[ANN] Sfards:SF100, the first 28nm Dual-Mode Miner is accepting pre-order now

[QuintLeo]

It's possible to RoI a S7 - if you get one early enough and you have cheap enough electric. Might even be possible in the US, if the diff rate increases flatten out sometime late this year back down from the recent 5% ballpark to 2-3%ish AND if you live in one of 3 counties in Washington State (2 if the diff rate does NOT flatten out this year).

[spiccioli]

It's possible to RoI a S7 - if you get one early enough and you have cheap enough electric. Might even be possible in the US, if the diff rate increases flatten out sometime late this year back down from the recent 5% ballpark to 2-3%ish AND if you live in one of 3 counties in Washington State (2 if the diff rate does NOT flatten out this year).

While it may be possible, in theory, I see it as incredibly unlikely to ROI before next halving, at least for "normal" miners like me, if you have a peta-hash farm it is different.

At 4c per kWh if difficulty grows more than 2% per retarget you won't; at 6c you need to be around 1% diff. increase per jump or you won't.

A few more 5% jumps and you're out of luck.

spiccioli

[alh]

It seems that you need to plan to sell your miner in the next 3-6 months, and hope that it's value hasn't declined too much. If for some reason a newer/different miner arrives, then that plan blows up big time. And also assume BTC price doesn't decline during those 3-6 months.

You really have to stretch your assumptions to make things work these days, particularly with new gear, expensive, gear.

[thefix]

More and more coins moving away from scrypt algos

The smart thing to do would be to release affordable asics before people get fed up and deal with the problem with an algo change

[notlist3d]

It's possible to RoI a S7 - if you get one early enough and you have cheap enough electric. Might even be possible in the US, if the diff rate increases flatten out sometime late this year back down from the recent 5% ballpark to 2-3%ish AND if you live in one of 3 counties in Washington State (2 if the diff rate does NOT flatten out this year).

While it may be possible, in theory, I see it as incredibly unlikely to ROI before next halving, at least for "normal" miners like me, if you have a peta-hash farm it is different.

At 4c per kWh if difficulty grows more than 2% per retarget you won't; at 6c you need to be around 1% diff. increase per jump or you won't.

A few more 5% jumps and you're out of luck.

spiccioli

Don't forget this is a great heater in cold locations that would definitely help as well and allow 6c to have some more wiggle room.

Back on topic about Sfards, has anyone heard anything?

I doubt it really matters in this thread. They have been too quiet for to long.

I personally wonder if they are even working on it at this point.  There were very social at first now nothing.

[dmwardjr]

I'm officially "un-watching" this thread now.  Good luck S'Fards...

[Prelude]

So, can sfards be considered a failure?

[p3yot33at3r]

I'm officially "un-watching" this thread now.  Good luck S'Fards...

Llike I said, 2 months & 50+ pages ago:

It just ain't gonna happen guys......

All the sfardites have moved to the SPT thread.........

[notlist3d]

So, can sfards be considered a failure?

A One and Done failure company I would say, maybe someone will buy them with a real business plan.

It's so weird they did the R/D and got a chip.  Most failures never get to the chip level   

I still wonder if they decided to keep internal.  It's the best LTC chip out there, and they could mine internally and have a monopoly.  Since they only sold 5 to a few sellers they make a small cheap data center of these in China they could win over time.

[Searing]

So, can sfards be considered a failure?

A One and Done failure company I would say, maybe someone will buy them with a real business plan.

It's so weird they did the R/D and got a chip.  Most failures never get to the chip level   

I still wonder if they decided to keep internal.  It's the best LTC chip out there, and they could mine internally and have a monopoly.  Since they only sold 5 to a few sellers they make a small cheap data center of these in China they could win over time.

Yeah this is what asic miners do now..put out some product to promote then basically run a giant data hall with cheap elec

knc, bitfury, spondoolies, sfards, etc etc etc

much more $$$ in getting big IPO $$ out of newbie IPO types vs home miner types imho

[QuintLeo]

It's so weird they did the R/D and got a chip.  Most failures never get to the chip level   

 They had plenty of money from when they were still operating (in part) as Gridseed.

 I'm hoping that they have FINALLY realised that crap board designs cost them a TON even if/when the chip works well, and decided to yank the existing design to redo it - the very small amount of feedback I've seen on the first batch units from folks that bought them imply some really POOR board-level design work, right down there with the crap design on the early Orbs and the "blades" and very bad reliability as a result.

[bclcjunkie]

Looks like S7 turned out to be the final nail on their coffin.  S7 is so much better in terms of power efficiency and offers much better chances of breaking even rather than Stards piece of crap.

