Official FutureBit Apollo BTC Software/Image and Support thread

[jstefanop]

Hello,
I've been running the BTC miner with full node for a while now, but since this week end the node randomly goes offline and does not reconnect.
Anyone having this issue? I need the node to stay online.
The miner is still mining but the node just goes offline

I have been having the exact same issue, which means it's not us but something wrong on futurebit's end. I wrote them and they never wrote back 

Good luck trying to get support, its almost non existent, if not EXTINCT... 

Not sure where you are coming up with this, we respond to every email and im looking at our support que right now and there are only 10 outstanding tickets that will probably be answered in the next few hours (and we only have queues after weekends).

So if your definition of non existent support means not answering your immediate question within 10 minutes, then yes we have non existent support and will continue to have non existent support. Im not hiring random support agents from India and driving up costs of our units by 20% to satisfy this urge.

All our support emails are answered by my team that work on the units themselves (including myself) and can actually answer your question, but this means you might not have a response for a few days.


Now in terms of the nodes issues we are not seeing anything on our test systems, nor any widespread outages (my first thought was the ordinals/BRC-20 fiasco causing issues, but even with 1G mempool we have plenty of memory overhead).

Second issue could be if you have a recent system (bought after Nov/Dec last year), we switch to a new controller heatsink and some units were assembled without the heatsink adhesive properly installed. If your node/system is shutting down, or your your MCU temp (the one on the top menu bar) is higher than 85c then this could be the issue. You'll need to remove the side panel the MCU is on and remove the MCU and reseat the heatsink (press down on it hard for at least 10 seconds to make sure the thermal pad is stuck on there well).

Second step if your still having an issue is to reflash your SD card to make sure there is no corruption that could be causing system instability, if your still having node issues email us with two below logs:

take a screenshot of system monitor while the node is still active (preferably after it has started up and synced), you can open a terminal and type htop for this
send log file of bitcoind, its in the Bitcoin folder inside the node drive (debug.log)

So it appears the node goes offline only when I connect to it after a few minutes (via Sparrow Wallet). Can it be because it is overheating, connecting to the node actually makes it run hotter?!? I bought the unit couple years ago and I just cleaned it so it shouldn't overheat? The fan is on Auto as well.

No, unless sparrow wallet is doing something crazy when you connect to it. Can you email us your logs after this happens (logs are in node drive /Bitcoin folder).

Any updates on this? Having the same issue.

This is a known issue with the wallet devs, problem is on their end and how they query data from low memory nodes like ours. I believe latest version has fixed it but reach out to their support.

Craig Raw believes that the issue stems from the Apollo running bitcoin core v.22. Is there a way to upgrade to v.24?

Yes you can just swap out the arm binary in /opt/apolloapi/backend/node/bin

We will be updating to latest core with our solo mining mode update soon as well

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[heslo]

Can't wait!

[contrafiat]

My standard unit will not power up. Please help ASAP.

[porkie]

Hi, I have an Apollo full node and miner that dropped from about 10 inches and now will not power up properly.

It will show the red light on the front and the fan will spin for 20 seconds but I can't find it on my router map with the ethernet plugged in.

Any ideas what the problem may be and how I can validate and fix it?

I tried taking it to a PC repair dude but he didn't want to touch it.

I've also tried plugging in an external monitor and it gets no signal.

[MrMik]

Hi, I have an Apollo full node and miner that dropped from about 10 inches and now will not power up properly.

It will show the red light on the front and the fan will spin for 20 seconds but I can't find it on my router map with the ethernet plugged in.

Any ideas what the problem may be and how I can validate and fix it?

I tried taking it to a PC repair dude but he didn't want to touch it.

I've also tried plugging in an external monitor and it gets no signal.

I would check if all connectors are still on properly.

[Welzenbach]

Hi there,

I have updated my Apollo miner and now its not working.
I have already downloaded Etcher but where can I find the image please?

Thank you so much for your help!

[gigahashes]

Hi, the link is on the first page, here you go.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5340015.msg57091052#msg57091052

[netzilla]

Hi Everyone. Just received and setup my Apollo Full Node miner. Its running fine, and connected to the pool but the whole OS will freeze after about 45-60 minutes. No mouse control, no keyboard input. The red light on the Apollo is still blinking, but it doesn't connect to the pool anymore, no hashing being reported. The only way to get it back is to flip the switch off, and then flip it back on. It freezes even if the miner is off, and yes its still syncing the blockchain, but if its going to keep freezing even without the miner running its going to take more than 48 hours to sync this blockchain. Its not hot to the touch really, but with the miner on its temp is about 76 C.

Any ideas on why this would be freezing and what can be done to fix it?

