Topic: Nanominer - Modular FPGA Mining Platform - page 5. (Read 18947 times)

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At all cost have some sort of a business model, I'd donate much more If I could get an FPGA head-start.

-Fellow Canadian

subbed http://www.dinigroup.com/product/data/DN7020k10/images/7020k10_front.jpg

I actually started to... then realized you need 20BTC to register an asset.  If I do acquire that much BTC, I will certainly consider it though.  Until that time, this will have to suffice.  Thank you.

list it on GLBSE, put the word out on what you are doing.

Alright everyone, I have a request.
I need BTC or other currency enough to buy two DE0 Nano platforms at educational cost (since I'm a student).  This is to test inter-fpga interfacing and cluster compatibility.  The SHA-2 core is in a state where I can use it (beta) and I would like to start developing the framework for mining now.

This means I need $88 CAD (2x $59 Academic - contributions to-date, I'll pay s/h + tax).

Please, if you can spare even a few points of a BTC or a couple dollars, it's much appreciated and will go towards this technology seeing its full potential in a timely manner.

More information on the core's ETA will be available when my other hardware engineers are available to work.  I'm working with a number of both amateurs and experts in the field to make this the best mining technology available.

One note: I don't want to promise specific rates anymore.  I'm still confident I can get >50MH/s out of a DE0 but numbers cause controversy.  Here's what I will promise:

Nanominer, with your support, will be the most versatile, well documented, modular, and platform independent (we will support Xilinx, Altera, and others, playing on each of their strengths) FPGA mining system available.  The more donations we receive, the faster it will be released.

This is going to be the freely distributed, well supported, gold-standard for a technology that (in my opinion and with the right development) will supersede workstation mining.

We are also doing research into new and better ways of mining, seeking help from experts in the fields of cryptanalysis and computer engineering.  We mean business.  For more information, PM or email me, and as always visit http://www.nonverba.org/nanominer

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Ditto.

Currently I'm writing a SHA-2 IP core from scratch that can be rolled or unrolled as necessary, and use DSP circuitry as available for simple migration from chip to chip, generation to generation.  Currently the goal is to get the SHA core completed, verified, and running efficiently; once that's finished the rest will be easier in comparison.  From this follows that no, I do not have a mining core up and running.
The goal of a new SHA-2 core is to have something that can be configured as needed for high or low end FPGAs (versatility is key considering not everyone can buy a device with DSP cores), as well as something that is well documented and I can distribute freely as my own IP.
The SHA-2 core is going well, and the project will almost certainly speed up once another hardware engineer who's agreed to work with me is ready to start (next two weeks or so I believe).
Check the website for a large amount of information you're interested in, links are posted there regarding current prices and shipping availability etc: www.nonverba.org/nanominer
Also digikey.com is a great site to check out with anything regarding circuit purchases.
As some people have noted, buying chips themselves is generally more expensive than buying the development kit, likely (now that I think of it) because buying FPGAs that can go in whatever application you like is more what they want to make their money off of.  The development kits are there to "get you hooked" essentially, for large scale production.  For example, a great deal of IP is device-locked, or time-locked, or both. 
They will communicate over serial using USB, other interfaces can be added as they become necessary or convenient, thanks to the versatile nature of the technology.
If you'd like to buy multiple FPGAs and put them on one PCB, you can certainly do this; it's possible, but it means dealing with giving them clean power, clean clocking, and essentially requires you have some, if not a great deal of, experience in circuit design.  That and a place to have the board manufactured and assembled.
Hopefully this answers your questions, if not feel free to pm or email me.

What's the progress of this project? Do we have working shares from these FPGAs yet? What hashrate do we have now from the cheapest model (claimed 75 MHash speed) in use? (As these can differ from expected maximum.)

What is the price for that FPGA? Where do these FPGAs ship from if I intend to buy in the future (I ask because I'm in UK and shipping may be quite expensive if from North America to UK plus import tax in UK as well as its an electronic item according to customs I think)?

How do you get these FPGAs up and running out of the box? Which interface do they use (USB,PCI-E,e.t.c)?

Is i true that you can build your own FPGAs by buying multiple chips/sockets and put them all onto 1 PCB? If so how do I go about it.

If some of these questions have already been answered,then please point me in the right direction,thanks.

For your protection, when requesting a bitcoin address or engaging in any secure communication with me, ensure that my messages are PGP signed.  My public key is hosted on the usual servers.
If you receive sensitive information (i.e. financial, bitcoin or not) from me without a PGP signature, please politely request one that is PGP signed.  The chances are that I just sent the email from my iPhone and forgot to sign it, but there's always the possibility it's fraudulent, so just let me know and I'll resend the email securely.