[kaltar]

Plus the total lack of responce from them on this OFFICIAL thread for their product.  I do think the`re dead 

Here lies SFARD ``RIP``

[Meech]

Why even make an announcement here if you don't intend to sell product to the community.  You could have trippled your sales with the interest alone.  Your last venture may have been your last venture I'm afraid!

[notlist3d]

Why even make an announcement here if you don't intend to sell product to the community.  You could have trippled your sales with the interest alone.  Your last venture may have been your last venture I'm afraid!

I suspect they originally had the gameplan of selling them like gridseeds to public.   One thing they might not of got this time was a just extreme profit.  If you remember the blades and scrypt when first started going asics gear was HIGH and it dropped overnight in price and kept dropping.

So either they could not make chip's and miner for a decent profit, or they decided to mine internally.   I really think since they had chips that beat anything out there they might have saw a long term profit mining themself.  Assuming they have cheap electricity (which we can since china).  They have the most efficient LTC chip out, heck no one else is even talking about devloping a scrypt chip ATM that I know of.

So if they made a batch or two filled up a small data center they could capitalize on LTC.  So I think either they gave up or decided to go internal (or some bulk buyer).   But I really don't think gave up as they did make the chip.

[Marvell1]

Why even make an announcement here if you don't intend to sell product to the community.  You could have trippled your sales with the interest alone.  Your last venture may have been your last venture I'm afraid!

I suspect they originally had the gameplan of selling them like gridseeds to public.   One thing they might not of got this time was a just extreme profit.  If you remember the blades and scrypt when first started going asics gear was HIGH and it dropped overnight in price and kept dropping.

So either they could not make chip's and miner for a decent profit, or they decided to mine internally.   I really think since they had chips that beat anything out there they might have saw a long term profit mining themself.  Assuming they have cheap electricity (which we can since china).  They have the most efficient LTC chip out, heck no one else is even talking about devloping a scrypt chip ATM that I know of.

So if they made a batch or two filled up a small data center they could capitalize on LTC.  So I think either they gave up or decided to go internal (or some bulk buyer).   But I really don't think gave up as they did make the chip.

Yeah they went the KNC route

[amateo613]

Hello all a little of topic?

Hey @J4bberwock how is the progress on the replacement board for the old gridseed orbs.

Thanks.

[notlist3d]

Hello all a little of topic?

Hey @J4bberwock how is the progress on the replacement board for the old gridseed orbs.

Thanks.

I think a big thing would be if SFards is making and shipping chips.  I don't think with the silence chips will be sold at this point to general public.  There are the lucky ones who ordered them early on with dev kits and such. 

That is a good question anyone that was working on a project have you tried to buy chips from SFards in any quantity lately?

[notlist3d]

Hello all a little of topic?

Hey @J4bberwock how is the progress on the replacement board for the old gridseed orbs.

Thanks.

I think a big thing would be if SFards is making and shipping chips.  I don't think with the silence chips will be sold at this point to general public.  There are the lucky ones who ordered them early on with dev kits and such. 

That is a good question anyone that was working on a project have you tried to buy chips from SFards in any quantity lately?

If someone missed the train it looks like these people are reselling the dev kits but no extra chips. http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Bitcoin-Miner-SFARDS-152GH-Asic-Miner-Dual-Mining-Development-Board-for-Btc-and-LTC-Mining-28nm/1035615_32342132314.html

Crazy I would never of guessed those dev kits might be a money maker.  Don't remember price but it was not cheap.  I'm thinking chip by itself was pretty high so I doubt ton's of devs have it.

I still cant wrap my mind around a company getting a chip made, a miner made, then going silent.  Does not make sense.

[Searing]

Hello all a little of topic?

Hey @J4bberwock how is the progress on the replacement board for the old gridseed orbs.

Thanks.

I think a big thing would be if SFards is making and shipping chips.  I don't think with the silence chips will be sold at this point to general public.  There are the lucky ones who ordered them early on with dev kits and such.  

That is a good question anyone that was working on a project have you tried to buy chips from SFards in any quantity lately?

If someone missed the train it looks like these people are reselling the dev kits but no extra chips. http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Bitcoin-Miner-SFARDS-152GH-Asic-Miner-Dual-Mining-Development-Board-for-Btc-and-LTC-Mining-28nm/1035615_32342132314.html

Crazy I would never of guessed those dev kits might be a money maker.  Don't remember price but it was not cheap.  I'm thinking chip by itself was pretty high so I doubt ton's of devs have it.

I still cant wrap my mind around a company getting a chip made, a miner made, then going silent.  Does not make sense.

they are either 1) mining them selves or thru partnerships with other china scrypt farms or 2) mining themselves and also selling chips in bulk in china for other data halls

but yeah.... LTC difficulty is going up after halving....so there is 'new' stealth equip/chips out there someplace imho ......... we will be the last to know