[netzilla]

Hi Everyone. Just received and setup my Apollo Full Node miner. Its running fine, and connected to the pool but the whole OS will freeze after about 45-60 minutes. No mouse control, no keyboard input. The red light on the Apollo is still blinking, but it doesn't connect to the pool anymore, no hashing being reported. The only way to get it back is to flip the switch off, and then flip it back on. It freezes even if the miner is off, and yes its still syncing the blockchain, but if its going to keep freezing even without the miner running its going to take more than 48 hours to sync this blockchain. Its not hot to the touch really, but with the miner on its temp is about 76 C.

Any ideas on why this would be freezing and what can be done to fix it?

I think I may have figured it out. It appears that the thermal/temp sensor was flopping around inside the case, as in it was just dangling near the bottom, so it wasn't taking proper readings of the temps. I took off the right side panel, and sort of wedge it in as best as possible next to the plate that the CPU heatsink sits on. Not really sure if that is where it goes or not, but so far the miner has been running without issues for a few hours now. I ordered some thermal tape  and plan on taping it into place so that it doesn't start flopping around again.

Anyone have any ideas where exactly the sensor is supposed to be located so I can put it in its proper place?

[MrMik]

Hi Everyone. Just received and setup my Apollo Full Node miner. Its running fine, and connected to the pool but the whole OS will freeze after about 45-60 minutes. No mouse control, no keyboard input. The red light on the Apollo is still blinking, but it doesn't connect to the pool anymore, no hashing being reported. The only way to get it back is to flip the switch off, and then flip it back on. It freezes even if the miner is off, and yes its still syncing the blockchain, but if its going to keep freezing even without the miner running its going to take more than 48 hours to sync this blockchain. Its not hot to the touch really, but with the miner on its temp is about 76 C.

Any ideas on why this would be freezing and what can be done to fix it?

I think I may have figured it out. It appears that the thermal/temp sensor was flopping around inside the case, as in it was just dangling near the bottom, so it wasn't taking proper readings of the temps. I took off the right side panel, and sort of wedge it in as best as possible next to the plate that the CPU heatsink sits on. Not really sure if that is where it goes or not, but so far the miner has been running without issues for a few hours now. I ordered some thermal tape  and plan on taping it into place so that it doesn't start flopping around again.

Anyone have any ideas where exactly the sensor is supposed to be located so I can put it in its proper place?

I think you might have moved the WiFi antenna, not a temp sensor.

[netzilla]

Hi Everyone. Just received and setup my Apollo Full Node miner. Its running fine, and connected to the pool but the whole OS will freeze after about 45-60 minutes. No mouse control, no keyboard input. The red light on the Apollo is still blinking, but it doesn't connect to the pool anymore, no hashing being reported. The only way to get it back is to flip the switch off, and then flip it back on. It freezes even if the miner is off, and yes its still syncing the blockchain, but if its going to keep freezing even without the miner running its going to take more than 48 hours to sync this blockchain. Its not hot to the touch really, but with the miner on its temp is about 76 C.

Any ideas on why this would be freezing and what can be done to fix it?

I think I may have figured it out. It appears that the thermal/temp sensor was flopping around inside the case, as in it was just dangling near the bottom, so it wasn't taking proper readings of the temps. I took off the right side panel, and sort of wedge it in as best as possible next to the plate that the CPU heatsink sits on. Not really sure if that is where it goes or not, but so far the miner has been running without issues for a few hours now. I ordered some thermal tape  and plan on taping it into place so that it doesn't start flopping around again.

Anyone have any ideas where exactly the sensor is supposed to be located so I can put it in its proper place?

I think you might have moved the WiFi antenna, not a temp sensor.

You could be right although I've never seen a wifi antenna like that before. Thanks for the help I guess...

[MrMik]

Hi Everyone. Just received and setup my Apollo Full Node miner. Its running fine, and connected to the pool but the whole OS will freeze after about 45-60 minutes. No mouse control, no keyboard input. The red light on the Apollo is still blinking, but it doesn't connect to the pool anymore, no hashing being reported. The only way to get it back is to flip the switch off, and then flip it back on. It freezes even if the miner is off, and yes its still syncing the blockchain, but if its going to keep freezing even without the miner running its going to take more than 48 hours to sync this blockchain. Its not hot to the touch really, but with the miner on its temp is about 76 C.

Any ideas on why this would be freezing and what can be done to fix it?

I think I may have figured it out. It appears that the thermal/temp sensor was flopping around inside the case, as in it was just dangling near the bottom, so it wasn't taking proper readings of the temps. I took off the right side panel, and sort of wedge it in as best as possible next to the plate that the CPU heatsink sits on. Not really sure if that is where it goes or not, but so far the miner has been running without issues for a few hours now. I ordered some thermal tape  and plan on taping it into place so that it doesn't start flopping around again.

