The Open Source Block Erupter Project

[friedcat]

https://github.com/blockerupter

We start this project to improve the design of Bitcoin mining devices powered by ASICMiner chips. It also aims to tackle the technical challenges of Bitcoin mining in general. We hope that with the help of the community we can keep the project active and successful.

The initial submissions consist of our own reference designs for BE200 chips. They contain hardware, firmware and software, and we had them produced and tested. They can be directly used for mass production. Contributions in forms of patches, forks and brand new designs, are all welcome.

We would like to see the project evolve and attract more and more able engineers. Thus we are in preparation of rewarding contributors and would like to be the sponsor of the future core developer team in the long term.

Notes

1) We would like to let the project run by contributors. Please mail to jason@bitquan.com to discuss details of pull requests. And if you would like to help us by being our project manager who could maintain both this thread and github repos, please also apply by mailing to jason@bitquan.com so that we could give you payments covering your time and opportunity cost.

2) Our support for contributors besides direct reward are twofold. First, we offer sample chips to the contributors. Second, we are able to manufacture sample boards and system according to the contributors' designs. The average time of making PCB is three working days, while SMT takes only one working day.

3) We offer Bitcoin rewards to contributors who submit significant improvements or new designs. And when the de-facto core developer team emerges, we make it official in the form of continuing salary.

4) The next gen chips, BE300, are likely to be compatible with BE200 with respect to pinouts and package. Therefore all efforts on BE200 based designs are always useful in the long term.

[CanaryInTheMine]

Following.

FWIW Devcoin has just begun ramping up hardware bounties and it might possible to add this to the supported projects.

perhaps Bitcoin foundation should chip in as well?  and there's always that pile the forum has.  maybe put 1% towards this project? but I know, it's a sore subject for many.

why?  well, this is rock solid.  chip is available and folks behind it deliver, it's not a from scratch project.

[mc_lovin]

Great news!  Looking forward to AM domination!

Those 32 chip boards sound tasty... mmmm... 

[bitcoiner49er]

Anyone interested in designing a Cube Block Erupter retro-fit?

[CanaryInTheMine]

Anyone interested in designing a Cube Block Erupter retro-fit?

now we're talking!!!  there's a large market for this and the earlier blades too, since the power boards are out there.
if people could buy replacement blades for either platform, they would.  and if they could replace one at a time that would be phenomenal as well.

[mc_lovin]

Anyone interested in designing a Cube Block Erupter retro-fit?

now we're talking!!!  there's a large market for this and the earlier blades too, since the power boards are out there.
if people could buy replacement blades for either platform, they would.  and if they could replace one at a time that would be phenomenal as well.

It would also be more environmentally friendly to re-use parts we already have!

[elasticband]

Anyone interested in designing a Cube Block Erupter retro-fit?

now we're talking!!!  there's a large market for this and the earlier blades too, since the power boards are out there.
if people could buy replacement blades for either platform, they would.  and if they could replace one at a time that would be phenomenal as well.

AM creating the future of bitcoin by inventing it.....

[teeGUMES]

Novello Technologies should put some thought into this and show the community that they actually do have great ideas.

[Powell]

Only spent a few minutes searching but are sample chips or small batches able to be purchased yet to start playing with eventually?

[Bicknellski]

Following.

The WASP team will be glad to add to this list when we have completed our other board first.

[friedcat]

Update
1) We would like to let the project run by contributors. Please mail to jason@bitquan.com to discuss details of pull requests. And if you would like to help us by being our project manager who could maintain both this thread and github repos, please also apply by mailing to jason@bitquan.com so that we could give you payments covering your time and opportunity cost.

2) Our support for contributors besides direct reward are twofold. First, we offer sample chips to the contributors. Second, we are able to manufacture sample boards and system according to the contributors' designs. The average time of making PCB is three working days, while SMT takes only one working day.

3) We offer Bitcoin rewards to contributors who submit significant improvements or new designs. And when the de-facto core developer team emerges, we make it official in the form of continuing salary.

4) The next gen chips, BE300, are likely to be compatible with BE200 with respect to pinouts and package. Therefore all efforts on BE200 based designs are always useful in the long term.

