Butterfly Labs - Bitforce Single and Mini Rig Box

[fizzisist]

Considering BFL has already created a waterblock they should start selling those on their site as well.  Then we can wait 4 weeks for 2 different items.........I kid I kid!

I thought O_Shovah made that. Was BFL claiming it as their own?

[1715090791]

1715090791

[1715090791]

1715090791

[rjk]

Considering BFL has already created a waterblock they should start selling those on their site as well.  Then we can wait 4 weeks for 2 different items.........I kid I kid!

I thought O_Shovah made that. Was BFL claiming it as their own?

Nope. Click this: http://www.butterflylabs.com/production-update/ and scroll down a little ways. They have a redesigned PCB to support the block, because the current one doesn't have mounting holes that would work with a waterblock.

[needbmw]

Where the thermo sensor is located? Why one single starts throttling at 60C, and another at 50C in the same ambient conditions? Is it possible one of sensors gives wrong temperature readout?

[BFL-Engineer]

Where the thermo sensor is located? Why one single starts throttling at 60C, and another at 50C in the same ambient conditions? Is it possible one of sensors gives wrong temperature readout?

Each board has it's own personality, and the sensor is provided as a point of reference for
that specific board.


Regards,
BF Labs Inc.

[nedbert9]

Where the thermo sensor is located? Why one single starts throttling at 60C, and another at 50C in the same ambient conditions? Is it possible one of sensors gives wrong temperature readout?

Each board has it's own personality, and the sensor is provided as a point of reference for
that specific board.


Regards,
BF Labs Inc.

Please send me only the overachiever type personality boards pls. Thnks.

[2112]

Please send me only the overachiever type personality boards pls. Thnks.

And send the underachiever ones to the boarding school with military regimen, it has been shown that they improve the expected achievement.

[kano]

Where the thermo sensor is located? Why one single starts throttling at 60C, and another at 50C in the same ambient conditions? Is it possible one of sensors gives wrong temperature readout?

Each board has it's own personality, and the sensor is provided as a point of reference for
that specific board.


Regards,
BF Labs Inc.

Please send me only the overachiever type personality boards pls. Thnks.

Hmm - well since they test them in advance
(and also know where they got the FPGA's from for each board i.e. new/second hand/whatever other option is possible)
they would actually know that before sending one to you.
Maybe when the EP3SL150 supply under $2000 begins to dry up, they'll start selling them price based on good or bad performance?

[Turbor]

My two singles work fine at 79 degree F. One stock speed, the other one with the second fastest firmware. But they emit a good amount of heat .

[Askit2]

Mine runs fine till 64 at 65 it throttles. I understand that the chips vary but 10 degrees C seems a bit off. Granted I am in the middle. I guess I got an average board. Mine will not run 864 without throttling in a 69 degree F room with 69 degree F intake temps.
Maybe this will sound too harsh if it does I did not mean whatever was read into it. I believe the easyminer needs to do a better test before saying a flash was successful. For example I have had 0 processors listed after a flash a few times. I have had reported hashrates with too many 0s. I have had power listed that was far above what the normal power for processor lists as. I know there are things that likely can't be tested before you actually run the test but the things I mentioned above did not need a test to see.
PS has anyone had a runaway hashrate on CGminer. For me on several bitstreams I get 4-8Gigahashes reported for one single. 0 Accepted units but still.
PPS I can only get 4 bitstreams to work for me. 808,816, 864, and 872. I have tried plugging in the unit then flashing immediately and flashing after it was running a test or cgminer. Also have flashed bitstream I wanted. tested, power cycled and reflashed ad nauseum. No change for me.
PPPS 832 for me shows a power for second processor of 00A5A5A5. I have no idea if that is too high but on test it immediately says throttle and then 0 nonces found for the test. I hope I am the only one that sees this or that someone knows a way to fix it.

[ice_chill]

So is the Mini-Rig ready now ? Your website mentions that initial orders (those placed in January ?) would be shipped at the end of May ?

[nedbert9]

Has anyone tried some of these: http://indigo-xtreme.com/

I use Cooljag's Thermal Compound (Shin-Etsu x23-7762) on all my GPU's it works far better than Artic or IC Diamond for the uneven surfaces.

Cost shouldn't be a big limiting factor with TIM, if you already paid $600 for the unit and $10/15 difference in better product is a wise insurance investment.

Thanks for this.  Have a single that's 10 C higher than all the others.

