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Topic: BFL 5GH/s Jalapeno received today, Chip Die jagged edge question (Read 4377 times)

legendary
Activity: 1692
Merit: 1018
The good news is the unit works.  The bad news is you've invalidated the warranty by opening the unit  Cheesy
hero member
Activity: 700
Merit: 500

Ok, a little higher @ 46º... not bad! But 2% of HW errors...

The HW errors percentage is higher initially, after few hours it drops below 1%.
hero member
Activity: 714
Merit: 500
Are ฿itcoins Radioactive?
I've found jalapenos running generally really cool (38-42 deg C) if this is at all comparable to GPU temps heat shouldn't be an issue for longevity.

That said the higher the environment temp, the more hardware errors you get, the lower they seem to clock themselves.

It would be interesting to see if the 7 GH/s upgraded Jalapeño's still run @ those cool temperatures.



Ok, a little higher @ 46º... not bad! But 2% of HW errors...
hero member
Activity: 700
Merit: 500
I've found jalapenos running generally really cool (38-42 deg C) if this is at all comparable to GPU temps heat shouldn't be an issue for longevity.

That said the higher the environment temp, the more hardware errors you get, the lower they seem to clock themselves.

It would be interesting to see if the 7 GH/s upgraded Jalapeño's still run @ those cool temperatures.

hero member
Activity: 714
Merit: 500
Are ฿itcoins Radioactive?
I've found jalapenos running generally really cool (38-42 deg C) if this is at all comparable to GPU temps heat shouldn't be an issue for longevity.

That said the higher the environment temp, the more hardware errors you get, the lower they seem to clock themselves.

It would be interesting to see if the 7 GH/s upgraded Jalapeño's still run @ those cool temperatures.
newbie
Activity: 22
Merit: 0
I've found jalapenos running generally really cool (38-42 deg C) if this is at all comparable to GPU temps heat shouldn't be an issue for longevity.

That said the higher the environment temp, the more hardware errors you get, the lower they seem to clock themselves.
legendary
Activity: 2128
Merit: 1005
ASIC Wannabe
"I just did a complete teardown of my Jalapeño and now I'm worried about its longevity because the finishing of the shell of one of the microchips is not perfect"

quoting your un-quote, because it makes total sense that he would do a tear-down both for himself and for the internet (I appreciated it!), and to see a chip looking like that is a little dumb-founding. you never know if the shell of that chip is now so thin that the internals are affected or exposed, and that sort of issue may not play out until hours or days (or never) later when the thermal expansion (or contraction when powering down) kick in.

member
Activity: 66
Merit: 10
"I just did a complete teardown of my Jalapeño and now I'm worried about its longevity because the finishing of the shell of one of the microchips is not perfect"
legendary
Activity: 1974
Merit: 1003
if its working as it should, why bother ?
legendary
Activity: 1190
Merit: 1000
hero member
Activity: 714
Merit: 500
Are ฿itcoins Radioactive?
Great photos, mate. I hope to receive mine during this Decade... Ordered it last April 30, 2013...  Cry

Pretty sure you will, still 6,5 years left of the Decade.

 Grin
full member
Activity: 224
Merit: 100
One bitcoin to rule them all!
Great photos, mate. I hope to receive mine during this Decade... Ordered it last April 30, 2013...  Cry

Pretty sure you will, still 6,5 years left of the Decade.
hero member
Activity: 714
Merit: 500
Are ฿itcoins Radioactive?
Great photos, mate. I hope to receive mine during this Decade... Ordered it last April 30, 2013...  Cry
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
One more closed photos of the faulty chip to see it better

 / \
  |
  |
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
hero member
Activity: 700
Merit: 500
This doesn't look good for BFL, it actually looks like crap.
OTOH you better ask them, email or something.
full member
Activity: 174
Merit: 100
Packaging irregularities likely won't affect the chip in any meaningful way. They're surprisingly common, but you can't normally tell too much from the outside if a chip how well it operates.
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
Prob early crappy chip with several dead engines. That said, it should prob be fine if you keep it cool and don't fuck around with it.

What's really sad about this has nothing to do with the functionality of the chip.  Here's BFL, who knows they aren't making notebooks to sell at Walmart where no one will ever see the motherboard; they're selling to geeks who are going to tear the case off to look at it as soon as they get it unpacked, and post photos of anything irregular on the forum that their customer base reads.  

