EasyMiner - new version with Auto speed tuning

[BFL]

EasyMiner version 1.2 Beta is now up on the site's driver download page.

http://www.butterflylabs.com/drivers/


It's best new feature is Auto-Tune which finds the optimal firmware speed for each individual unit.  If you don't already know, every BitForce Single has it's individual variance in performance capability relative to heat.  This is the natural result of our using full wafer chips.  The nominal performance is 832 mh/s at 72F, but will range + - 10% from there.  Some can even run much faster.  The temperature of the air it's operating in makes a BIG difference.  

Using EasyMiner to make sure your units are getting the best performance in any given temperature situation should help you get the most out of your units without hours of manual observation testing individual firmwares.

You'll need the latest version of EasyMiner and the Auto Tune firmware package which is also on the site's driver download page.

To use Auto Tune, right click on the unit(s) you'd like tuned and choose 'Auto Tune' from the menu.  It'll ask you to point it to the auto tune package file we've provided.  EasyMiner will take care of the rest.

Regards,
BFL

PS.  Try auto-tuning your units at different room temperatures and you'll see a difference in performance.

[rjk]

I'm downloading the auto-tune package now, but the easyminer link still appears to be dead.

[BFL]

I'm downloading the auto-tune package now, but the easyminer link still appears to be dead.

Checking....     OK, fixed.

[kibblesnbits]

I'm downloading the auto-tune package now, but the easyminer link still appears to be dead.

Me 2

[kibblesnbits]

I'm downloading the auto-tune package now, but the easyminer link still appears to be dead.

Checking....     OK, fixed.

Confirmed working.  Some are taking longer to process than others, but so far so good. The one that finished auto tuned at 896Mh.  Does the auto tune automatically install the firmware or must I o it manually?  Thanks!

[BFL]

I'm downloading the auto-tune package now, but the easyminer link still appears to be dead.

Checking....     OK, fixed.

Confirmed working.  Some are taking longer to process than others, but so far so good. The one that finished auto tuned at 896Mh.  Does the auto tune automatically install the firmware or must I o it manually?  Thanks!

EasyMiner takes care of all the details for you.  After tuning, it's ready to unplug and go.  Nothing more is required.

[Phraust]

Trying it out now as well. Thanks.

[BFL]

Note to mini rig owners...  EasyMiner auto-tune works on the cards in the rigs as well.  They aren't as heat sensitive, but we don't ship them fully optimized and you may find increased performance with tuning.

[kano]

Is this simply a modified bitstream that is able to be told the clock frequency, or does it test the device and then load the appropriate bitstream?

[BFL]

Is this simply a modified bitstream that is able to be told the clock frequency, or does it test the device and then load the appropriate bitstream?

It tests and loads.

[BTC-engineer]

@BFL: This new, nice feature is making the process to find the unit-specific, proper clockrate more easy, thanks for it even if I don't need it.
It shows the same results, you would get by testing the different images manually.
However, in the end it shows me that my units are able to run the fastest available image without any problems, what I know from my own test already.

So when will faster images be released? BFL-Engineer announced them over one Month ago. I guess there is no need for them anymore in the ASIC era...
Also the 792 Image is corrupt and is still not fixed.

As you already stated the environment temperature is very relevant to the max clockrate you can use.
My units are in a room without A/C and are seeing over the year environment temperatures from ~17°C-33°C.
So to measure the proper clockrate only once, doesn't make so much sense. If you don't want to care about your units anymore you have to test it with the max. environment temperate and loose a lot of the possible hashing power over the year.
It would be much better if the mining software (e.g. cgminer) has the Auto speed tuning feature included for BFL singles.
Which means it will always load the most perfect image into the device and keep checking it.
Or even better, if the unit (firmware) is adapting itself to the new environment (like e.g. ztex).

[kano]

The ztex doesn't require loading a new firmware - the firmware allows you to tell it what speed to run at on the fly.
i.e. the actual code in cgminer adjusts the MHz up or down as required during mining on the ztex.

I'm not sure why that is a difficult option, but I guess that is just the ztex guys know what they are doing and how to do it ...

Yes getting one answer of how fast to run will not last for weeks or months - you'd have to regularly stop it and run speed tests to determine the optimal speed ... though I'd even suggest the obvious that between midday and midnight there would be a difference

I run my BFL on the standard 832 bitstream for a few reasons:
1) I don't have windows anywhere near that mining rig (and BFL wont tell us how to program it or provide linux softwre)
2) The temperature drop at the moment is below 10C at night since it is now winter here and during the day it varies quite a bit - but certainly always below necessary temperatures. I'm sure that it could run faster at night but I'm seriously not gonna setup windows on my main mining rig or have to reboot it regularly just to change the bitstream for day and night time - that would be immensely annoying

[Morblias]

Hehe, I saw that post you deleted BFL. I laughed!

[BFL]

Hehe, I saw that post you deleted BFL. I laughed!

Yeah...   

[byte1]

Note to mini rig owners...  EasyMiner auto-tune works on the cards in the rigs as well.  They aren't as heat sensitive, but we don't ship them fully optimized and you may find increased performance with tuning.

http://www.butterflylabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/more-minis.jpg

Looks cool. :-)

[BFL]

How long does the auto-tune take? Do we just stop it if we're happy with the performance/throttle situation or does it need to run for an extended period of time?

You need to let it run to completion.  Auto tune will announce when it's done it's work and list the end speed for each individual unit.  Please note that time to test will vary from unit to unit.

[rjk]

For mine, it settled on the maximum speed, but later started throttling. However dropping it down one notch manually fixed that, but it probably would have been fine if my room wasn't so dang hot. It's been cooking lately because the A/C isn't keeping up too well.

[cuz0882]

Has anyone got above 896? I'm still at 38c but it always chooses 896..

[crazyates]

Has anyone got above 896? I'm still at 38c but it always chooses 896..

896 is the fastest firmware released to date.

[cuz0882]

Has anyone got above 896? I'm still at 38c but it always chooses 896..

896 is the fastest firmware released to date.

It goes over 900 during testing.