GekkoScience has a new stickminer that does 300+GH

[sidehack]

They're bench-calibrated with power On at the factory. I tweak them with power On. Fuzzy, what's your specific reason for not doing that?

[NotFuzzyWarm]

I tweak them with power On. Fuzzy, what's your specific reason for not doing that?

It's not a problem for folks who are careful and know what they are doing.

For the General Public however, things are so tiny and awkward to see/get at it is way too easy for them to slip and possibly short something. Much easier to power down, pull out the stick and put it under a microscope, tweak and then see what the results are.

[freekzkz]

amazon resumed selling these usb miners, but the price is rather high - $300 USD, I believe it used to be 200.

[philipma1957]

amazon resumed selling these usb miners, but the price is rather high - $300 USD, I believe it used to be 200.

Yeah what is the going price for them.


I have a new one and have been so fucking busy I never set it up.

I am doing spring cleaning and figured I could sell it.


I can toss in an older stick for free like a  dual new2pac

edit looks like it is just a newpac. for the freebie

tell you what I think I have a 1 chip and a 2 chip and the newest BM1397

so 3 sticks.  and I will put this in classified marketplace.


here is the listing


https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5390031.msg59547269#msg59547269

3 sticks

2pac-------- not sure this could be a compac.
newpac
compac f

[huntingthesnark]

Just got a few of these, appear to be running well (thanks to Kano's idiot-proof setup instructions!)  Dumb question number one - how do you know if they're overheating? I've rigged up a fan as a test, but it's probably not ideal...

[NotFuzzyWarm]

Just got a few of these, appear to be running well (thanks to Kano's idiot-proof setup instructions!)  Dumb question number one - how do you know if they're overheating? I've rigged up a fan as a test, but it's probably not ideal...

If you can stand touching the heatsink for more than several seconds then temp is fine.

[n0nce]

Just got a few of these, appear to be running well (thanks to Kano's idiot-proof setup instructions!)  Dumb question number one - how do you know if they're overheating? I've rigged up a fan as a test, but it's probably not ideal...

If you can stand touching the heatsink for more than several seconds then temp is fine.

That's way too vague. The fingers I burned more during soldering can stand more heat than the others, for instance. Would definitely be helpful to have some kind of number to check for with a thermometer. On the other hand, I guess they throttle themselves anyway if they overheat.

[sidehack]

Actually if they overheat, parts start to fall off.

There's no real "this temperature is fine, this is bad" standard metric for these guys. But if your somewhat desensitized fingers can stand them, they're not too hot. Basically, they're probably safe until you start to worry that they're not. Or parts start to fall off. That's definitely hotter than safe.

[domunus]

elsupreme The USB sticks aren't the only thing you need to consider when trying to adjust amperage.  Your USB hub and what each port can provide voltage and amperage wise is also very important.  I have the Bitcoin Merch 7 port one and I can tell you it's not great.  Just like others have said, it has power problems and each port is inconsistent.  Then not only what each port can handle, but how much they can handle when multiple ports are used.  For me, I can only achieve a stable 445Mhz @ roughly 2.4 - 2.5 amps per stick. I have found that each port resets at different max amp draw causing the plateau and this decreases with each USB stick plugged in with the first port drawing the most power and amps which takes away from each port as it gets farther away from the power source.  Use the USB ampmeter so you can watch and tell at what max amperage does it plateau and from that, you can then tell your approx max freq you can use on that hub.   That is the most likely case of your issue.

As for eyeballing to set the rest of the sticks off one, good luck.  Each stick and USB port is different.  So you are better off adjusting each one, one at a time. Otherwise you are either going to be under volting getting low hashrates or overvolting for the hashrates you are getting.

For anyone achieving 500mhz or higher, can you please let me know what your hardware setup is like and model of your USB hub?

