Topic: Hacking KNC Titan / Jupiter / Neptune miners back to life. Why not? - page 16. (Read 76793 times)
February 08, 2017, 11:43:00 PM
I always just figured the crystal on the bridge board was because it had to be the same freq as what the bbb spoke to the controller board. I really wish we could just get the titan firmware working on the bbb
February 08, 2017, 02:05:56 AM
You got it, it's here, and I fixed one of his Titan boards. Now I need something:
Does ANYONE have a Qberty 1.0 batch board that works? If so take the highest rev picture you can of the crystal and post it here. Got a theory.....
C
Does ANYONE have a Qberty 1.0 batch board that works? If so take the highest rev picture you can of the crystal and post it here. Got a theory.....
C
Sent you a pm but it may take awhile .working 80hr weeks with OT and it is one of my 4 titan boards in the basement....may take me a bit to find out which
one .only way to tell is take each unit (titan) and shut it down ..then take the controller apart and look
you know how well that worked with the pins I sheared off the titan 2nd batch bridge I sent you...so not to thrilled with the idea 1 out of 3 on that attempt messed it up
(the clone bridge I sent you that did not work and I had to take off controller card) ...I'd send the whole card and use another but again can't tell which is the 1st batch
working qberty card unless i pull the bridge (dangerous)
qberty you'd think would be able to send you a pic I'd think, if he wants to contact us on here anymore .try him....
I'll get to it when I can ..but not the kinda thing I want to try to do in 2-3hrs before sleeping before working 0T again (and yes it is 7 days a week no break)
will do this as long as I can ...make hay while the sun shines
Puts a crimp in my hobby stuff thou. Good thing they don't care what I do on the laptop at workas I type this thou.
anyway sent you a pm
brad
February 07, 2017, 09:32:23 PM
You got it, it's here, and I fixed one of his Titan boards. Now I need something:
Does ANYONE have a Qberty 1.0 batch board that works? If so take the highest rev picture you can of the crystal and post it here. Got a theory.....
C
Does ANYONE have a Qberty 1.0 batch board that works? If so take the highest rev picture you can of the crystal and post it here. Got a theory.....
C
January 28, 2017, 01:42:43 AM
Ok I have run into a wall and need some help:
I got a Titan controller in from a guy in England, he bought the controller and cubes, and apparently the Pi was making "fizzing" sounds and the controller/cubes didn't work. Review here found the FPGA blown and the TPS power chip literally *fused* to the board. Likewise his bridgeboard is blown out as well, looks like the crystal is bad.
Since we do not know what the crystal is for these (and I have tried half a dozen different possibilities) I need to find a bridgeboard for this guy. If you have one that shorted out, I can fix it for him and sell him my spare board for the cost of a normal repair. However without a bridgeboard he's up a creek.
Anyone have a dead one that they replaced with a Qberty 1.0 board? I'll do a free repair for one because I want to help this miner out.
C
I got a Titan controller in from a guy in England, he bought the controller and cubes, and apparently the Pi was making "fizzing" sounds and the controller/cubes didn't work. Review here found the FPGA blown and the TPS power chip literally *fused* to the board. Likewise his bridgeboard is blown out as well, looks like the crystal is bad.
Since we do not know what the crystal is for these (and I have tried half a dozen different possibilities) I need to find a bridgeboard for this guy. If you have one that shorted out, I can fix it for him and sell him my spare board for the cost of a normal repair. However without a bridgeboard he's up a creek.
Anyone have a dead one that they replaced with a Qberty 1.0 board? I'll do a free repair for one because I want to help this miner out.
C
still trying to get you one blown bridgeboard it is coming from a buddy..but he found like 3 cubes he wants to add etc etc.....but thay are coming
I keep plugging away at getting them to you. (also only way my qberty bridge boards can ever be fixed is the slim chance a knc crystal will tell you something)
then again with LTC difficulty surging like 34% or some such in the last month..not exactly sure why I am bothering with this
dang bitmain L3's anybody else I could ease these knc titan's out into a 'soft landing' but bitmain is too damn big..they are gonna pop them puppies out like well......puppies
Hell at this rate I'm out in march 2017...well they ROI'd and it has been 2years 3 months by march... then ....I should not complain.....(but 'my precious' ack!)
January 27, 2017, 08:35:51 PM
Ok I have run into a wall and need some help:
I got a Titan controller in from a guy in England, he bought the controller and cubes, and apparently the Pi was making "fizzing" sounds and the controller/cubes didn't work. Review here found the FPGA blown and the TPS power chip literally *fused* to the board. Likewise his bridgeboard is blown out as well, looks like the crystal is bad.
