Open Source Bitcoin ASIC miner project that uses 2x BM1387 (Antminer S9)

[n0nce]

I know NebulaMiner is hard at work on a Rust implementation, but it sounds like it might be a bit. I think the best thing to do on that front is to get setup with the Espressif ESP-IDF SDK (it's C / FreeRTOS based). They have a bunch of cool examples for getting connected to WiFi and opening TCP sockets, etc. ESP-IDF has a cJSON library included which I think is the way to go for talking Stratum.

Sounds good; I've actually already played around with ESP-IDF on a regular old ESP32.

That render is awesome! How did you do that? We gotta figure out how to get orange solder mask on these boards!!

Simply with KiCAD. You can change render settings, colors etc. in the preferences.
That would be sweet!

[NebulaMiner]

I know NebulaMiner is hard at work on a Rust implementation, but it sounds like it might be a bit. I think the best thing to do on that front is to get setup with the Espressif ESP-IDF SDK (it's C / FreeRTOS based). They have a bunch of cool examples for getting connected to WiFi and opening TCP sockets, etc. ESP-IDF has a cJSON library included which I think is the way to go for talking Stratum.

Sounds good; I've actually already played around with ESP-IDF on a regular old ESP32.

Rust dev is going from bottom up, so i am working on low level drivers right now. No project from existing template yet.

[developeralgo]

That's amazing let's keep up the learning and great work.

[n0nce]

Hey @Skot, @NebulaMiner and everyone else reading; I tried solo-mining on my Compac F today and it works really well. Due to Testnet difficulty dropping to 1 after 20 min without blocks (which happens frequently), you should be able to mine at least a dozen blocks per day if your ASIC, driver and host software all work as intended (pretty much regardless of hashrate).

This should be a relatively easy and quick benchmark to verify if our BM1397 open-source project works (i.e. produces valid blocks) or not.

I guess @Skot who already has a running Bitaxe should be able to try it with his cgminer based board (with no ESP on it); but it will be more interesting / necessary to verify the ESP32 firmware once it's ready.

PS: What about a dedicated thread for Bitaxe / Bitaxe Max etc.?
With a proper start post that includes links to all the necessary resources, always up-to-date pictures of the latest and greatest board designs and sourcing guide? If you want, I can do it, otherwise @Skot feel free to do it yourself.

Of course, we can keep using this thread, but I feel like it's not giving new readers the best overview and it would be hard to go through 11 pages to find all the important bits & pieces.

[Skot]

Hey @Skot, @NebulaMiner and everyone else reading; I tried solo-mining on my Compac F today and it works really well. Due to Testnet difficulty dropping to 1 after 20 min without blocks (which happens frequently), you should be able to mine at least a dozen blocks per day if your ASIC, driver and host software all work as intended (pretty much regardless of hashrate).

This should be a relatively easy and quick benchmark to verify if our BM1397 open-source project works (i.e. produces valid blocks) or not.

I guess @Skot who already has a running Bitaxe should be able to try it with his cgminer based board (with no ESP on it); but it will be more interesting / necessary to verify the ESP32 firmware once it's ready.

That's a good idea. I did setup a node with testnet about a year ago -- I'll get that machine sync'd up and give it a try with the bitaxe.

PS: What about a dedicated thread for Bitaxe / Bitaxe Max etc.?
With a proper start post that includes links to all the necessary resources, always up-to-date pictures of the latest and greatest board designs and sourcing guide? If you want, I can do it, otherwise @Skot feel free to do it yourself.

Of course, we can keep using this thread, but I feel like it's not giving new readers the best overview and it would be hard to go through 11 pages to find all the important bits & pieces.

I think a new thread is a good idea. I've been meaning to update the GitHub repo and readme to focus more on the bitaxeMax and the fact that it's based on the BM1397. Maybe once v2 is showing signs of life? The v2 parts have arrived and supposedly stencils and PCBs are arriving tomorrow.

[n0nce]

I think a new thread is a good idea. I've been meaning to update the GitHub repo and readme to focus more on the bitaxeMax and the fact that it's based on the BM1397. Maybe once v2 is showing signs of life? The v2 parts have arrived and supposedly stencils and PCBs are arriving tomorrow.

