What's the difference between the Compac F and the Compac FS7 from GekkoScience?

[nullama]

I couldn't find much information about what's the actual difference between these 2 models:

Compac FS7:





Compac F:




They seem to be the same as they look identical and are released the same year, but given that they have a different name, I'm assuming they must have some kind of difference. Anyone knows?

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[RKG456]

I too would like to know what the difference is.  I did come across this in the forum:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HkEGgWCyBJYHbfiT-rcopccPzyw8BFuH/view   (FS7 Compac USB Stick Miner User Guide)

[safar1980]

Very big discussion on these miners on bitcointalk
GekkoScience NewPac / Terminus R606 (BM1387) Official Support Thread
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5053833.0

[nullama]

Very big discussion on these miners on bitcointalk
GekkoScience NewPac / Terminus R606 (BM1387) Official Support Thread
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5053833.0

That discussion thread, as it states in the title, is for the NewPac/Terminus R606. Those are older miners.

The Compac F was released in 2021, and here's the support thread of it:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5355470.0

I too would like to know what the difference is.  I did come across this in the forum:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HkEGgWCyBJYHbfiT-rcopccPzyw8BFuH/view   (FS7 Compac USB Stick Miner User Guide)

Thanks for that link. It solved the mystery.

There's an image of the FS7 showing the board of the miner. It says v8.1 (bottom left, next to the USB connector):



I have a Compac F, so I checked the board and it says v8.2:



This probably means that the FS7 was the previous iteration/batch and the F is the newer one. Both should be pretty much the same though, although you can notice a few differences, like the different type of screws used, and there's a smaller chip (right side) on the F.

Here they are side by side (FS7 on the left, F on the right):

[sidehack]

The original prototype batch, which was distributed to resellers for testing and publicity photos, were labeled FS7. By production, the S7 had been dropped so all production Compac v8.x are just Compac F. Version changes within the V8.x Compac F line are mostly caused by issues in the semiconductor market requiring design changes as parts become unavailable due to stock shortages. V8.2 saw a change in the LED blink circuit, and V8.3 will see a new main regulator design, which is significant since we designed a pretty kickass power system for the original Compac in 2015 and have been using it ever since. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, until you can't find the parts anymore.

[nullama]

The original prototype batch, which was distributed to resellers for testing and publicity photos, were labeled FS7. By production, the S7 had been dropped so all production Compac v8.x are just Compac F. Version changes within the V8.x Compac F line are mostly caused by issues in the semiconductor market requiring design changes as parts become unavailable due to stock shortages. V8.2 saw a change in the LED blink circuit, and V8.3 will see a new main regulator design, which is significant since we designed a pretty kickass power system for the original Compac in 2015 and have been using it ever since. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, until you can't find the parts anymore.

Thanks for the explanation, it makes perfect sense now.

These miners are really great, and I'm happy to hear that you guys are planning to make more of them(v8.3), as I think I read somewhere this was supposed to be a limited batch only.

One thing that I really would like to see alongside the v8.3 release if possible is another batch of the GekkoScience USB hubs since they are really hard to find, and they are pretty much the only one that can go past 2.4A per miner, which is the current bottleneck many people are having today with these miners.

[sidehack]

Had to redesign hubs too, but we're prepping for a new batch. And should soon be setting up some equipment to help streamline assembly.

[nullama]

Had to redesign hubs too, but we're prepping for a new batch. And should soon be setting up some equipment to help streamline assembly.

That's great to hear.

I would love to get a pack of some v8.3 ones with that new USB hub as soon as they're released. Will keep an eye on any announcement thread about this.