Since we do not know what the crystal is for these (and I have tried half a dozen different possibilities) I need to find a bridgeboard for this guy. If you have one that shorted out, I can fix it for him and sell him my spare board for the cost of a normal repair. However without a bridgeboard he's up a creek.
Anyone have a dead one that they replaced with a Qberty 1.0 board? I'll do a free repair for one because I want to help this miner out.
C
I got a Titan controller in from a guy in England, he bought the controller and cubes, and apparently the Pi was making "fizzing" sounds and the controller/cubes didn't work. Review here found the FPGA blown and the TPS power chip literally *fused* to the board. Likewise his bridgeboard is blown out as well, looks like the crystal is bad.
Since we do not know what the crystal is for these (and I have tried half a dozen different possibilities) I need to find a bridgeboard for this guy. If you have one that shorted out, I can fix it for him and sell him my spare board for the cost of a normal repair. However without a bridgeboard he's up a creek.
Anyone have a dead one that they replaced with a Qberty 1.0 board? I'll do a free repair for one because I want to help this miner out.
C
January 18, 2017, 11:20:19 PM
Just a good spot to say that if anyone is looking for Titan stuff....
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/knc-titan-cubes-with-100-working-controller-1757548
thanks,
boomin
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/knc-titan-cubes-with-100-working-controller-1757548
thanks,
boomin
January 17, 2017, 10:28:36 AM
Busy weekend. Fixed four more Titan boards that came in, and parts on the way for two controller boards.
Did notice something very interesting: One of the boards was reported by the user as running "wild" and shutting down after a minute of hashing. I put the board on my jig and noticed that the heat sink was not properly engaging, even with the screws all the way down. Very odd. Measured the height of the top of the chip with my micrometers.
This board was 1mm lower than others. No evidence of bending, just a bit lower.
So in order for the sink to mate properly I had to put 1mm of washers under the screws. This is the ONLY time I would recommend this, but you can see if your heat sink is on properly by seeing if you can wiggle it when the screws are down. If it wiggles, it's way too lose. If not run the board at 100mhz, then 250 and watch the temps. If you go into the upper 40's then the sink probably is not mating properly.
Advice for the newcomers.
Did notice something very interesting: One of the boards was reported by the user as running "wild" and shutting down after a minute of hashing. I put the board on my jig and noticed that the heat sink was not properly engaging, even with the screws all the way down. Very odd. Measured the height of the top of the chip with my micrometers.
This board was 1mm lower than others. No evidence of bending, just a bit lower.
So in order for the sink to mate properly I had to put 1mm of washers under the screws. This is the ONLY time I would recommend this, but you can see if your heat sink is on properly by seeing if you can wiggle it when the screws are down. If it wiggles, it's way too lose. If not run the board at 100mhz, then 250 and watch the temps. If you go into the upper 40's then the sink probably is not mating properly.
Advice for the newcomers.
December 30, 2016, 08:04:48 PM
3 more controllers came in today. So far one's fixed with my inventory FPGA, two more tomorrow so I should be able to get them out on Tuesday.
In terms of what blows up FPGAs, one item is if you plug in the 10 pin connector to the controller board, then mis-place it on the Titan so it is only connecting on five pins. That blows up the controller (shorts all the FPGA driver lines, no buffers, sad), but also should blow up the cube in such a way that it appears on the console (once you replace that) but never hashes on any dies (internal gates blown)
I can fix that but I see less of those than blown controllers.
In terms of what blows up FPGAs, one item is if you plug in the 10 pin connector to the controller board, then mis-place it on the Titan so it is only connecting on five pins. That blows up the controller (shorts all the FPGA driver lines, no buffers, sad), but also should blow up the cube in such a way that it appears on the console (once you replace that) but never hashes on any dies (internal gates blown)
I can fix that but I see less of those than blown controllers.
December 28, 2016, 09:50:40 AM
I can fix GPUs, but there's not enough of a market in that. Thought about the Innos, but they seem to be a slightly odd bunch and I'll deal with that if it happens.
C
December 28, 2016, 09:46:01 AM
Didn't see your reply dltrader, just a quote.
Meantime found a new and interesting failure: This controller board that just came in was doing the flashing white light, but instead of a short flash it was a longer one, which was odd. Hooked up a Neptune BBB to it and did some diagnostics. Sure enough the TPS chip was coming up but failing on PGOOD timeout, which was new.
