[GUIDE] Jesse's Official Overclocking (voltmod) Guide For G-Blade & Gridseeds v2

[Jess85]

Upcoming:
- G-Blade VMOD1 is now available here. I am working with the guys at Seven Gnomes to improve the current version and will let you know more details about it soon. In the meantime here are a few pics I was able to snag for ya'll. More to come!

http://www.sevengnomes.com/public/mod.jpg

http://www.sevengnomes.com/public/ghash.png

- Miner software, software environment (including raspberry pi), and Litecoin pool comparison + step by step setup guide.


Changelog:
- Coolant pad option added
- Reversible VMOD3 added (Courtesy of ZiG)

Hey all  

I know there's been a great demand for a clear guide on how to mod your Gridseeds with clear high quality step by step images, what to do, what not to do, and actual expected results of each mod. Basically, the ultimate Gridseed modding guide for dummies. I can't promise I will succeed, but I'm sure going to try! In this guide I will cover VMOD1 and VMOD3 which essentially allow for the Gridseeds to run on average weekly (so far) speeds of 405kh/s to 510kh/s, respectively.

I will make the greatest efforts to talk in a simple and clear language as if it is your first time picking up a soldering iron. This is a work-in-progress guide and I am open to questions and comments for improvements so please feel free to PM me any time!

Prep 1) Here is what you'll need (links to demonstrate the correct supplies at the end):

• Soldering Iron
• Soldering Tweezers (VMOD3 only) (optional)
• Regular Tweezers (VMOD3 and rVMOD3)
• Magnifying Loupe
• No-Clean Solder wire
• 47k 1% 0402 resistor (VMOD3 only)
• 47k 1% Axial resistor (rVMOD3 only)
• Liquid Flux (VMOD3 only) (optional)
• Thermal Grease (non-conductive AND non-capacitive) (optional)
• Lighting
• 1 Heat resistant glove (if you buy lead wire, safety first)
• A comfortable chair and a desk at chest level (when sitting). Make sure the desk is a flat stable surface with a decent amount of friction so the G-Blade or Gridseed doesn't move.

Prep 2) Decide which mod is for you. (DO NOT TRY TO PERFORM ANY COMBINATION OF MODS ON ONE DEVICE, IT WILL NOT MAKE IT RUN FASTER AND WILL RISK DESTROYING YOUR DEVICE, YOUR HOME, YOURSELF, OR YOUR CONTINENT)

VMOD1: Up to freq=963 @ 9 +/-2 watt. Average weekly speed of 405kh/s. Can run fanless in a cool room (but not recommended). Difficulty: Medium. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif VMOD3: Up to freq=1175 @ 30 +/-4 watt. Average weekly speeds of 510kh/s. Can NOT run fanless. Difficulty: Hard (you will be dealing with components the size of a leg of an ant). [see Figure 0] Reversible VMOD3: Same as VMOD3 but allows you to easily revert back to Factory speeds & power draw.

https://i.imgur.com/OeDnlq2.jpg (Figure 0)

Things to take into consideration are kilohashes, power consumption, and heat. You want the mod you select to be efficient keeping in mind the costs to power up and cool down the devices. Keep in mind these mods are reversible but choose wisely because you do not want to have to work on the same G-Blade or Gridseed twice, trust me.

Prep 3) Decide on a hand that handles the wire, put a glove on it, and start pulling out some wire. There are stations that dispense the wire for you but if you do not have one of these you will need to use your hands, and wires containing lead are toxic for humans. You should not need to touch wire with more than the one glove-protected hand. Important: Lead is supposed to only be toxic if you consume it or inhale it so please make sure to wash your hands very well after you are done and avoid inhaling any fumes released from soldering. Also, apply the same common sense in the matter to avoid doing any modwork on dinner tables etc.


Getting Started


Disclaimer: Although I have attempted to provide accurate information in this guide, I do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided herein. Third party product descriptions and related technical details provided in this document are for information purposes only and such products are not supported by me. All information provided in this guide is provided “as is”, with all faults, and without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied or statutory. I hereby disclaim all warranties related to this guide and the information contained herein, whether expressed or implied of statutory including, without limitation, those of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and noninfringement, or arising from a course of dealing, usage, or trade practice.