Sure; we can make a new thread for the v2 (and future iterations) after that design is confirmed working.

[Skot]

I got two bitaxeMax v2 boards soldered together today. I messed up and forgot to order a ESP-Prog and Tag Connect cable, so I can't really do anything yet.

It does power up, and no smoke comes out, so that's good!

http://sk9k.com/pics/v2_hooked_up.png

http://sk9k.com/pics/v2_both_sides.png

[NebulaMiner]

I got two bitaxeMax v2 boards soldered together today. I messed up and forgot to order a ESP-Prog and Tag Connect cable, so I can't really do anything yet.

It does power up, and no smoke comes out, so that's good!

http://sk9k.com/pics/v2_hooked_up.png
http://sk9k.com/pics/v2_hooked_up.png
http://sk9k.com/pics/v2_both_sides.png
http://sk9k.com/pics/v2_both_sides.png

Beautifull ! Look very promising.

About heatsink and fan, did you select any specific parts ?

I brought a Noctua NF-A4x20 5V PWM for my testing with the EMC2101, and have some spare random heatsink.

[developeralgo]

I got two bitaxeMax v2 boards soldered together today. I messed up and forgot to order a ESP-Prog and Tag Connect cable, so I can't really do anything yet.

That's great skot. There is a persistent shortage of parts especially US designed parts.

Waiting for version 3 of my modified boards  ( 4-Chip, 2-Chip & 1-Chip) . For the 1-chip board similar to bitaxeMax i run into inventory shortage for some parts especially from Texas instruments for assembly so i did have to change design and some parts. For the 4-Chip and 2-Chip, i used a different design and parts so i was ok.

starting to work on Rust ESP Miner so that i can do some actual work and debugging, i am not an expert on Rust but a good programmer so i guess i can figure it out quickly if its easy to learn on the fly and program something useful.

i will keep working on it when i get a few hours during the week. I guess father duties doesn't allow that much time to do anything. 

[hZti]

I got two bitaxeMax v2 boards soldered together today. I messed up and forgot to order a ESP-Prog and Tag Connect cable, so I can't really do anything yet.

It does power up, and no smoke comes out, so that's good!

http://sk9k.com/pics/v2_hooked_up.png

http://sk9k.com/pics/v2_both_sides.png

This looks very awesome. How much did you pay for all the parts in total and what would be the price if you would do a 4 chip version?
I think this kind of DIY could be an awesome hobby and could repurpose a large amount of useless miners for heating equipment and other nice inventions.

[developeralgo]

This looks very awesome. How much did you pay for all the parts in total and what would be the price if you would do a 4 chip version?
I think this kind of DIY could be an awesome hobby and could repurpose a large amount of useless miners for heating equipment and other nice inventions.

NOTE: Persistent Inventory shortages are making production price per board spike because the parts with small or no inventory will tend spike between  40% to 300%

I think if you add the total production cost of PCB fab + PCB Assembly Time (by yourself or at the factory ) + PCB Parts + shipping . Starting with a batch of 5 pieces

NOTE: i am assuming no BOM part shortages in my prices.

1-Chip  == $70    / Per PCB Board
2-Chip  == $90    / Per PCB Board
4-Chip  == $125  / Per PCB Board



Obviously this costs can come down considerably once your streamline the parts on BOM, replacing parts which have inventory shortages with similar quality alternatives parts and order a bigger batch of say  100 or 200 or 500 per run.  I think we can lower the production cost to about

1-Chip  == $50    / Per PCB Board
2-Chip  == $70    / Per PCB Board
4-Chip  == $90    / Per PCB Board

when streamlined.

Not sure what other users are paying for their initial total prototype PCB cost. Because of shortages of some major parts the prices will differ considerably. There are only about 10 parts that are good to have but all the parts can be replaced with similar alternatives if you can figure it out.

[Skot]

I spent $30 in parts per board for the bitaxeMax v2, at qty5 assemblies. That doesn’t include the BM1397, which can be about $20 ea. for new chips in small quantities.

I haven’t attempted to do any cost-down yet, partly because the global supply chain is still so messed up. Lately it seems part availability is only good for a week or so. Make sure you order parts before ordering PCBs.

