Topic: Cointerra Hardware Support **Unofficial - page 11. (Read 56948 times)

Ok... so what are you paying for electricity?

Mining is barely profitable for me here in the states paying $0.17 per kwh. If you are paying more than that for power IDK why you'd even attempt to mine. Unless you are paying more than $0.32 you are still breaking even. Factor in speculation that the $/BTC increases, the TerraMiner is still profitable for now.

How can you come on here and tell me to check my math? Do you know where I'm located and how much I pay for electricity? I didn't think so.

I think you need to check you math.
1.6Ths @ Diff of 23B is still 0.034BTC per day, about $16.50
2200W costs $9.00 per dat at 0.17 $/kwh.

You're still making $7.50 a day.

Well, the day has come where it costs more money to run my Terraminer than it makes. Time to shut her down. 
Its been fun. GL all.

Try disconnecting the "black and white" cable that goes to the PSU.  Google around (and on this site) for pics and other info.  It's the most common cure for the "one dead board" syndrome.

I suspect it can be fixed, even if partially.  If not, you can sell it on eBay either as one unit or part it out.  EG., the power supplies sell for almost $300 ea.

A friends half died yesterday.  It seems they had the 30 day warranty (originally 3 months) because they knew there were problems that gave them a short life.  Is it a total death or is one CTA board still good?  I may be interested in the working board.

My piece of shit cointerra died today. I am going to take a sledgehammer and smash it. Then I am going to douse it with gasoline and burn it.

I'm pretty sure it was the code for the CTAs, yes.  It may have even been linked on a thread on BTC forum.  I can't recall but perhaps someone here can find the link.  May have been another forum.  I'll keep looking too.

I did not know that, thanks.

So far all I have found is a monitor for it, and web pages.  Not the firmware that gets loaded onto the mining boards.  I have tried various different search terms, do you know what the project was called?

I even searched for some strings in the CTA firmware to see if google can find anything, it couldnt.  I tried several strings, just the string and nothing else.  Are you certain it was the CTA (miner board) firmware and not something else that was published?  I cant believe anything got deleted from the internet and I cant believe that google cant find it if its there and available publicly.

You know all their firmware was on Github not long ago.  It's quite possible you may be able to find it in a net archive someplace.  If you did, it would save you a ton of trouble.

I feel silly for not grabbing it myself.

I was able to unwrap the DFU header.  It flashes to address 0x00000000 so a complete rewrite.  I also noticed that the payload grew by 10kB between 0.4.5 (0.7.6) and 0.5.29 (0.7.46? something not yet published I have 3 versions).   I may not yet have it perfect, I had a problem validating the DFU suffix meaning its either not there or is in a format other than I expected it to be in.

This means that I can start looking at the code.  Hopefully the rest is more straightforward.

EDIT:
I started on this and have most of it "done".  There is the Ti library that I have to weed out, and because the padding bits are known standards for the arm (well unknown to me as this is my first arm reverse engineering project) I discovered it is thumb so if anyone else starts set IDA T=1 or whatever tools you use set it to use thumb. 

By done I mean that I have marked data sections, code, disassembled the code, know what some of the functions are, but that is the easier part.  Disassembly is rarely perfect, and converting it to equivalent C code is troublesome in most instances.  So the real work will be the next step which is extremely time consuming.  I honestly do not think I will have any time for the next week maybe more.  If anyone else feels they are qualified to actually do something meaningful with what I have done I can provide the work I have done so far and maybe get something going.  PM me if you are interested, have time and can help

I have apparently confirmed that the DFU firmware file is infact just an ARM binary.  It is basically a memory dump so its not packaged as an a.out or elf or anything that way.  

I am still trying to work on this when I get some time.  I am planning on getting a loan from BTCjam (references greatly needed ) to expand my hardware holdings which in turn will allow me to free up one miner for experimentation with the firmware.  I have a few ideas that might be able to increase the speed of the cointerrible miners should certain things pan out (I dont know enough about the ASIC to know yet).  If I can increase my hardware holdings then I should have less time spent chasing the carrot to pay bills that I can dedicate some serious time to delving into the firmware and seeing if it is possible to improve performance and maybe fix some bugs.  

The first steps will be to map out the firmware.  There appears to be 108 functions that I would have to go through one at a time and figure out exactly what each one does and how it does it.  They may not all be functions, sometimes compilers make what look like functions out of blocks of code during the optimization process.  Once mapped I plan on rewriting functions one at a time in C and publishing on github under a OSI approved FOSS license (unless cointerrible is going to sue me since that might violate some copyright law somewhere given the fact  that I am doing the disassembly and spec writing and coding of the new firmware - see Compaq in reversing the IBM PC BIOS).  The DMCA clearly does not apply as there are no "locks" to be broken and reverse engineering under limited circumstances is allowed.  Technically this would help cointerrible anyway as they could use any of my published code as they see fit, but sometimes companies dislike users doing things they did not approve of (see Apple).  

It may be required that someone else code from the spec who has never seen the firmware but we can cross that bridge if cointerrible decides to issue a takedown notice.

EDIT I was wrong!!  Say it aint so.  Upon further reading the DFU file is wrapped using Ti's dfuwrap tool as part of Tivaware.  This means that to properly analyze it one must unwrap it.  I am not able to find a utility to do that so I have to read up on how its done and write a tool to undo it.  Fortunately its well documented so I should be able to figure it out.

Apparently I got sidelined   I had contacted them before they were in mediation, had a phone call, etc.  I did not get such an update and at the time they told me there was no class formed which implicitly means there can be no class action.  Apparently they are trying to expand it a bit because mediation at that time was with their 1 singular client.