Step 1) Disconnecting The Gridseed (if connected) When disconnecting your Gridseed from the power supply and USB hub, make sure to disconnect the USB before removing the power plug in case of any mistakes [see Figure 1]. The mistake which I refer to is one where the power plug, when connected or removed, touches the heatsink, and in some power plug models, can cause for a short which risks board components and possibly anything connected to the usb plug (usb hub usually). If you are using cpuminer make sure you close down the miner window so that you can later reconnect your device without issues. Cgminer & BFGminer can generally stay on in hotplug mode or equivalent. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ Next Step

https://i.imgur.com/qFebN7tl.jpg (Figure 1)

Step 2) Opening Your Gridseed Orient the Gridseed so that the fan is on the bottom of the device and unscrew (4x screws) the top half of the heatsink [see Figure 2]. The Gridseed, in some cases, will not remove easily because of the adhesive property of the thermal pad. Make sure to remove it gently, slowly increasing the pull strength, and lift it straight up off of the bottom of the device to prevent damage to the circuit board. tip: If you flip the top upside down the screws will fall all over the place, so watch out! https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ Next Step

https://i.imgur.com/Gxqe4eQl.jpg (Figure 2)

Step 3) Let The Games Begin Orient your opened Gridseed in a way where the Modzone is the closest part of the device to you [see Figure 3]. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif Select: ↓ VMOD1 or ↓ VMOD3 or ↓ Reversible VMOD3

https://i.imgur.com/Xy0nwOml.jpg (Figure 3)

VMOD1 (up to freq 950 @ 9 +/- 2watt. Average weekly speed of 405kh/s): Step A) Find the two metallic points within the blue circle [see Figure 4]. This should be located 3 down from the northeast corner of the Modzone resistor square and should be bare without a resistor on it (that is, with two metal points only). https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ Next Step	https://i.imgur.com/308fsEdl.jpg (Figure 4)
Step B) using your soldering iron, apply some soldering wire to them until their two metal points are connected. [see Figure 5] Step C) Make sure the wire does NOT connect to anything else in the region. If it does, it is ok, just take your time, focus, and carefully begin removing it with the soldering iron. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ Next Step	https://i.imgur.com/wGs7aIml.jpg (Figure 5)
Step D) Repeat Steps B through C for the two points within the yellow circle if you want permanent voltage=1 setting [see Figure 6]. Voltage=1 is necessary for your Gridseed to work in the overclock mode that this mod is designed to enable you to use. If you are not sure if you should apply this mod then please read below. It is strongly recommend you perform this mod as well if you expect to only run the gridseed on the highest frequency it can run on. *Just to clear up any confusion, not performing the yellow circle mod will require you to set option voltage=1 on your miner as the second set of points which you solder together is the only way to make this a permanent hardware embedded configuration. This also means that if you do not solder together the two metal points of the yellow circle you will have the flexibility of assigning voltage=1 when wanted, but the responsibility to make sure you use a miner that supports that command whenever you want your device to work in overclock mode. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ Next Step	https://i.imgur.com/SosdkK2l.jpg (Figure 6)
When done you would have soldered a connection between two points twice, once for each circle (yellow and blue) [see Figure 7] or only blue if you wanted to assign voltage=1 through your miner software for this mod to work. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ VMOD3 or ↓ Reversible VMOD3 or ↓ Final VMOD1 steps	https://i.imgur.com/ZiQ4G0sl.jpg (Figure 7)

END -VMOD1-
 

VMOD3 (up to freq 1175 @ 30 +/- 4watt. Average weekly speed of 510kh/s): Optional: You may choose to use a 49.9k resistor instead of a 47k as in some instances it allows for better performance at frequency 1175 and for some even decent performance at frequency 1200. The heat and power draw levels will increase however. You must use a fan and expect a power draw of 33 +/- 4 watt (is it really worth a 25 frequency increase best case scenario? You decide!). Caution: You must not perform this mod in a windy environment. If you even feel like sneezing you must look away or you will literally blow away the resistor into oblivion. Step A) Locate the R52 resistor, which can be found immediately below a vertically printed 'R52' Label on the southernmost point of the Modzone square [see green circle on Figure 8]. Step B) If you have soldering tweezers: pluck out the R52 resistor at 700F If you don't have soldering tweezers: heat one side the resistor while pulling it off with a regular tweezer. Repeat the same for the other side of the resistor. Note: If you want to reverse this mod keep the original R52 resistor somewhere safe for later use. Step C) If you made a mess, clean the mess. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ Next Step

https://i.imgur.com/ttCYsxel.jpg ( Figure 8 )

