[Setup Guide] Blackarrow Bitfury 16 chip board support and tuning thread

[Machinery]

Ahm, useful guide.
I seem to be having trouble while logging in, that password doesn't work for me.

[nbtcminer]

Ahm, useful guide.
I seem to be having trouble while logging in, that password doesn't work for me.

Are you talking about the original Blackarrow Pi image? And I'm fairly certain that the username/password root/pi is the right combo for default settings. If you changed the password via the passwd change for the root account then it will be whatever you set it to. If you've lost the password your best option is to start from scratch by re-imaging your SD card. ((The other possibility is that you aren't sshing to the right device)). Try using a client like PuTTY to connect to the PI.

I recommend backing up the following files for a quick restore if you ever need to reimage the SD card(winscp is free and work great):

/opt/bitfury/best.cnf
/opt/bitfury/proxy_pools.conf
/opt/bitfury/chainminer/jobconnect.cpp
/run/shm/.stat.log

As for other devices interfacing with the controller; afaik the pi GPIO is the only way to interface with the controller board and I'm assuming all the existing code is written specifically for it.

[terrapinflyer]

Ahm, useful guide.
I seem to be having trouble while logging in, that password doesn't work for me.

Yea root/pi does not work on my pi either. Im waiting for a response from bobsag about what else it could be.

[btljuice]

Can anyone please explain how to connect the cables to the boards with the pins facing down? Can only line up the arrow on the cable to pin 2 or 9.

EDIT: Also, is anybody going to order a controller? Wondering if anyone wants to go in on an order since shipping is $60.

[brettsimons]

Hey guys,
I've been trying for hours to get my boards working but no matter what I try, the hash rate stays at 0 and I've been trying to just connect to ghash until I can get it working. I've read that you can set up the miners through the web interface but when I go to the ip address of the rPi, I just get the generic "It works! This is the default web page for this server. The web server software is running but no content has been added, yet." Also, when I run "sudo /opt/bitfury/start-miner.sh" I get an error of "cp: cannot stat '/opt/bitfury/empty_stat.json': No such file or directory". Finally, I posted what I see in "screen -r" since it looks like it is connecting and receiving jobs but mstat is showing nothing and neither is ghash.  

I just can't seem to get anything to work!!

https://i.imgur.com/m48oLR6.png



//-----EDIT-----//
It won't let me create a new post on this thread so here we go:

Ahm, useful guide.
I seem to be having trouble while logging in, that password doesn't work for me.

Yea root/pi does not work on my pi either. Im waiting for a response from bobsag about what else it could be.

Try username: pi and password: raspberry

[btljuice]

Also, when I run "sudo /opt/bitfury/start-miner.sh" I get an error of "cp: cannot stat '/opt/bitfury/empty_stat.json': No such file or directory".

Run this: "touch /opt/bitfury/empty_stat.json". Then try "sudo /opt/bitfury/start-miner.sh" again. After running that, wait about 30 seconds or a minute and "cat /run/shm/.stat.json", that will show a summary of what your boards are (or aren't) doing.

[brettsimons]

Also, when I run "sudo /opt/bitfury/start-miner.sh" I get an error of "cp: cannot stat '/opt/bitfury/empty_stat.json': No such file or directory".

Run this: "touch /opt/bitfury/empty_stat.json". Then try "sudo /opt/bitfury/start-miner.sh" again. After running that, wait about 30 seconds or a minute and "cat /run/shm/.stat.json", that will show a summary of what your boards are (or aren't) doing.

Now start-miner.sh executes but when I run "cat /run/shm/.stat.json", I get "cat: /run/shm/.stat.json: No such file or directory"

Can you try uploading your working raspberry pi's sd card contents? It just seems like nothing is working with the image from black arrow's website...

[nbtcminer]

Ahm, useful guide.
I seem to be having trouble while logging in, that password doesn't work for me.

Yea root/pi does not work on my pi either. Im waiting for a response from bobsag about what else it could be.

Very weird. I'll upload my imagec file on monday when I get to a place with solid internet.

[sidehack]

Is it possible to interface these to a real computer instead of a devboard computer?

[terrapinflyer]

Also, when I run "sudo /opt/bitfury/start-miner.sh" I get an error of "cp: cannot stat '/opt/bitfury/empty_stat.json': No such file or directory".

Run this: "touch /opt/bitfury/empty_stat.json". Then try "sudo /opt/bitfury/start-miner.sh" again. After running that, wait about 30 seconds or a minute and "cat /run/shm/.stat.json", that will show a summary of what your boards are (or aren't) doing.

Now start-miner.sh executes but when I run "cat /run/shm/.stat.json", I get "cat: /run/shm/.stat.json: No such file or directory"

Same issue here.

[helipotte]

Do these boards run slower in larger setups?  I have had a problem with boards running much slower when 15+ are connected to one controller.