Anyone have any ideas where exactly the sensor is supposed to be located so I can put it in its proper place?

I think you might have moved the WiFi antenna, not a temp sensor.

You could be right although I've never seen a wifi antenna like that before. Thanks for the help I guess...

Is it wrapped in black shrink-wrap with 2 segments under the wrap? Can you put it outside of the metal housing through the rubber plug in the hole in the metal? If so, that the antenna.
And if you put it out of the metal box and orientate it vertically up or down, you might get much better connection.

[netzilla]

Hi Everyone. Just received and setup my Apollo Full Node miner. Its running fine, and connected to the pool but the whole OS will freeze after about 45-60 minutes. No mouse control, no keyboard input. The red light on the Apollo is still blinking, but it doesn't connect to the pool anymore, no hashing being reported. The only way to get it back is to flip the switch off, and then flip it back on. It freezes even if the miner is off, and yes its still syncing the blockchain, but if its going to keep freezing even without the miner running its going to take more than 48 hours to sync this blockchain. Its not hot to the touch really, but with the miner on its temp is about 76 C.

Any ideas on why this would be freezing and what can be done to fix it?

I think I may have figured it out. It appears that the thermal/temp sensor was flopping around inside the case, as in it was just dangling near the bottom, so it wasn't taking proper readings of the temps. I took off the right side panel, and sort of wedge it in as best as possible next to the plate that the CPU heatsink sits on. Not really sure if that is where it goes or not, but so far the miner has been running without issues for a few hours now. I ordered some thermal tape  and plan on taping it into place so that it doesn't start flopping around again.

Anyone have any ideas where exactly the sensor is supposed to be located so I can put it in its proper place?

I think you might have moved the WiFi antenna, not a temp sensor.

You could be right although I've never seen a wifi antenna like that before. Thanks for the help I guess...

Is it wrapped in black shrink-wrap with 2 segments under the wrap? Can you put it outside of the metal housing through the rubber plug in the hole in the metal? If so, that the antenna.
And if you put it out of the metal box and orientate it vertically up or down, you might get much better connection.

Thank you for the guidance. Ok, back to square one then. Why the freezing? It has been running fine all day except one freeze in the morning. Is it due to it losing wifi connectivity?

[jstefanop]

Hi Everyone. Just received and setup my Apollo Full Node miner. Its running fine, and connected to the pool but the whole OS will freeze after about 45-60 minutes. No mouse control, no keyboard input. The red light on the Apollo is still blinking, but it doesn't connect to the pool anymore, no hashing being reported. The only way to get it back is to flip the switch off, and then flip it back on. It freezes even if the miner is off, and yes its still syncing the blockchain, but if its going to keep freezing even without the miner running its going to take more than 48 hours to sync this blockchain. Its not hot to the touch really, but with the miner on its temp is about 76 C.

Any ideas on why this would be freezing and what can be done to fix it?

I think I may have figured it out. It appears that the thermal/temp sensor was flopping around inside the case, as in it was just dangling near the bottom, so it wasn't taking proper readings of the temps. I took off the right side panel, and sort of wedge it in as best as possible next to the plate that the CPU heatsink sits on. Not really sure if that is where it goes or not, but so far the miner has been running without issues for a few hours now. I ordered some thermal tape  and plan on taping it into place so that it doesn't start flopping around again.

Anyone have any ideas where exactly the sensor is supposed to be located so I can put it in its proper place?

I think you might have moved the WiFi antenna, not a temp sensor.

You could be right although I've never seen a wifi antenna like that before. Thanks for the help I guess...

Is it wrapped in black shrink-wrap with 2 segments under the wrap? Can you put it outside of the metal housing through the rubber plug in the hole in the metal? If so, that the antenna.
And if you put it out of the metal box and orientate it vertically up or down, you might get much better connection.

Thank you for the guidance. Ok, back to square one then. Why the freezing? It has been running fine all day except one freeze in the morning. Is it due to it losing wifi connectivity?

What temp do you see on the top menu bar (CPU temp of controller). This could indicate the heatsink on the blue controller is not properly installed, and from your description I can't really tell if you installed it back on right. It sides on top of the blue controller and you'll need to remove the side plate and the controller (two screws on bottom lip) to get it on there right. There is a grove in the heatsink where the audio jack is for proper alightment, and you need to press it down on top of silver CPU cap. Attached is an image of what it should look like installed.