Its good for the law firm as class action settlements negotiate the lawyers fee totally separate from anything else and usually that means the lawyers get a windfall.  I just hope that it does not mean I am stuck with cointerrible vouchers when its all said and done because I really do not want to deal with them in the future (or the terribleminer hardware).


And now that there are futures and other non-direct investment things out there en masse the volatility will be worse, although if you catch it at the right time there can be considerable profit to be had albeit at great risk.  For people like myself who for 2+ years have relied solely on bitcoins as my source of income that complicates things.

Thanks for the extra info, certainly points to the board having an issue.

Due to having other equipment and a lack of space and time, I'm considering selling now.

If anyone is interested in purchasing my Cointerra, hashing on 1 board very happily and I guess potentially fixable, please drop me a PM.  I'm open to offers.  Maybe if you have the same issue you can make 1 good machine and have a lot of spares, or have a much cooler 1/2 power box...

I contacted Cline's attorney and maybe I miss understood the reply, but it is as follows:


My thoughts are that there cloud mining operation is what the June Batch went for. The units that actually hit the 2Th's mark with a reduction in power consumption. I believe that those units and the Spondooliestech's, Yukon SP-30's that has been released is what produced the spike in the network. 

With only more units to follow.

I was considering on buying some of the Spondooliestech's Yukon SP-30's, but now they have changed the specs. from Hashing 6Th's to 4.5 Th's and raised the power consumption rate. After more investigation into this product I have found that running them on two 120-V circuits will produce a Hash Rate of less than 4Th's.

Just another CoinTerra and BFL operation with only one exception. They are not a US based company, with possibly no recourse.

These companies are just as bad as the Day Traders driving the price of the coin down with their FUD!
Posted from Bitcointa.lk - #nvFIGkW2HHMYy2c7

Yup, that's my take on it too.  Not sure about insolvency though.  I think they were able to keep many, many machines to use in their mining op.  In fact, I can't help but feel the recent spike in hash rate might be their latest round of machines at the new data center they teamed up with.

Having applied various types of thermal interface material to my chips, I have to say that it really boils more down to technique.  By that I mean that if you "do it right" you should be fine with ICD or even AS5.

Make sure you clean off the old TIM very well.  Also make yourself some guide pins to keep the cooling block in place as you screw it back on.  I suggest 2" sharpened wood dowels (or chopsticks).  Don't use too much TIM either.  Definitely don't use any on the outer square metal "ring" that surrounds the 4 chips.

Last but not least, be gentle when re-torquing your hold down screws.  I'm not 100% sure they even need to be screwed back in all the way.  Just get them good and snug and tighten opposite screws at a time.

Both of my CTA's are running extremely hot, 85 - 115 C and I am experiencing terrible hash rate.  Low of 200G to a high of 1.2T.

So, it seems like some thermal paste may help address the issue.

The question I have is which type is better.....

- Liquid Pro

OR

- IC Diamond

Seems like some folks have had issues with Liquid Pro due to the conductive nature of it - but there seems to be several documented positive results.

What about IC Diamond?

Should I try IC Diamond first to be safe?

Suggestions.....

Their warranty  suggests that they know their devices will fail.

One LED is "AC ok" the other is "DC ok" and they both have fault signalling.  Perhaps the data sheet will help http://www.power-one.com/sites/power-one.com/files/documents/power/datasheet/bcd.00012_ai_pfe1100-12-054xa.pdf


There is a fuse internal to the PSU (per power-one data sheets) that is listed as non-user serviceable (because it is not externally exposed and they do not like mere mortals opening power supplies).  That may have blown.  To get at it pull the faulty PSU and take it to your workbench.  Using a tiny flat bladed screwdriver (I used a thumbtack) gently pry the 3 tabs on each side so the top cover will come off.  There is a single torx (smaller than a T10 I dont know its size and never removed it) screw you must also remove.  You should then be able to identify and access the fuse (take pics if you do this!!  identification of this fuse and its type and all would be great info for this thread).

I do not know if the fuse is soldered in or in some type of socket so you can easily replace it.  I do not know what type of fuse it is either only that it exists.


The problem could be the connector board but I would think that less likely.  These are sold separately and are a standard part.  I do not know if maplin carries it but they might be able to get it, I also do not know of any other stores like that over there because that is the only one I went to while living in that part of the world.  In the US Mouser and Digikey carry it and they do international shipping.  I believe cointerrible uses part number SNP-OP-BOARD-01.

Hope this helps ... :/


EDIT:

I missed this the first time.  When you swapped the PSUs the problem remained in the top or bottom slot?  It did not follow the PSU? 

That would indicate that it might be the connector board and that everything I said above is probably wrong.  Unfortunately its a $170 USD part to just try and see if it is the problem. 

If possible I would try and see if you see anything on the board that looks damaged.  This is the board that the PSUs plug into that is inside the power "nook" on the right side of the miner as you face the front.  If you see fried parts and cannot replace them yourself (most people cant do SMD work) you will likely have to get a new connector board.

If you dont see such a part then perhaps you need to hunt down the CD to talk to the board and get a USB cable.  The software from power-one is windows based and lets you monitor the board and get some stats off it and other stuff.  That may help you figure out what is wrong, whether its a dead CTA board or dead psu board.



But then you said this

That leads me to believe that its not power related at all although the LED on the PSU indicates a AC or DC fault somewhere ...


miner 1 and miner 2 leds at the front are hardwired to the CTA board.  If you look at the front edge of the board there is a connector on each  that are literally just wired to that LED.



It seems that way,  the system loads the firmware, starts up and then installs the firmware while its mining.  You gotta give it a minute or two more and it will restart again and run the downgraded version.  I have gone both up and down on mine playing with which is best and it took me a while to figure out that is what it was doing.