thanks to everybody who helped this stick newb with cgminer.
finally cgminer-gekko is working and I can manipulate the stick at various settings.
quick questions:
1. do you have to do sudo reboot everytime you change something in hardware setup? it looks like this to me.
2. 800mv/433 mhz somehow resulted in stick not initializing, but it initialized OK with wiper at 3pm (750-760mv?) at 350mhz.
Q: which course of action is generally better: keep mv same (750) and see up to which mhz it will initialize OR increase mv to max (800) and then see which mhz will work?
It looks like even at 750/350 stick fluctuates wildly between 16 and 24Gh/s with average ~19 Gh/s (WU 265).
In my crazy setup watts and amperage from hub are not a problem.
So, the bit about using SUDO is located here
http://ck.kolivas.org/apps/cgminer/READMESearch for 'rules.d' which will bring you to the LINUX section of Setting Up Devices - it speaks to the usergroup modification for access to the USB devices.
In re to the questions above,
1) You can adjust the mv pot on the fly while it is running, just be careful not to short if you're using a metal phillips. However, if you want to change the mHz (freq), you have to stop and start CGM w/sudo and let it ramp 2-4 mins (cgminer-gekko is designed to ramp the mHz to avoid power surge on the usb port).
2) >400mHz has been very difficult for me to do. 350 is as easy as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.
If you're looking for as fast as possible, plug the stick into an extension cable into your port, and using a multimeter check the mv and adjust accordingly until you hit 800. CGM doesn't have to be running.
Once you are at 800, start up CGM at 400 and let her ramp. If no errors, go to 405 or 415 (410 is broken - see previous) and wait for ramp again. If errors, adjust pot clockwise until errors go away or the stick locks (this is when you go from 800mv back down to 550 - you will have to shut down CGM and unplug/replug the stick to reset (remember to safe-eject on win/mac)).
If you adjust pot while CGM isn't running after restart down to 550 and nudge it backwards, you should be able to hit the max of the pot. However, I think the specs say that 800mHz is max, so if you hit 900+ look out - Danger Will Robinson. I know one of my sticks can get to 900, I just checked it yesterday when I was setting up my three new ones. I can get the three new up to 800x420 with very low hardware, but I can't get my initial stick over 375 clean and 400 w/errors, and when I checked the mv it was > 900! Pretty sure it has caused some heat damage. I *can* run her at 800x400 but she errors like the day is long, but thats keeping my other sticks at less than full potential, so I'm trying to replace her and get my bank running at 800x455 for 100GH - but that looks to be impossible from upthread
I'll settle for 430+ tho Ahh pipe dreams..
Anyway, I ramble - good luck with the OC!