Its pretty much what i did all day yesterday dialing up & down , looking at cgminer as it hits plateau and resets every few secs and looking at the values on the usb ameter as it responds to cgminer and to be honest, i dont even know what am looking for ... i just see the amperage go up until it resets when cgminer hits plateau ..
its been more like blind tuning & gambling, hoping to hit the target..  
i believe there are measures to reach this..
this was supposed to be one of the fun part, i waited another 2 weeks for this final phase using the ameter to finally set up the rest of the sticks but its not at the moment ..

I have atleast one stick i did not tune because it already runs efficiently at the set hashrate without issues ...

I have tried to use readings from that one to see how to set the others but still ...

lots of us here have used the usb ameter to tune their sticks into stable hashrate, i need your inputs ...  

Am I looking in the wrong direction ? Am I mising something ?  If you keep dialing clockwise / anticlockwise, does it start all over from 0 after a 360 dial ? or it keeps going 360+ , 720+ etc ?  

and sometimes while dialing, i hear a tini tiny fast beep with fast flashing light on the stick, is that a too high dial or too low dial signal?

this is the ameter i use
https://www.amazon.com/Voltmeter-Ammeter-Current-Multimeter-Suitable/dp/B08RHKVHJZ/ref=sr_1_29?keywords=usb+volt+amp+meter&qid=1647004125&sr=8-29#descriptionAndDetails

How can i use the reference stick to setup the rest of them ?

[poonasor]

1A per USB port may not be enough to run them at 500

The Sidehack USB hub provides up to 6A per port (shared between two ports)

No, 1A will never work with these. I tried with a 2.4A hub and it didn't even get above like half frequency; however these sticks are made for OC and run especially bad at lower frequency, so hashrate was abysmal. Changing to a GekkoScience hub immediately fixed it.

I don't think that these sticks can even get 2.4A out of 2.4A hubs, because they only deliver the power when the device requests it through some USB spec messages that it sends to the hub - something that mining sticks don't do.

how many sticks do you have on your GekkoScience hub? 1 stick between the 6a ports?

[gt_addict]

poonasor, I have 6 sticks on my gekko hub running 530m for a couple of months now without issue

[huntingthesnark]

One of my F's has the white light constantly on, as opposed to flashing like the others. Does this indicate a problem?

[willi9974]

a short question. would like buy a gaming topic, a usb mining stick. i'm located in germany.

does anyone know where to get the USB Miner in europe or germany? Either all sold out or extremely overpriced if you want to buy a new technic toy.

Best regards,
Willi

[Biffa]

a short question. would like buy a gaming topic, a usb mining stick. i'm located in germany.

does anyone know where to get the USB Miner in europe or germany? Either all sold out or extremely overpriced if you want to buy a new technic toy.

Best regards,
Willi

Only bitshopper.de and you just have to wait till more come in to stock

[n0nce]

Actually if they overheat, parts start to fall off.

There's no real "this temperature is fine, this is bad" standard metric for these guys. But if your somewhat desensitized fingers can stand them, they're not too hot. Basically, they're probably safe until you start to worry that they're not. Or parts start to fall off. That's definitely hotter than safe.

Oh wow, crap, okay! That's a bit unnerving honestly. I know from PC components that running them on even 100C is fine with today's electronics. I don't think the heatsink was ever this hot on my stick. And solder shouldn't melt below 250C. But I also remember that in the past, like 80C was absolute max for a CPU, so it would be good to know their rating honestly. If it's more 80ish or 100ish, maybe even 120C = fine?

how many sticks do you have on your GekkoScience hub? 1 stick between the 6a ports?

I have 2, each one in its own '6A port group'.

[Wikiz]

Hello there, got mine today, and I've followed the kanoi's instructions (first I'm trying in Windows before to moving on a rasp), anyways when I started to mining (default speed, no OC) it starts fine as far as i seem, but them it starts slowing the speed until 0. The device is hot (Dont know how much, lets say you can keep your fingers 1-2 seconds). And I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

https://imgur.com/a/G4FdLW0

[n0nce]

Hello there, got mine today, and I've followed the kanoi's instructions (first I'm trying in Windows before to moving on a rasp), anyways when I started to mining (default speed, no OC) it starts fine as far as i seem, but them it starts slowing the speed until 0. The device is hot (Dont know how much, lets say you can keep your fingers 1-2 seconds). And I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Well for starters, you definitely do need active cooling. Do you have it?
You'd also need to tell us what hub you are using and if you have a way to measure the current draw.