The same BFL that right now is trying to sell the very chips that look so shoddy in these photos!  What were they thinking?  Answer:  No, they weren't.
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
Check the back of the jalapeño when it's running, if you have two leds then both chips are running

there are 8 red LEDs and the center 2 are blinking.
sr. member
Activity: 452
Merit: 250
Check the back of the jalapeño when it's running, if you have two leds then both chips are running
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
When You had order it?
Bought it in auctions.

Prob early crappy chip with several dead engines. That said, it should prob be fine if you keep it cool and don't fuck around with it.

It's running pretty cool between 19C to 25C. But I am concerned about the exposed edges on the die.
legendary
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1003
They switched packaging facilities afaik. Maybe one is from the new one?
Cheaper but less precise I take it??
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
One more closed photos of the faulty chip to see it better

Will take more close-ups tomorrow
full member
Activity: 224
Merit: 100
One bitcoin to rule them all!
I think it's a dummy

It sure does look like a dummy chip to me. It is required to balance the heatsink for parallel contact with the hashing chip.

Have anyone tested that hypothesis by running it for a while, turn off and check for temperature-variations between the chips?
legendary
Activity: 2492
Merit: 1473
LEALANA Bitcoin Grim Reaper
Perhaps maybe they cut the wafers with a butter knife? Hence the jagged edges?  Cheesy
legendary
Activity: 2408
Merit: 1004
One more closed photos of the faulty chip to see it better
newbie
Activity: 17
Merit: 0
I think it's a dummy

It sure does look like a dummy chip to me. It is required to balance the heatsink for parallel contact with the hashing chip.
full member
Activity: 224
Merit: 100
When You had order it?
Bought it in auctions.

Prob early crappy chip with several dead engines. That said, it should prob be fine if you keep it cool and don't fuck around with it.
legendary
Activity: 2408
Merit: 1004
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
legendary
Activity: 2408
Merit: 1004
When You had order it?
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
Why is one edge jagged? Will it affect longevity of the Jalapeño?[/img]
AFAIK, it won't effect longevity per se.  There might be some weird temperature gradients around the edges, but keep it cool, and that thing should have a long life and die in bed.
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
You are looking at the problems bfl encountered with bumping/packaging houses. One good chip from most recent suppliers and one older chip which is bolloxed up but works.

Quite likely, the jagged edge chip looks more like a home project. I have never seen such workmanship even in engineering samples.
sr. member
Activity: 479
Merit: 250
yeah not a very good job of under fill for that other chip
legendary
Activity: 1400
Merit: 1000
I owe my soul to the Bitcoin code...
You are looking at the problems bfl encountered with bumping/packaging houses. One good chip from most recent suppliers and one older chip which is bolloxed up but works.
full member
Activity: 290
Merit: 100
Cause that chip is used one, like BFL FPGAS used ones second hands....

maybe one chip is 3.5G and the another one is like 1.5 to 2 G/hash that's why they asking for 7Ghashes devices, cause 1.5 to 2 G/hash are limited stock. Grin

legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
Perhaps because it is of an older version, probably a prototype chip...

Just received it today.

Did you upgraded to 7 GH/s? What value did you got with a mining software?

It's 5GH/s, mining s/w reports 5.1 - 5.2 GH/s
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
Is it a 5Gh/s version? Maybe the 7Gh/s version has 2 larger chips?

It's a 5Gh/s version
hero member
Activity: 714
Merit: 500
Are ฿itcoins Radioactive?
Perhaps because it is of an older version, probably a prototype chip...

Just received it today.

Did you upgraded to 7 GH/s? What value did you got with a mining software?
member
Activity: 113
Merit: 10
Is it a 5Gh/s version? Maybe the 7Gh/s version has 2 larger chips?
member
Activity: 121
Merit: 10
They switched packaging facilities afaik. Maybe one is from the new one?
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
Perhaps because it is of an older version, probably a prototype chip...

Just received it today.
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
I think it's a dummy

You are wrong! It's the real thing.
hero member
Activity: 728
Merit: 500
I think it's a dummy
hero member
Activity: 714
Merit: 500
Are ฿itcoins Radioactive?
Perhaps because it is of an older version, probably a prototype chip...
legendary
Activity: 1946
Merit: 1006
Bitcoin / Crypto mining Hardware.
Why is one edge jagged? Will it affect longevity of the Jalapeño?

Why does one chip look different and smaller than the other?








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