As for test data, I've run the firmware in ModelSim and it puts out good data; as far as what happens once it's touched the script, I'm not sure, and my effort is better spent making a core that communicates without the use of JTAG.  If you want to be mining with an FPGA in the interim, the code here works for most people, I understand: https://github.com/progranism/Open-Source-FPGA-Bitcoin-Miner

Have you fed the FPGA test data and seen what comes out?

How did you arrive at that estimate? The DE4 and DE0 are very different products. Search this forum for BFL to get an idea of how accurate FPGA estimates turn out.

That sounds like you have a non-working prototype. How do you know it's hashing at all if you have 100% rejects? Have you developed an "immensely quick" random number generator?

You're right, the cyclone series only has access to multipliers.  DSP will only be implemented on the Stratix series cores.  However, Cyclone devices can take better advantage of their BRAM, which I will be working with.

As far as me "not having a working prototype", that's not entirely correct.  I have a modified version of fpgaminer's code running on my DE4-230 immensely quickly, and recieving 100% rejections, which is why I'm trying not to flaunt it too much and rather work on a new core.  A new core which I do not have a working prototype of.  So we're all clear.

For anyone who has issues with shipping times, either for themselves or others, you might try checking out Digikey, who almost always does next-day shipping, and does in fact carry both the Cyclone III and Cyclone IV DE0 Nano devices.  I'm told with some arm twisting of their sales staff you can even get free shipping on the C IV version.

For anyone who had an issue with the donation amounts, I switched them (1 BTC or $10 CAD).  They were always a simple recommendation, and continue to be.  If you feel like donating 0.1 BTC, I will be no less grateful than if you donate 10.  Please contact me if you'd like a specific address to send donations to so that I can keep track.  To donate anonymously, the address is in my signature or on the webpage.

He had a not very functional prototype on the DE4, it was running but had 100% rejected shares as I mentioned.


I met him on IRC in #bitcoin a few days before this thread was made and have been trying to help him out in any way I can since.


I'll look into this

Sometimes I wonder if this forum promotes circle-jerking.

Now on topic: From what I understand Azelphur does know wondermine in real life (correct me if I'm wrong) however Terasic ships boards out in 2-3 days with their expensive and only option for shipping.  The comment about making a $10 donation or 3 in BTC is odd but whatever we've all said things that don't quite sound logical.  Through the power of communication wondermine gave me my own special super secret address to send contributions to so that he can keep track of them, it isn't hard.

I also heard that this guy's a Canadian therefore he can't be trusted. Now I demand +1's and a pat on the back - and for the super skeptics I just recently got torches and pitchforks in stock 

+1 was going to post exactly this.

From what I can understand wondermine has no functional prototype yet. So it loks like somebody else was mining at your private pool.
I'm not saying that he is a scam but that he's numbers are not confirmed yet.


Wow, that was a fast delivery service. Only a few hours after the initial post. Did you order it before the post? How could you have known? Coincident? Neighbors?

People who donate the stated amount will get support from him.
So even though this is a voluntary payment there is some service attached to it.
I would have expected from people in this forum not to support services like PayPal by proposing better prices when using those services over Bitcoin.

There are no DSP modules in C IV. Only multipliers and thats have no use in SHA256 algorithm. So, who is wrong? You or Altera documentation?

Kind of makes me wish I stayed in Comp Eng.  Even though it's been 2 years the block diagram wasn't that hard to understand - it's the VHDL that'll get ya

Uploaded a preliminary block diagram for Nanominer.  It can be found here: http://nonverba.org/nanominer/
The page lists a number of discrepancies between what is planned/proposed and what appears in the diagram, however it should give you an idea of what I'm working on.
I know this doesn't give too many hints on internals, more just structure, but again it's preliminary.  I'll upload .vhd files as I write them and that should improve the picture you all have.
Finally, I'm going to try to write as much of this using non-proprietary code as I can; however if I run into the necessity to use Altera IP, I will exclude it from the project source with instructions on how to add it (think restricted drivers in linux) and pseudocode to replace it.

Update: I have an unrolled SHA core fitting alongside interface logic on a Cyclone IV DE0 Nano.

Is the price for the chip for 1 piece?
Maybe the board manufacturer gets a bulk price for buying more than 1 at a time?
Maybe the board manufacturer gets a discount for making the chip easier accessable? (I know for a fact a single chip is useless to me, with a complete board I can try to do something)