So I tried removing the display board. Controller comes up, all is well. Oddly enough it looks like the display SPI driver circuit is bad; that's a new one to me, normally the displays just go dead without shutting down the board. Repair averted, board is fine, sending it back....
On to the next project.
Meantime found a new and interesting failure: This controller board that just came in was doing the flashing white light, but instead of a short flash it was a longer one, which was odd. Hooked up a Neptune BBB to it and did some diagnostics. Sure enough the TPS chip was coming up but failing on PGOOD timeout, which was new.
So I tried removing the display board. Controller comes up, all is well. Oddly enough it looks like the display SPI driver circuit is bad; that's a new one to me, normally the displays just go dead without shutting down the board. Repair averted, board is fine, sending it back....
On to the next project.
December 27, 2016, 09:16:39 PM
Didn't see your reply dltrader, just a quote.
Meantime found a new and interesting failure: This controller board that just came in was doing the flashing white light, but instead of a short flash it was a longer one, which was odd. Hooked up a Neptune BBB to it and did some diagnostics. Sure enough the TPS chip was coming up but failing on PGOOD timeout, which was new.
So I tried removing the display board. Controller comes up, all is well. Oddly enough it looks like the display SPI driver circuit is bad; that's a new one to me, normally the displays just go dead without shutting down the board. Repair averted, board is fine, sending it back....
On to the next project.
Meantime found a new and interesting failure: This controller board that just came in was doing the flashing white light, but instead of a short flash it was a longer one, which was odd. Hooked up a Neptune BBB to it and did some diagnostics. Sure enough the TPS chip was coming up but failing on PGOOD timeout, which was new.
So I tried removing the display board. Controller comes up, all is well. Oddly enough it looks like the display SPI driver circuit is bad; that's a new one to me, normally the displays just go dead without shutting down the board. Repair averted, board is fine, sending it back....
On to the next project.
December 27, 2016, 08:08:24 PM
hello steve, i tried disconnect all cubes, but the board present same error, in the lcd display kncspimux, i tried reflash and present same error, i tried downgrade and present same error,
the error in cgminer say, devices not found, whith one cube or two otr three or for connected same error, look like the board is broken in any place or anything else.
Ok. Questions:the error in cgminer say, devices not found, whith one cube or two otr three or for connected same error, look like the board is broken in any place or anything else.
1) Are you running the latest 2.00 Titan code from KNC? If not run it.
2) What does the light on the controller board do? It should flash white for a few seconds, then go off, then turn on green if you are running 2.00 code. If it flashes white quickly, then turns off then flashes white again the controller has a shorted FPGA. If no lights at all the FPGA and TMS chips may be bad.
The gold standard test is to ssh into the titan controller with username pi password whatevertheadminpasswordis, then type
io-pwr init
And watch the light. If it comes on green and there are no errors in your ssh session you're good. If you get errors, post them.
C
December 26, 2016, 07:25:10 AM
Your efforts to fix Titans are commendable...however you may be moving into the below territory (see meme)......just use a bit of caution!
(Those KNC products are 'dangerous' and the company as well....focus too much more attention on this and this could be your equivalent of the dreaded 'stapler obsession" ....)
Also this comes from Searing who you have a Titan Board with the very problem you have on hand yet you can't fix...
So do I 'sacrifice' your sanity by pushing you down this road to get a fully working cube back? Or man up and warn you off?
I am conflicted
Anyway, don't be this guy! (Come to think of it you probably are this guy...if so your efforts make a lot of frigging sense)
Remember folks...fixing POW miner equipment can effect your social life and shorten your life. (Evil they are...especially KNC and their design..made to drive techs crazy)
Crap..he has my address from my last cube fix....crap ..he is gonna track me down ..take my stapler and burn my house down
December 25, 2016, 11:59:58 PM
Truth is the signal lines that short are on the outside edge of the CPU chip, right along the left and right sides. If I could jack the chip up a mm, I could get under it with some desoldering braid and pull off the solder around them. I would probably short the die's + and - supplies but who really gives a damn if the die is dead.
Trying this on some Neptune boards just to see what happens....
Trying this on some Neptune boards just to see what happens....
December 25, 2016, 07:27:37 PM
Marry Christmas everyone. Been busy working on a number of things, got some cards repaired, can fix just about everything except the shorts on pins 6/8.
The only way to fix that seems to be to replace the hashing chip. Not going to happen. But everything else has been mapped out and can be fixed; shorted controllers, dead FPGAs, even cubes with no dies.