If you don't, you could try reducing current draw by turning the set screw counter-clockwise (very very slightly, barely any movement is needed for a small adjustment).
Increasing clock speed also usually helps, since the sticks run at like 400MHz+ usually.

I have one stick for example that needs 500MHz and very careful set screw position to run best.

[Biffa]

Hello there, got mine today, and I've followed the kanoi's instructions (first I'm trying in Windows before to moving on a rasp), anyways when I started to mining (default speed, no OC) it starts fine as far as i seem, but them it starts slowing the speed until 0. The device is hot (Dont know how much, lets say you can keep your fingers 1-2 seconds). And I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Well for starters, you definitely do need active cooling. Do you have it?
You'd also need to tell us what hub you are using and if you have a way to measure the current draw.

If you don't, you could try reducing current draw by turning the set screw counter-clockwise (very very slightly, barely any movement is needed for a small adjustment).
Increasing clock speed also usually helps, since the sticks run at like 400MHz+ usually.

I have one stick for example that needs 500MHz and very careful set screw position to run best.

I'd say definitely overheating. When I got my first one I plugged it directly into the USB port on my PC and walked away. Got so hot it melted the solder off one of the surface mount chips on the board. Luckily not terminal, once I put it in the Gekko USB hub with some fans it was fine.

[Wikiz]

I ordered a gekko fan upgrade, I don't have it yet, but I though this was only for overclocking. In fact, if these fans are not official, how the hell people were using this without them? xD

Got a hub yes, it's a 65W 3.0 from Amazon.

And I'm launching it with the folloring:

Code:

cgminer.exe -o stratum+tcp://de.ckpool.org:3333 -u <user> -p x --gekko-compacf-detect --gekko-compacf-freq 200

Still I don't know what I'm doing wrong in order to use it 'vanilla' or how should I set the frequency in order to make it work at least 5 min

Did you say turning the screws, I mean like literally use a screw driver with the usb stick?

[n0nce]

I'd say definitely overheating. When I got my first one I plugged it directly into the USB port on my PC and walked away. Got so hot it melted the solder off one of the surface mount chips on the board. Luckily not terminal, once I put it in the Gekko USB hub with some fans it was fine.

Wow, that's wild! And the components didn't fall off?

I ordered a gekko fan upgrade, I don't have it yet, but I though this was only for overclocking. In fact, if these fans are not official, how the hell people were using this without them? xD

I don't really think it's possible to use these sticks without GekkoScience USB hub and some fans (those can be any brand or type as long as you can get them near the sticks).

Got a hub yes, it's a 65W 3.0 from Amazon.

How many watts can it deliver to a single port though, that's the question. Most 'Amazon hubs' won't work well with these :/
If you have an ammeter (image below), you can check if you're in a good range. If the stick is only pulling e.g. 0.7A, the hub won't work since it would mean it doesn't deliver enough power. If it's pulling more like 2A or 2.3ish amps, it looks good, but do note that the sticks can run faster if you allow them to use more than 2.4A which is the maximum which you can usually find on regular USB hubs.

And I'm launching it with the folloring:

Code:

cgminer.exe -o stratum+tcp://de.ckpool.org:3333 -u <user> -p x --gekko-compacf-detect --gekko-compacf-freq 200

Still I don't know what I'm doing wrong in order to use it 'vanilla' or how should I set the frequency in order to make it work at least 5 min

Did you say turning the screws, I mean like literally use a screw driver with the usb stick?

Maybe try setting frequency to 300 honestly (after installing a fan). They really don't like to run slowly. There are also other parameters that were talked over a lot in this topic, you can look around a bit and try the different suggestions, makes no sense to repeat them over and over (you're not the first one whose sticks didn't run perfectly out of the box ).

Yes, the screw in question is physically on the PCB. But really don't overdo it. It requires very tiny adjustments at most.