[Askit2]

If anyone has a turn around time for a repaired unit I am curious how long it took from when you mailed it until you had a unit at your location again?

Also as I see it my unit being unable to actually run the "factory" firmware of 832 and having never run it makes me interested in getting a unit that works correctly. The downside is that repaired I will only make an extra $0.05 per day so if I guess a 10 day turn around time I lose 23.60. I make (expected) 2.36 per day, I would make 2.41 (expected) per day. That means that I would have to use the unit for 472 days at current rates or at least similar to current rates just to get back the delays. This does not include shipping costs. If someone would let me know how their work went maybe it would help me decide what to do.  

Hopefully someone has information on my other post on the last page as well.

After changing some things like the flatness of the heatsink base and the thermal paste to a Thermaltake Thermal compound #AS and only a very small amount per processor. I dropped my temps to where I can now run the 864. Have changed fans to some Vantec Thermal case fans and it is very quiet by compairison. For flatness I used 400 grit sandpaper with the mounting pins out on an orbital sander. Very short bursts and did not entirely remove the machining marks as I know that as deep as they are there are no leaks possible. I washed the heatsink after sanding to remove particles left by metal removal. I assume these changes Heatsink mounting surface and better thermal compound would help others as well. Before alterations I could get sometimes 58C on the 816 after I got 52. I used to throttle to where 864 was hardly better then 816 now it seems to average (over a short 5 hours) to 845.0 I assume it may improve by waiting for 24 or more hours. What I did was slow and careful.

As a side note thermal throttling temperature seems to be dependent on chip, and firmware. My 816 throttled at 65, with 872 it throttles at 56(or some temp higher but the last CGminer temp was 56. This is with a 69 degree F airsource and will likely not work for everyone. I really wish these things where factory on the units.

Note there is still a divit where the heatpipes are inserted. I did not want to remove them as the amount of alteration would get iffy.

EDIT: 846.9 average after 17 hours on 864.

[fizzisist]

Considering BFL has already created a waterblock they should start selling those on their site as well.  Then we can wait 4 weeks for 2 different items.........I kid I kid!

I thought O_Shovah made that. Was BFL claiming it as their own?

Nope. Click this: http://www.butterflylabs.com/production-update/ and scroll down a little ways. They have a redesigned PCB to support the block, because the current one doesn't have mounting holes that would work with a waterblock.

I am 99.99% sure that O_Shovah made that, and it is on an unmodified single. Note also the IR images which he has shared for all the other FPGAs he owns. I don't know if they have some agreement, though.

[rjk]

I am 99.99% sure that O_Shovah made that, and it is on an unmodified single. Note also the IR images which he has shared for all the other FPGAs he owns. I don't know if they have some agreement, though.

If that is the case, then I hope he starts selling them asap!

[cuz0882]

So is the Mini-Rig ready now ? Your website mentions that initial orders (those placed in January ?) would be shipped at the end of May ?

I have seen no evidence that BF cares about meeting deadlines. My guess is somewhere closer to December. They are probably busy photo shopping the next mini rig pic right now.

[bitcoindaddy]

My BFL arrived with 814 firmware instead of 832. Should I be concerned? I've upgraded it and ran it all night at 832 and it seems to run fine. I wonder why it shipped out that way?

[BTC-engineer]

My BFL arrived with 814 firmware instead of 832. Should I be concerned? I've upgraded it and ran it all night at 832 and it seems to run fine. I wonder why it shipped out that way?

You have to direct your question to BFL.

I guess it's a Q-issue. The singles I received are also not completely identically from a production point of view, every single is unique.
So don't worry too much about that.

[hashking]

Anyone interested in a road trip to BFL. 
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=85738.

[JWU42]

My BFL arrived with 814 firmware instead of 832. Should I be concerned? I've upgraded it and ran it all night at 832 and it seems to run fine. I wonder why it shipped out that way?

All 6 of mine came with 816 firmware

[rjk]

My BFL arrived with 814 firmware instead of 832. Should I be concerned? I've upgraded it and ran it all night at 832 and it seems to run fine. I wonder why it shipped out that way?

All 6 of mine came with 816 firmware

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3201544/Single.png

Well that's lame. Another guarantee broken; that of the minimum advertised specs.  
Here's a tip: If the specs aren't up to the minimums, DON'T SHIP IT, send one that actually works.

That being said, will they run the faster ones without issues, JWU42?