I am using raspbian/Cgminer4.3.4.  I tested ALL of the boards individually and have 20 of them that do 40Gh+ by themselves.  This is 2.5Gh per

chip.  When they are chained 5 boards to a bank, some them only manage 1.0-1.2Gh.  The errors look good, rejects look good but speed is way

low.  They are cooled by 120MM fans running at full speed and 1500W of clean power(wired together by 14 gauge wire).  Seems that it is a bus

issue.  Maybe a CGminer issue?  I posted earlier some suggestions, these worked to cut errors/rejects but now speed issues.  I am starting to think

these boards are POSSESED!

Thanks for any advice/feedback.

[dozerz]

Do these boards run slower in larger setups?  I have had a problem with boards running much slower when 15+ are connected to one controller.

I am using raspbian/Cgminer4.3.4.  I tested ALL of the boards individually and have 20 of them that do 40Gh+ by themselves.  This is 2.5Gh per

chip.  When they are chained 5 boards to a bank, some them only manage 1.0-1.2Gh.  The errors look good, rejects look good but speed is way

low.  They are cooled by 120MM fans running at full speed and 1500W of clean power(wired together by 14 gauge wire).  Seems that it is a bus

issue.  Maybe a CGminer issue?  I posted earlier some suggestions, these worked to cut errors/rejects but now speed issues.  I am starting to think

these boards are POSSESED!

Thanks for any advice/feedback.

can you show a pic of the caps soldered and your power setup? i thought you switched back to chainminer?

[helipotte]

I did use chainminer, briefly to compare against Cgminer.  I prefer Cgminer because I monitor it's API remotely.  I will try to post pics of my modifications

to the control board, when my second Raspberry Pi gets here.

[dozerz]

I did use chainminer, briefly to compare against Cgminer.  I prefer Cgminer because I monitor it's API remotely.  I will try to post pics of my modifications

to the control board, when my second Raspberry Pi gets here.

thanks would appreciate some pics. also im confused, did you add the cap to the controller board or some of the chip boards that were leaking? or both?

[warrensgun]

I'm only trying to get a chain of six to work - i get 100% HW errors.  I tried chainminer - couldn't figure that out - so I installed cgminer using the kanos directions. 

It recognizes the boards - sometimes up to 93 chips - never all of them of course. 

I'm powering the Pi using a usb cable.  I am not powering the controller board as there is no way to do so - it has an odd 4 pin connector on it that looks close to a molex - but the molex from the power supply wouldn't fit into it.  Not to sound like a n00b but I'm stumped on that one.

Some one referenced overclocking the pi itself to 900mhz - is there a quick and easy way to do that?

[dozerz]

I'm only trying to get a chain of six to work - i get 100% HW errors.  I tried chainminer - couldn't figure that out - so I installed cgminer using the kanos directions. 

It recognizes the boards - sometimes up to 93 chips - never all of them of course. 

I'm powering the Pi using a usb cable.  I am not powering the controller board as there is no way to do so - it has an odd 4 pin connector on it that looks close to a molex - but the molex from the power supply wouldn't fit into it.  Not to sound like a n00b but I'm stumped on that one.

Some one referenced overclocking the pi itself to 900mhz - is there a quick and easy way to do that?

you need to power the controller. controllers from black arrow dont have the barrel connector. you cna eitehr solder one on or just connect up to a molex with red + to left and black -ve to the right side ground. a light will come on once you turn on the switch.

[warrensgun]

ok I'll give that a shot.  So I can just pull the female connectors out of the molex plug and hook them up. 

[dozerz]

ok I'll give that a shot.  So I can just pull the female connectors out of the molex plug and hook them up. 

would be better to use these http://www.dx.com/p/2-pin-curved-screw-terminal-block-connectors-green-20-piece-pack-146624#.U3kWnvldV8E

but the female plugs out of a molex will also work fine. make sure you note the +ve and -gnd on the controller board.

[helipotte]

I'm only trying to get a chain of six to work - i get 100% HW errors.  I tried chainminer - couldn't figure that out - so I installed cgminer using the kanos directions. 

It recognizes the boards - sometimes up to 93 chips - never all of them of course. 

I'm powering the Pi using a usb cable.  I am not powering the controller board as there is no way to do so - it has an odd 4 pin connector on it that looks close to a molex - but the molex from the power supply wouldn't fit into it.  Not to sound like a n00b but I'm stumped on that one.

Some one referenced overclocking the pi itself to 900mhz - is there a quick and easy way to do that?

As far as overclocking to Pi, the easy way to do it is to connect the SD card to another computer and edit config.txt. Or do it from the shell.

Example: http://elinux.org/R-Pi_ConfigurationFile

[warrensgun]

ok I'll give that a shot.  So I can just pull the female connectors out of the molex plug and hook them up. 

would be better to use these http://www.dx.com/p/2-pin-curved-screw-terminal-block-connectors-green-20-piece-pack-146624#.U3kWnvldV8E

but the female plugs out of a molex will also work fine. make sure you note the +ve and -gnd on the controller board.

The pins are labeled GND and VCC.  do I need to hook up 4 pins or just two