[n0nce]

I got two bitaxeMax v2 boards soldered together today. I messed up and forgot to order a ESP-Prog and Tag Connect cable, so I can't really do anything yet.

It does power up, and no smoke comes out, so that's good!

Quote for embeds & great job!

Is this required for programming the ESP?
https://espressif-docs.readthedocs-hosted.com/projects/espressif-esp-dev-kits/en/latest/other/esp-prog/user_guide.html

Maybe a USB connector (and if required, other components) could be added to the Bitaxe in the future so it's programmable directly. I know that some microcontrollers require you to pull some pins to some logic level to get into a programming mode.

[developeralgo]

I spent $30 in parts per board for the bitaxeMax v2, at qty5 assemblies. That doesn’t include the BM1397, which can be about $20 ea. for new chips in small quantities.

Yes , i think that's about right if you include all costs for 1-Chip it will come to around  a total $70 per board for 5 board assemblies

==>  $30 to 45 (other PCB Parts) + $20 to 28 (New BM1397 chip) + $? PCB Assembly (Yourself or/+ At Factory ) + $20 (Shipping) == Min Total Cost  $70

This will vary a lot depending on availability of parts and whether you're assembling them yourself or at the factory. If doing an assembly at the Factory you can add another $50 to $70 per board for PCB assembly on top of the initial minimum of around $70 per 1-Chip board

[developeralgo]

Is this required for programming the ESP?
https://espressif-docs.readthedocs-hosted.com/projects/espressif-esp-dev-kits/en/latest/other/esp-prog/user_guide.html

Yes, i think its required for the programming of ESP32 chips. One end Tag-Connect "TC2030-IDC-NL PLUG-OF-NAILS " cable connects to PCB Board and other end connects to ESP-Prog board PROG 2.54 mm interface ( Program interface with 2.54 mm (0.1”) pin pitch ) and the ESP-Prog board is then connected to your PC or Laptop using Mini USB on the board for Programming.

I am not sure if , at the moment , there is a better way to program ESP32 chips directly using USB without going through ESP-Prog board.

[developeralgo]

i have been trying different solder pastes that i have for BM1397 Chips.

What is the recommended type of Solder Paste to use  for BM1397 chips that is very good and is reliable on this chips when you consider the high temps they will be under during operations?

[Skot]

i have been trying different solder pastes that i have for BM1397 Chips.

What is the recommended type of Solder Paste to use  for BM1397 chips that is very good and is reliable on this chips when you consider the high temps they will be under during operations?

I use Sn63/Pb37 No Clean Solder Paste. The reflow temp is like 180°C. I don’t think the ASICs will get anywhere close to that.

[Skot]

I am not sure if , at the moment , there is a better way to program ESP32 chips directly using USB without going through ESP-Prog board.

The ESP32 has a bootloader and is programmed over serial. The catch is that you need DTR and RTS pins to load new firmware. Most USB serial cables don’t have these pins broken out. I think your options are to put a usbserial chip like the FTDI on the board, or have it external, like the ESP-PROG.

Eventually it will be possible to update the firmware OTA, via WiFi or bluetooth. The ESP-PROG will only be for unbricking or debugging.

[Skot]

That's great skot. There is a persistent shortage of parts especially US designed parts.

Waiting for version 3 of my modified boards  ( 4-Chip, 2-Chip & 1-Chip) . For the 1-chip board similar to bitaxeMax i run into inventory shortage for some parts especially from Texas instruments for assembly so i did have to change design and some parts. For the 4-Chip and 2-Chip, i used a different design and parts so i was ok.

starting to work on Rust ESP Miner so that i can do some actual work and debugging, i am not an expert on Rust but a good programmer so i guess i can figure it out quickly if its easy to learn on the fly and program something useful.

That’s awesome you’ve made so much progress! This parts shortage is rough for sure. Finding substitute parts seems to be a majority of the work these days.

Let me know how it goes with the Rust ESP-Miner.. I’d like to follow along.

i will keep working on it when i get a few hours during the week. I guess father duties doesn't allow that much time to do anything. 

I’m in the same boat!

[developeralgo]

Skot, NebulaMiner or N0nce , Has any of you managed coding the ESP_Miner and got to it to where it can be used for testing BM1397 boards ?. I am just starting on it.