Step D) You'll need a 47k 1% 0402 resistor [see Figure 9]. Make sure sure the resistor is face up before picking up with tweezers. Note: other resistor sizes will work but I recommend to avoid using anything larger than 0402 as from personal experience I have seen them producing several issues, namely the "will not submit shares anomaly" and the unnecessary constriction of airflow. If you have soldering tweezers: Get solder on both ends of your tweezers and pick up the 47k resistor. Place the 47k resistor with solder directly on top of R52. Reduce the heat of your tweezers and when the melted solder wire closest to the resistor solidifies gently allow the tweezers to to open up again. If you don't have soldering tweezers: Place the 47k resistor on top of R52. If you have liquid flux, apply some to both ends of the resistor as it will act like an adhesive and hold it in place. Otherwise you can immediately begin to solder both ends of the resistor to permanently connect it to the circuit. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif

https://i.imgur.com/cPFCPuVl.jpg (figure 9)

When done your Gridseed should look like [Figure 10]. Step E) If you made a mess again, clean the mess again. Step F) Make sure the wire does NOT connect to anything else in the region. If it does, again, it is ok, just take your time, focus, and carefully begin removing it with the soldering iron. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ Final Steps or ↓ Reversible VMOD3

https://i.imgur.com/yMQEAtHl.jpg (figure 10)

END -VMOD3-

Reversible VMOD3 (up to freq 1175 @ 30 +/- 4watt. Average weekly speed of 510kh/s): (Thanks ZiG!) This mod is actually a wee bit easier because we use what is called an axial resistor. Keep in mind using resistors of this size constricts airflow more than the original VMOD3's 0402 resistor size. [see Figure 13] Step A) Remove the connection on R46 which is located on the southeast point of the Modzone square just as shown [in Figure 14]. Step B) Solder one point of the 16.9k Axial Resistor to the bottom part of R46 which is located on the southeast point of the Modzone square and the other half to CON3 pin 3 (DGND) just as shown [in Figure 15]. Want to go back to Factory Setting? Remove the resistor and solder together the two points you made on R46. Want to go back again to rVMOD3? Put back the resistor and de-solder the connection you made on R46. https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ Next Step

https://i.imgur.com/DgTDDb9l.jpg (Figure 13) Coming Soon (Figure 14) https://i.imgur.com/2PeiatKl.jpg (Figure 15)

Step 4) Coolant Paste or Thermal Pad (Optional) Optionally, once you finish your mod you may apply coolant paste [see Figure 11] or a thermal pad [see Figure 12] to the top of the chips in the center of the circuit board. If you decide to apply coolant, and you chose thermal pad, keep in mind the black square is where the thermal pad should be placed until you reach the red area (thanks nemercry). Step 5) Reassemble The Gridseed Replace the top half of the heatsink making sure not to cut any of the loose wires coming out of the Gridseed board and screw it back tightly.   Step 6) Reconnect The Gridseed Connect the power first, and then the USB. You are ready to go! https://i.imgur.com/ktMpVIi.gif ↓ Supply Links, G-Blade VMOD1, & Final Words

https://i.imgur.com/nO83vxkl.jpg (Figure 11) https://i.imgur.com/wrG8R6Hl.jpg (Figure 12)

Supply links:

Soldering Iron - I recommend Hakko, Weller, or Metcal but any cheap solder will really work.
Soldering Tweezers (VMOD3 only) (optional) Buy Here.
47k 1% 0402 Resistor (VMOD3 only) Buy Here.
49.9k 1% 0402 Resistor (VMOD3 only) Buy Here.
16.9k 1% Axial Resistor (Reversible VMOD3 only) Buy Here.
Liquid Flux (VMOD3 only) (optional) Buy Here.
Regular Tweezers (VMOD3 only) Buy Here.
Magnifying Loupe Buy Here.
No-Clean Solder Wire Buy Here.
Thermal Grease (non conductive AND non-capacitive) (optional) Buy Here.

If you are looking to buy Gridseeds modded already you can get them from here.
If you are looking to get expedited Gridseed modding on existing devices you can get that from here.

I am working with the guys at Seven Gnomes on G-Blade VMOD1 and will release information on how to do this as soon as I have stable performance that also seems safe to run for over a couple of days.

Many thanks to Andareed, Nemercry, ZiG, happydaze, & everyone else who contributed to the development of these mods.

And I suppose that's it folks so good luck and if you liked it drop a thanks and if you need help or have any questions feel free to message me any time!

To running faster than ants carrying seeds
or flying faster than mosquitoes carrying resistors, whichever
- Jesse

[simon66]

Could be just me but please source these (Andareed, Nemercy).
Also, for some odd reason, everything is left aligned :/

Other than that, great tutorial. I would totally recomend a SMD rework station (Small $50 Yihua 858D) for the VMOD3. Also, hold everything down with kapton tape (Its a heat resistant tape. Perfect for SMD soldering)

[gtraah]

AWESOME WORK - THANK YOU FINALLY

Also have you heard of Vmod4?

