assigned DHCP addresses. I don't remember the default hostname, but it should appear as "futurebit" or "apollo". Some routers don't show, or have trouble capturing hostnames, and will just show an asterisk "*".

3. Plug your computer or laptop into the same router/switch as the Apollo (with a cable). Determine the IP address that the router assigned to your computer. It's probably similar to "192.168.1.100" or "10.0.0.100" or "172.16.0.100". You can then trial-and-error the IP of the Apollo. Keep the first three numbers the same, and change the last number sequentially, trying each address in your browser until you find it. For example, if your router assigned your laptop/computer "192.168.1.100" you would try "http://192.168.1.99", then "http://192.168.1.98", ... and so on...

[jstnryan]

I hit LTC block 1662207 mining solo today on Zerg but only got 3.9 LTC. while I am happy for the 3.9 LTC how do I investigate where the rest went? I asked on the ZERG forum too.

You must have had donation mode activated, and the rest went to jstefanop.

/s

[devincrypt]

Now I hear a Litecoin halfing will take place in less than 30 days. It sounds like the mining power of my 2 Apollos will be reduced to effectively just one. If I understand this event it means we'll have even a less chance of finding a block. I think if the price were to double the effective payout would remain the same although the amount of LTC mined would be 1/2.

Would like to get 2 more Apollos but my four would be just like having 2. Am I understanding this right?

https://www.litecoinblockhalf.com/

[jstnryan]

It sounds like the mining power of my 2 Apollos will be reduced to effectively just one.

With all other variables unchanged, the only difference is that the block reward is half as large as it is before the halving.

There are a lot of things to consider, though. Halving causes a sort of scarcity, which generally results in an increased value, so the market should compensate with a higher price per coin. Whether or not the halving gets negated by price changes remains to be seen, but it's possible the "reward" (in USD for instance) is similar, or the same, after the halving as it is now.

Regardless, your chance of finding a block is entirely based on your hash rate vs network hash rate and difficulty, which is not *directly* affected by the halving, so saying that your given effectiveness now (your two Apollos) will be half as effective after is not at all accurate.

[jstefanop]

I hit LTC block 1662207 mining solo today on Zerg but only got 3.9 LTC. while I am happy for the 3.9 LTC how do I investigate where the rest went? I asked on the ZERG forum too.

You must have had donation mode activated, and the rest went to jstefanop.

/s

Definitely not...the donation pool only mines on litecoinpool.org. If your solo mining you would get 100% of the solo block, nor would I ever take a solo block from someone even if the donation share fell on it. Sounds like an issue with zerg pool, but seems like he deleted the posted so I'm guessing it was resolved by them.

Congrats on the solo block either way

[jstefanop]

It sounds like the mining power of my 2 Apollos will be reduced to effectively just one.

With all other variables unchanged, the only difference is that the block reward is half as large as it is before the halving.

There are a lot of things to consider, though. Halving causes a sort of scarcity, which generally results in an increased value, so the market should compensate with a higher price per coin. Whether or not the halving gets negated by price changes remains to be seen, but it's possible the "reward" (in USD for instance) is similar, or the same, after the halving as it is now.

Regardless, your chance of finding a block is entirely based on your hash rate vs network hash rate and difficulty, which is not *directly* affected by the halving, so saying that your given effectiveness now (your two Apollos) will be half as effective after is not at all accurate.

The above is correct. Dont forget that EVERYONE on the litecoin network gets their devices "halved". All Apollo users are in better shape than everyone else since they are currently still up there as the highest efficiency scrypt devices.

I would also not be surprised if a lot of L3 farms shutdown after the halving. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a 25% difficulty drop shortly after halving.

[dwood443]

Definitely not...the donation pool only mines on litecoinpool.org. If your solo mining you would get 100% of the solo block, nor would I ever take a solo block from someone even if the donation share fell on it. Sounds like an issue with zerg pool, but seems like he deleted the posted so I'm guessing it was resolved by them.

Congrats on the solo block either way

I deleted the post when I realized just because I have my settings to mc=LTC,m=solo, it does not really mean I am just solo mining. The pool seems to be a bit buggy as I still do some shared mining. Just lucky enough to be mining only LTC and enjoyed a 15% piece of a shared block. So I immediately ordered another Apollo

[devincrypt]

Decisions decisions...

I'm looking at some Linux boxes to install a Litecoin core. My idea is to (network) connect my Apollos and Moonlanders to a single local core. I considered a VPN but it would introduce network latency which I don't want.

However - if Futurebit is promising the next Apollo version will support a Litecoin core I might forget the above and just use that - IF I will be able to point my current Apollos and Moonlanders to that core. Anyone privy to if that would be supported OR would that core only be accessible by that one Apollo?

[dwood443]

Decisions decisions...

I'm looking at some Linux boxes to install a Litecoin core. My idea is to (network) connect my Apollos and Moonlanders to a single local core. I considered a VPN but it would introduce network latency which I don't want.

However - if Futurebit is promising the next Apollo version will support a Litecoin core I might forget the above and just use that - IF I will be able to point my current Apollos and Moonlanders to that core. Anyone privy to if that would be supported OR would that core only be accessible by that one Apollo?

This would be great if possible to do. Then I can point my old Apollo’s to me new Apollo’s instead of swapping out the memory board

[jstnryan]

Anyone privy to if that would be supported OR would that core only be accessible by that one Apollo?

I don't see any reason why you couldn't 'share' a node from an Apollo. That's the whole idea behind running a node anyway. Assuming jstefanop et. al. get it running on the Orange Pi Zero, the biggest limitation is the storage space; my node is currently using 24G to store the blockchain, so you'll need a sizable SD card. The rest is just network use.