Be careful with the ribbon cable attachment as this can pop off while moving the controller around.

https://i.imgur.com/A30ePkr.jpeg

[netzilla]

Hi Everyone. Just received and setup my Apollo Full Node miner. Its running fine, and connected to the pool but the whole OS will freeze after about 45-60 minutes. No mouse control, no keyboard input. The red light on the Apollo is still blinking, but it doesn't connect to the pool anymore, no hashing being reported. The only way to get it back is to flip the switch off, and then flip it back on. It freezes even if the miner is off, and yes its still syncing the blockchain, but if its going to keep freezing even without the miner running its going to take more than 48 hours to sync this blockchain. Its not hot to the touch really, but with the miner on its temp is about 76 C.

Any ideas on why this would be freezing and what can be done to fix it?

I think I may have figured it out. It appears that the thermal/temp sensor was flopping around inside the case, as in it was just dangling near the bottom, so it wasn't taking proper readings of the temps. I took off the right side panel, and sort of wedge it in as best as possible next to the plate that the CPU heatsink sits on. Not really sure if that is where it goes or not, but so far the miner has been running without issues for a few hours now. I ordered some thermal tape  and plan on taping it into place so that it doesn't start flopping around again.

Anyone have any ideas where exactly the sensor is supposed to be located so I can put it in its proper place?

I think you might have moved the WiFi antenna, not a temp sensor.

You could be right although I've never seen a wifi antenna like that before. Thanks for the help I guess...

Is it wrapped in black shrink-wrap with 2 segments under the wrap? Can you put it outside of the metal housing through the rubber plug in the hole in the metal? If so, that the antenna.
And if you put it out of the metal box and orientate it vertically up or down, you might get much better connection.

Thank you for the guidance. Ok, back to square one then. Why the freezing? It has been running fine all day except one freeze in the morning. Is it due to it losing wifi connectivity?

What temp do you see on the top menu bar (CPU temp of controller). This could indicate the heatsink on the blue controller is not properly installed, and from your description I can't really tell if you installed it back on right. It sides on top of the blue controller and you'll need to remove the side plate and the controller (two screws on bottom lip) to get it on there right. There is a grove in the heatsink where the audio jack is for proper alightment, and you need to press it down on top of silver CPU cap. Attached is an image of what it should look like installed.

Be careful with the ribbon cable attachment as this can pop off while moving the controller around.

https://i.imgur.com/A30ePkr.jpeg

Thanks for the reply. Started it back up and let it run a bit, temps are 43 C without the node syncing as the node wouldn't start for some reason. I did try and press the heatsink on, and was careful with the ribbon, it looked seated  properly compared with your picture.

[antaoniohartley64615]

Has anyone had an issue with the LTC miner not working? I wanted to switch out the fan with the one on Future Bit website, but it does not fit. My power cord stopped working and I think it might have burnt up the plug on the machine. The original cord was not taped all the way and after several years the cord started to fray. I switched out the PCIE plug into the miner but it still does not work. Does Future Bit offer a way to send back the LTC miner to them to get it fixed? I posted in LTC thread and have not seen answers to questions in that forum so I thought I would reach out over here.
Any suggestions please.

[miner9problems]

Just received my Apollo and hooked it up, turned it on... as soon as I enter the "futurebit123" password the monitor enters power save mode and goes dark. Red light on the Apollo is blinking. Any ideas?

[Drawesome]

I'm in love with this full node+miner solution as a way to facilitate people contributing to both mining and running a node with its applications. Moreover, its 200W power consumption is pretty reasonable for home use, especially with a spouse supervising to avoid ugly, noisy devices.

Best wishes for the project so you can keep improving the User Experience.

[JeremyD130]

Just set up my miner and it’s fully synced, but it won’t stay online. I keep thinking it has to be an issue with how I’m entering the pool info, but it’s pretty straightforward. The light in front is solid red for the most part but occasionally blinks fast and back to solid. I’m using Braiins Pool (or attempting to…). Any help/idea on what I’m doing wrong?

Thanks!!

[Biffa]

Just set up my miner and it’s fully synced, but it won’t stay online. I keep thinking it has to be an issue with how I’m entering the pool info, but it’s pretty straightforward. The light in front is solid red for the most part but occasionally blinks fast and back to solid. I’m using Braiins Pool (or attempting to…). Any help/idea on what I’m doing wrong?

Thanks!!

Have you tried any other pools?

I know that the FutureBit Apollo doesn't supoort Asicboost, and there is some sort of requirement for it in the Stratum V1-V2 proxy software they devopled. What I don't know is if they are using the proxy at slushpool oops Braiins pool 

I'd try another standard pool, maybe kano or ckpool or viabtc and see if it works there.