Check this out these guys are doing it they state Less than 5HW errors per day at 1250 Stable and they are selling there seeds like this

https://www.sevengnomes.com/index.php/asics/modded-gridseed.html

I wonder if Vmod4 is just a higher kohm resistor?

You know how you mention the 47k resistor? Well the 49.9k is what I am getting and many are able to run 1200 stable at 510-513Kh less than <5hw per 24hr

[simon66]

AWESOME WORK - THANK YOU FINALLY

Also have you heard of Vmod4?

Check this out these guys are doing it they state Less than 5HW errors per day at 1250 Stable and they are selling there seeds like this

https://www.sevengnomes.com/index.php/asics/modded-gridseed.html

I wonder if Vmod4 is just a higher kohm resistor?

You know how you mention the 47k resistor? Well the 49.9k is what I am getting and many are able to run 1200 stable at 510-513Kh less than <5hw per 24hr

They're prob using a higher resister value. I think you can go up to 54k before the GDS fails to turn on. Nemercy did the test.

[Jess85]

Could be just me but please source these (Andareed, Nemercy).
Also, for some odd reason, everything is left aligned :/

Credits added.
I've went through the loops trying to figure out how to format this guide. If you know how to define table sizes (html bracket is disabled for non-admin users) or alignments (I've tried right alignment feature already) let me know and I will make the updates right away

AWESOME WORK - THANK YOU FINALLY

Also have you heard of Vmod4?

Check this out these guys are doing it they state Less than 5HW errors per day at 1250 Stable and they are selling there seeds like this

https://www.sevengnomes.com/index.php/asics/modded-gridseed.html

I wonder if Vmod4 is just a higher kohm resistor?

You know how you mention the 47k resistor? Well the 49.9k is what I am getting and many are able to run 1200 stable at 510-513Kh less than <5hw per 24hr

It is a higher resistor, but if you go any higher than 49.9k it is necessary to treat the devices with further mods to increase the efficiency and lifespan of the device. A coolant application is listed in the service description as one of these mods. There is more that can be done and I will clear this up with Seven Gnomes. There is no use running them faster if it dies within a month.

Edit: It appears more was already being done to increase the efficiency and lifespan of the device, I spoke to management, it is now also listed on their service page.

[gtraah]

Awesome, yeh I just noticed they said extra heat dispense stuff is  needed, they must do a good job to get 1200mhz with the same results as the lower resistor, I am guessing it will probably be at 530khs - Well you know what I have in the mail, 15mmx15mm square 1mm Copper shrims

And some good thermal past better that that silver stuff...

just wondering though with the shrim how would you recommend placing it on the chips? would you do 5 shrims per device and put thermal paste between the shrim and the chip and also between the shrim and the seed heatsink?

What do you think?

[atrueresistance]

Do you know exactly what solder was used? What should I set my reflow at?

[CartmanSPC]

Awesome, yeh I just noticed they said extra heat dispense stuff is  needed, they must do a good job to get 1200mhz with the same results as the lower resistor, I am guessing it will probably be at 530khs - Well you know what I have in the mail, 15mmx15mm square 1mm Copper shrims

And some good thermal past better that that silver stuff...

just wondering though with the shrim how would you recommend placing it on the chips? would you do 5 shrims per device and put thermal paste between the shrim and the chip and also between the shrim and the seed heatsink?

What do you think?

Maybe use 1.5mm instead of 1mm? (I read the height of other components are not allowing a good contact with the heatsink)

What thermal silicone paste are you using or do you even need any with this pad?

[nemercry]

Thanks for naming the people who where involved in this.

Great appreciation for doing this and helping the community.
There is one proposal which i would want to make:
Instead of using thermal paste use thermal pads, and place them in the way like this:

Black should be the thermal pad. Red is the area which should not be covered by the thermal pad.

Problem with the thermal paste is that the heatsink actually lies on the red parts and if you tighten the screws too much you risk to crack soldering of those parts. ( I had this on 5 units, which i needed to resolder and from now on i stick only with thermal pads.

I'll recommend this one: http://www.amazon.de/Phobya-W%C3%A4rmeleitpad-XT-1x120x20-wei%C3%9F/dp/B0051C287K

[gtraah]

Thanks for naming the people who where involved in this.