[CanaryInTheMine]

Update
1) We would like to let the project run by contributors. Please mail to jason@bitquan.com to discuss details of pull requests. And if you would like to help us by being our project manager who could maintain both this thread and github repos, please also apply by mailing to jason@bitquan.com so that we could give you payments covering your time and opportunity cost.

2) Our support for contributors besides direct reward are twofold. First, we offer sample chips to the contributors. Second, we are able to manufacture sample boards and system according to the contributors' designs. The average time of making PCB is three working days, while SMT takes only one working day.

3) We offer Bitcoin rewards to contributors who submit significant improvements or new designs. And when the de-facto core developer team emerges, we make it official in the form of continuing salary.

4) The next gen chips, BE300, are likely to be compatible with BE200 with respect to pinouts and package. Therefore all efforts on BE200 based designs are always useful in the long term.

Let's give this some more exposure on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/27jtgj/want_to_work_for_asicminer_it_can_happen_up_to_you/

[Muhammed Zakir]

We can put some equipment for generating hydro electricity. Instead of storing electricity generated, we can connect it directly to the Block Erupter. Fixing a switch will help to change the electricity source in an easier way. So the miners can save some electricity costs. The utmost thing is, Block Erupter mustn't be a big one. It sounds like stupid but if you do this you can have a better sales and miners can get more profit!
You can see this site for making it.
You can fix a small 1 litre storage. I hope you will look forward about this.
Kindly,
       Muhammed Zakhir

[CanaryInTheMine]

We can put some equipment for generating hydro electricity. Instead of storing electricity generated, we can connect it directly to the Block Erupter. Fixing a switch will help to change the electricity source in an easier way. So the miners can save some electricity costs. The utmost thing is, Block Erupter mustn't be a big one. It sounds like stupid but if you do this you can have a better sales and miners can get more profit!
You can see this site for making it.
You can fix a small 1 litre storage. I hope you will look forward about this.
Kindly,
       Muhammed Zakhir

Hmmm... I always though electricity generators (hydro, coal, nuke, gas, solar etc...) are the ultimate miners.  Right on site.  Cheapest electricity.  And they can reinvent themselves for future by supporting Bitcoin network.

[CanaryInTheMine]

We can put some equipment for generating hydro electricity. Instead of storing electricity generated, we can connect it directly to the Block Erupter. Fixing a switch will help to change the electricity source in an easier way. So the miners can save some electricity costs. The utmost thing is, Block Erupter mustn't be a big one. It sounds like stupid but if you do this you can have a better sales and miners can get more profit!
You can see this site for making it.
You can fix a small 1 litre storage. I hope you will look forward about this.
Kindly,
       Muhammed Zakhir

Hmmm... I always though electricity generators (hydro, coal, nuke, gas, solar etc...) are the ultimate miners.  Right on site.  Cheapest electricity.  And they can reinvent themselves for future by supporting Bitcoin network.

Yes, money printing machines. Probably best to this project to get off the ground first and have something requiring power before concentrating on the power source Not that I'd be against it, its actually my field and I'd stand a good chance of benefiting from any bounties, but this has clear and achievable objectives and widening the scope to that kind of scale would vastly complicate things.

was just an observation, not adding this to the project.  focus of the stated project remains as is

[Muhammed Zakir]

was just an observation, not adding this to the project.  focus of the stated project remains as is

Okay! Just expressed my ideas! 
Kindly,
        Muhammed Zakhir

[Luke-Jr]

Any chance the chips might be open source too?

[Bicknellski]

Any chance the chips might be open source too?

Hehehehehehe....

Generosity does know bounds. Good try though.

[friedcat]

Any chance the chips might be open source too?

Yes. But there are no written plans in the near term yet.

Also it's much harder than making a piece of software open source, because the whole flow to generate GDS has tons of manual operations and very fab and technology node specific.

[minerpumpkin]

Any chance the chips might be open source too?

Yes. But there are no written plans in the near term yet.

Also it's much harder than making a piece of software open source, because the whole flow to generate GDS has tons of manual operations and very fab and technology node specific.

Please don't do this in the near future
On a serious note: I'm curious, though, how would this profit AM?