I just wish KNC had not routed the power supply line to the chip control circuits through a via *under* the die. If there had been any other place one could isolate or cut it we would be in business. But no, drat.Moral: Route power and SPI signaling to your engines through a 0 ohm resistor. Would cost .0001c per board.
Meantime everything else is purring along. How long will Titans keep running I wonder.
The only way to fix that seems to be to replace the hashing chip. Not going to happen. But everything else has been mapped out and can be fixed; shorted controllers, dead FPGAs, even cubes with no dies.
I just wish KNC had not routed the power supply line to the chip control circuits through a via *under* the die. If there had been any other place one could isolate or cut it we would be in business. But no, drat.Moral: Route power and SPI signaling to your engines through a 0 ohm resistor. Would cost .0001c per board.
Meantime everything else is purring along. How long will Titans keep running I wonder.
I thought Vegas made a post he had that solder ball grid thingy you nneeded to replace a die
I'll see if I can find the post. Long odds this is likely.
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.16227695
Er. Likely I'm mixed up. He says custom stencil which may be of some other use
December 25, 2016, 02:16:08 PM
Marry Christmas everyone. Been busy working on a number of things, got some cards repaired, can fix just about everything except the shorts on pins 6/8.
The only way to fix that seems to be to replace the hashing chip. Not going to happen. But everything else has been mapped out and can be fixed; shorted controllers, dead FPGAs, even cubes with no dies.
I just wish KNC had not routed the power supply line to the chip control circuits through a via *under* the die. If there had been any other place one could isolate or cut it we would be in business. But no, drat.Moral: Route power and SPI signaling to your engines through a 0 ohm resistor. Would cost .0001c per board.
Meantime everything else is purring along. How long will Titans keep running I wonder.
The only way to fix that seems to be to replace the hashing chip. Not going to happen. But everything else has been mapped out and can be fixed; shorted controllers, dead FPGAs, even cubes with no dies.
I just wish KNC had not routed the power supply line to the chip control circuits through a via *under* the die. If there had been any other place one could isolate or cut it we would be in business. But no, drat.Moral: Route power and SPI signaling to your engines through a 0 ohm resistor. Would cost .0001c per board.
Meantime everything else is purring along. How long will Titans keep running I wonder.
November 29, 2016, 10:24:03 PM
...along with a 5-gallon pail of ACME Chicken Entrails.....
ACME (the name you can trust) sells chicken entrails by 55 gallon drum too. cheaper. and with knc you will need a LOT.
C
November 29, 2016, 08:40:50 AM
Is this the stuff from whats his face that was selling the firmware for 10btc? or did you dev your own?
Dear God No. This is me pounding my own head against the KNC wall. Besides I would rather blow up beaglebones on controllers trying to figure out some of these failures than the now limited supply of Raspberry Pi's.Note: Everything I do here is my own work or is based on publicly accessible documents. I have no encumbrances or NDA's in this venture and I would prefer to keep it that way.
C
HEH..I got a few bbb laying about from Jupiter's and titans I can send to the cause for you to blow up should the need arise...
Also being KNC and evil and all it MIGHT be easier to decipher this book first...just to make the task less of a pain..see how the evil flowed into KNC devices don't ya know
http://www.viralnova.com/devil-bible/
Also the 'Voodoo for Dummies" Book is handy...along with a 5-gallon pail of ACME Chicken Entrails.....
November 29, 2016, 07:30:46 AM
...along with a 5-gallon pail of ACME Chicken Entrails.....
ACME (the name you can trust) sells chicken entrails by 55 gallon drum too. cheaper. and with knc you will need a LOT.
November 29, 2016, 01:36:26 AM
Is this the stuff from whats his face that was selling the firmware for 10btc? or did you dev your own?
Dear God No. This is me pounding my own head against the KNC wall. Besides I would rather blow up beaglebones on controllers trying to figure out some of these failures than the now limited supply of Raspberry Pi's.Note: Everything I do here is my own work or is based on publicly accessible documents. I have no encumbrances or NDA's in this venture and I would prefer to keep it that way.
C
HEH..I got a few bbb laying about from Jupiter's and titans I can send to the cause for you to blow up should the need arise...
Also being KNC and evil and all it MIGHT be easier to decipher this book first...just to make the task less of a pain..see how the evil flowed into KNC devices don't ya know
http://www.viralnova.com/devil-bible/
Also the 'Voodoo for Dummies" Book is handy...along with a 5-gallon pail of ACME Chicken Entrails.....
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