Great appreciation for doing this and helping the community.
There is one proposal which i would want to make:
Instead of using thermal paste use thermal pads, and place them in the way like this:

Black should be the thermal pad. Red is the area which should not be covered by the thermal pad.

Problem with the thermal paste is that the heatsink actually lies on the red parts and if you tighten the screws too much you risk to crack soldering of those parts. ( I had this on 5 units, which i needed to resolder and from now on i stick only with thermal pads.

I'll recommend this one: http://www.amazon.de/Phobya-W%C3%A4rmeleitpad-XT-1x120x20-wei%C3%9F/dp/B0051C287K

What about Copper shrims 15mmx15mm covering each individual chip and applying some good thermal compound paste 5.6wMK?

Awesome, yeh I just noticed they said extra heat dispense stuff is  needed, they must do a good job to get 1200mhz with the same results as the lower resistor, I am guessing it will probably be at 530khs - Well you know what I have in the mail, 15mmx15mm square 1mm Copper shrims

And some good thermal past better that that silver stuff...

just wondering though with the shrim how would you recommend placing it on the chips? would you do 5 shrims per device and put thermal paste between the shrim and the chip and also between the shrim and the seed heatsink?

What do you think?

Maybe use 1.5mm instead of 1mm? (I read the height of other components are not allowing a good contact with the heatsink)

What thermal silicone paste are you using or do you even need any with this pad?

You think  1.5mm?? Hmm I saw originally people using 0.5mm pads? so I thought I will do one better and get 1mm just incase, now I see 1.5mm lol Argghh.. you really think 1mm is too small? Also I am using 4g Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound Paste----      Thermal Conductivity                W/(mK)5.6    Maybe I should also get a bunch off 1.5mm shrims also, they are VERY cheap and cut perfectly into shape and provide the best W/(mK)--- so I thought you cant loose here. Do you think I should apply past to top and bottom off the shrim? And by applying the shrims this means I will not have to tighten down the heatsink as much is this right?

[gtraah]

I am wondering, and more people may be aswell, you may want to add it to the Op - when they are modded with the vmod3 for eg: Will the PCIE -> 10 barrel connectors still work? How many barrels can you manage of the 6 pin Pcie connector, as I am guessing it will reduce the amount of grids you can connect to 1 Pcie connector due to the higher wattage.

Did you know how to do the 5v fan Mod? I would love to know how to do this, your guides are the most clearest I have ever come across, Even if you just use other peoples pictures and a good illustration you dont have to bother doing HD pics for the 5v fan mod if you do not want to - I would just love to get an idea around this also as the vmod3 + Cooling + 5v fan , I beleive are the perfect combo

has anyone heard of Electrical aluminium conduct tape? Bascially from what I read its tape which is like metal so it creates a link I was thinking instead of soldering bridge couldnt you just cut the tiniest peice and stick it over the 2 contacts you want to bridge, if you ever want to get rid of it just peel it back off and thats it

[Jess85]

Thanks for naming the people who where involved in this.

Great appreciation for doing this and helping the community.
There is one proposal which i would want to make:
Instead of using thermal paste use thermal pads, and place them in the way like this:
https://i.imgur.com/g4Jmub7.jpg?1
Black should be the thermal pad. Red is the area which should not be covered by the thermal pad.

Problem with the thermal paste is that the heatsink actually lies on the red parts and if you tighten the screws too much you risk to crack soldering of those parts. ( I had this on 5 units, which i needed to resolder and from now on i stick only with thermal pads.

I'll recommend this one: http://www.amazon.de/Phobya-W%C3%A4rmeleitpad-XT-1x120x20-wei%C3%9F/dp/B0051C287K

You are very welcome. You deserve it
Thermal pad suggestion added!

[Jess85]

I am wondering, and more people may be aswell, you may want to add it to the Op - when they are modded with the vmod3 for eg: Will the PCIE -> 10 barrel connectors still work? How many barrels can you manage of the 6 pin Pcie connector, as I am guessing it will reduce the amount of grids you can connect to 1 Pcie connector due to the higher wattage.

The amount of power plugs (or barrels) which you can connect is directly determined by the amount of watt you have available. (Amount of watt you have) divided by (the amount of devices you want to power * the watt each requires). If the result is less than 1.00 then Bad. If over 1.00 then Good

Did you know how to do the 5v fan Mod? I would love to know how to do this, your guides are the most clearest I have ever come across, Even if you just use other peoples pictures and a good illustration you dont have to bother doing HD pics for the 5v fan mod if you do not want to - I would just love to get an idea around this also as the vmod3 + Cooling + 5v fan , I beleive are the perfect combo

All of the 5v fan mods I've seen on this forum required it be draw from the circuit board, and from board user and personal experience that I have seen so far, that has only led to testimonials of device instability in one form or another. I don't have a method for external power supplementation for 5v fans, but that would be an option, however anyone going through those efforts is better off implementing more efficient cooling methods.
If you have tested a 5v fan mod that has worked stably for you please let me know and I will update the guide with it right away!

has anyone heard of Electrical aluminium conduct tape? Bascially from what I read its tape which is like metal so it creates a link I was thinking instead of soldering bridge couldnt you just cut the tiniest peice and stick it over the 2 contacts you want to bridge, if you ever want to get rid of it just peel it back off and thats it

I love when new methods come out but before I recommend them I would need some confirmation for their reliability and efficiency. If anyone tests them please let me know how effective/durable they are and whether their results compare with soldered bridges.

[gtraah]

The amount of power plugs (or barrels) which you can connect is directly determined by the amount of watt you have available. (Amount of watt you have) divided by (the amount of devices you want to power * the watt each requires). If the result is less than 1.00 then Bad. If over 1.00 then Good

Thanks, Ok so lets just say I have 1200watt available .. What I was asking is will 1 single 6PIN Pcie connector going into 10 Barrels -be sufficient for 10 v3modded grids? Since they are like 20-25watt each thats like 250watt max On a single 6PIN, .... I have a few here that came with my grids, 1 PCIE (6pin) going into 10 barrels, but this was created for unmodded pods which is why i am not sure if we can still plug 10 in if they are modded.

[ZiG]

The amount of power plugs (or barrels) which you can connect is directly determined by the amount of watt you have available. (Amount of watt you have) divided by (the amount of devices you want to power * the watt each requires). If the result is less than 1.00 then Bad. If over 1.00 then Good

Thanks, Ok so lets just say I have 1200watt available .. What I was asking is will 1 single 6PIN Pcie connector going into 10 Barrels -be sufficient for 10 v3modded grids? Since they are like 20-25watt each thats like 250watt max On a single 6PIN, .... I have a few here that came with my grids, 1 PCIE (6pin) going into 10 barrels, but this was created for unmodded pods which is why i am not sure if we can still plug 10 in if they are modded.

Single 6-pin PCI-E Connector is rated @ 75W ...12V power delivery...about 6.5 Amp = 3 OC gridseed...

Single 8-pin PCI-E Connector is rated @ 150W ...12V power delivery...about 13 Amp = 6 OC gridseed...

Hope it helps, buddy...

ZiG

[michelem]

Hey great guide! It's exactly what we need Thanks!

Can you please attach an image of the 5V USB FAN mod too? I mean I'm looking for where to connect the wires to get 5v power from the USB's pod instead the 12v.

I just unsoldered the fan wires and connected them to an external USB cable, but it will be better using the USB pod instead an external cable.

I think this is the mod but from this pic I can't distinguish where to solder the red wire.



Thanks!

[gtraah]

The amount of power plugs (or barrels) which you can connect is directly determined by the amount of watt you have available. (Amount of watt you have) divided by (the amount of devices you want to power * the watt each requires). If the result is less than 1.00 then Bad. If over 1.00 then Good

Thanks, Ok so lets just say I have 1200watt available .. What I was asking is will 1 single 6PIN Pcie connector going into 10 Barrels -be sufficient for 10 v3modded grids? Since they are like 20-25watt each thats like 250watt max On a single 6PIN, .... I have a few here that came with my grids, 1 PCIE (6pin) going into 10 barrels, but this was created for unmodded pods which is why i am not sure if we can still plug 10 in if they are modded.

Single 6-pin PCI-E Connector is rated @ 75W ...12V power delivery...about 6.5 Amp = 3 OC gridseed...

Single 8-pin PCI-E Connector is rated @ 150W ...12V power delivery...about 13 Amp = 6 OC gridseed...

Hope it helps, buddy...

ZiG

I keep hearing this and I need to once and for all get pure clarification about this - I have heard exactly what Zig has said any times so
Thanks zig ,

But this is where I am totally confused, I am a GPU miner recently moving to mostly asic with some GPUs left for N-Scrypt, My Peak GPU rig was 2 x Motherboard with 7 x 290x on each 14 x 290x Cards and most of them OC = LOT OF POWER DRAW lol , now this theory of 75 & 150w I cant help but think this cannot be correct.

heres why, I have tested 1x 290x on 1 Single PCIE which branchs off into a 6PIN + 6+2Pin  and I am talking these are on day and night non-stop and this is just over 300w with a some minor OC - 1 single 290x overclocked can suck more than 300w On its own.... Infact I have heard of OC 290x sucking as much as 360w On there own. And this is all coming from 1x 6pin and 1 x 8pin

[Eldoen]

The amount of power plugs (or barrels) which you can connect is directly determined by the amount of watt you have available. (Amount of watt you have) divided by (the amount of devices you want to power * the watt each requires). If the result is less than 1.00 then Bad. If over 1.00 then Good

Thanks, Ok so lets just say I have 1200watt available .. What I was asking is will 1 single 6PIN Pcie connector going into 10 Barrels -be sufficient for 10 v3modded grids? Since they are like 20-25watt each thats like 250watt max On a single 6PIN, .... I have a few here that came with my grids, 1 PCIE (6pin) going into 10 barrels, but this was created for unmodded pods which is why i am not sure if we can still plug 10 in if they are modded.

Single 6-pin PCI-E Connector is rated @ 75W ...12V power delivery...about 6.5 Amp = 3 OC gridseed...

Single 8-pin PCI-E Connector is rated @ 150W ...12V power delivery...about 13 Amp = 6 OC gridseed...

Hope it helps, buddy...

ZiG

I keep hearing this and I need to once and for all get pure clarification about this - I have heard exactly what Zig has said any times so
Thanks zig ,

But this is where I am totally confused, I am a GPU miner recently moving to mostly asic with some GPUs left for N-Scrypt, My Peak GPU rig was 2 x Motherboard with 7 x 290x on each 14 x 290x Cards and most of them OC = LOT OF POWER DRAW lol , now this theory of 75 & 150w I cant help but think this cannot be correct.

heres why, I have tested 1x 290x on 1 Single PCIE which branchs off into a 6PIN + 6+2Pin  and I am talking these are on day and night non-stop and this is just over 300w with a some minor OC - 1 single 290x overclocked can suck more than 300w On its own.... Infact I have heard of OC 290x sucking as much as 360w On there own. And this is all coming from 1x 6pin and 1 x 8pin

Power[edit]
All sizes of ×4 and ×8 PCI Express cards are allowed a maximum power consumption of 25 W. All ×1 cards are initially 10 W; full-height cards may configure themselves as 'high-power' to reach 25 W, while half-height ×1 cards are fixed at 10 W. All sizes of ×16 cards are initially 25 W; like ×1 cards, half-height cards are limited to this number while full-height cards may increase their power after configuration. They can use up to 75 W (3.3 V/3 A + 12 V/5.5 A), though the specification demands that the higher-power configuration be used for graphics cards only, while cards of other purposes are to remain at 25 W.[9][10] Optional connectors add 75 W (6-pin) or 150 W (8-pin) power for up to 300 W total (2×75 W + 1×150 W). Some cards are using two 8-pin connectors, but this has not been standardized yet, therefore such cards must not carry the official PCI-Express logo. This configuration would allow 375 W total (1×75 W + 2×150 W) and will likely be standardized by PCI-SIG with the PCI-Express 4.0 standard. The 8-pin PCI-Express connector could be mistaken with the EPS12V connector, which is mainly used for powering SMP and multi-core systems.

there is the Power spec's per Wikipedia.  so the Slot itself offers up half of the power. and then the connectors offer the additional power needed by the card.

El

[gtraah]

Power[edit]
All sizes of ×4 and ×8 PCI Express cards are allowed a maximum power consumption of 25 W. All ×1 cards are initially 10 W; full-height cards may configure themselves as 'high-power' to reach 25 W, while half-height ×1 cards are fixed at 10 W. All sizes of ×16 cards are initially 25 W; like ×1 cards, half-height cards are limited to this number while full-height cards may increase their power after configuration. They can use up to 75 W (3.3 V/3 A + 12 V/5.5 A), though the specification demands that the higher-power configuration be used for graphics cards only, while cards of other purposes are to remain at 25 W.[9][10] Optional connectors add 75 W (6-pin) or 150 W (8-pin) power for up to 300 W total (2×75 W + 1×150 W). Some cards are using two 8-pin connectors, but this has not been standardized yet, therefore such cards must not carry the official PCI-Express logo. This configuration would allow 375 W total (1×75 W + 2×150 W) and will likely be standardized by PCI-SIG with the PCI-Express 4.0 standard. The 8-pin PCI-Express connector could be mistaken with the EPS12V connector, which is mainly used for powering SMP and multi-core systems.

there is the Power spec's per Wikipedia.  so the Slot itself offers up half of the power. and then the connectors offer the additional power needed by the card.

El

Yeh I forgot about the Actual Slot itself So with the Slot itself this is 300w Total, for a 290x Still though there must be quite abit of le-way available because these cards are great overclockers and even encouraged to be overclocked so stock @ 300w when they are running at 100% And the manufacturers allow some Overclocking meaning it will go over the standard 300w that the company states as being standard, I mean the companies create software to overclock the 290x, And all that is requited is 1 x 6pin & 1 x 8 Pin and of course the 75 watt Motherboard slot that you stated. Which makes me think, I really Doubt a company will create a card that reaches the PCI-E connectors ABSOLUTE limit as-well as the Motherboard slots ABSOLUTE limit. I have overclocked my cards witch went over and beyond the 300w limit and in fact I have some right this moment running in my 1200w With Powertune 20%+ and Memory clocked over the standard all day every day.... I am going to do some research on this because it does not seem right being 75w & 150w and then 75w from the slot when the card can go over the 300w.


EDIT::  OK guys I did some research and found a thread that had a few people wondering also and someone who ended up doing the research found the following  Bellow-

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"Dear Johnny & the group,

Have learned several interesting facts about the PCI-E plugs and power after researching it this past week, that is worth sharing

The PCI-E connecter that has 6 pins. They are not all used for power. For the 6 pin connector, Pins 1 & 3 are 12V & each can carry 8 Amps. Pin 2 by spec is not connected, although some PSU manufacturers do add a 12V line there. Pins 4 & 6 are Com return lines. Pin5 is Com for sensing. Using 2 lines, you get 12V*8A*2= 192Watts, much over the required 75Watts.

With an 8 pin PCI-E connector, 2 Com lines are added (4&Cool not a 12V & Com. There, Pins 1,2,3 are 12V, Pin 4 is a Com for the 8 pin connector sensing, Pin 5,7,8 are Com return lines, & pin 6 is for the 6 pin connector sensing. Using that config, 12V*8Amp*3=288 Watts, much over the required 150Watts.

Since Mar 2005, the molex pins are required to be "HCS" rather than "Std", which each carry a max of 11Amps. So properly made, an 8 pin PCI-e can supply 12V*11Amps*3lines=396Watts of power for the graphic cards.

Ther aren't 4 12V pins on the 8 pin connector, only 3, and 2 leads are used for sensing the connector type.

The other limiting factor of course is the width of the PCB lines on the graphics card, each typically carrying 1-2 Amps. That would also determine how much power it could carry to the graphics electronics.
Also worth noting Scott Meuller in his latest 19th Ed of "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" has this information incorrectly listed.

Hope that answers most of the questions regarding this unusually engineered connector."

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Interesting ay, now that makes a little more sense to me if thats the case , like I said I really doubt AMD will create a card using the ABSOLUTE connector and MB limit, this is ridiculous and will be frying PCIE connectors MB slots all over the place

[ZiG]

The amount of power plugs (or barrels) which you can connect is directly determined by the amount of watt you have available. (Amount of watt you have) divided by (the amount of devices you want to power * the watt each requires). If the result is less than 1.00 then Bad. If over 1.00 then Good

Thanks, Ok so lets just say I have 1200watt available .. What I was asking is will 1 single 6PIN Pcie connector going into 10 Barrels -be sufficient for 10 v3modded grids? Since they are like 20-25watt each thats like 250watt max On a single 6PIN, .... I have a few here that came with my grids, 1 PCIE (6pin) going into 10 barrels, but this was created for unmodded pods which is why i am not sure if we can still plug 10 in if they are modded.

Single 6-pin PCI-E Connector is rated @ 75W ...12V power delivery...about 6.5 Amp = 3 OC gridseed...

Single 8-pin PCI-E Connector is rated @ 150W ...12V power delivery...about 13 Amp = 6 OC gridseed...

Hope it helps, buddy...

ZiG

What I was stating is the STANDARD specs for 6- and 8-pin PCI-E connector...
Of course nobody is preventing you from trying to suck few more Amp out of them...over the rated specs...Like overclocking the CPU/GPU...at your own risk...they have some reserves...

Your question was how many Gridseeds to run of them...

Maybe 5...and 10 max...but you are pushing it...

GPU is getting additional 75 W from the PCI-E slot 16x or 8x ...I did not mention that because Gridseeds don't use PCI-E slot or interface...

This is not invalidating the PCI-E specs above...

FYI...I used to run 5 GPU rigs...3 x 290x each...14MH total...just sold them last week at lost...