Next consumer model miner - page 4. | Bitcointalksearch.org

dogie

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Quote from: sidehack on February 28, 2015, 06:13:01 AM

So it's 5AM and I can't sleep. Second night in the last three nights that I couldn't sleep for all the thoughts happening. Who would get behind a BE300 board which could take in 7-20VDC, connect to a host via USB, and was fully software-adjustable between 350GH/140W and about 140GH/35W? If they were built so four of them could mount on an S1 chassis? These are just theoretical numbers based on BE300 performance test data from FriedCat's post, and what is hopefully a low estimate for regulator efficiency with the topology I have in mind. Hopefully the chips are affordable because I like this idea. We could sell boards direct which would save a lot on not shipping heatsinks, put a driver into cgminer and anyone with a retired S1 (or S3) and a USB hub would be sitting pretty. S1 heatsinks and AM Tube heatsinks are a similar size, so building them to fit either would be pretty sexy (though I'm not sure it's possible).

I'm unsure on the need to retain the need for a large voltage input range as the only real sources of affordable power are still 12V. A bit of a band to keep 12V 12V would be nice if you're running DC-DC else it'd suffer some of the variation that S5 has due to different PSUs having a different interpretation of what 12V is.

sidehack

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So it's 5AM and I can't sleep. Second night in the last three nights that I couldn't sleep for all the thoughts happening. Who would get behind a BE300 board which could take in 7-20VDC, connect to a host via USB, and was fully software-adjustable between 350GH/140W and about 140GH/35W? If they were built so four of them could mount on an S1 chassis? These are just theoretical numbers based on BE300 performance test data from FriedCat's post, and what is hopefully a low estimate for regulator efficiency with the topology I have in mind. Hopefully the chips are affordable because I like this idea. We could sell boards direct which would save a lot on not shipping heatsinks, put a driver into cgminer and anyone with a retired S1 (or S3) and a USB hub would be sitting pretty. S1 heatsinks and AM Tube heatsinks are a similar size, so building them to fit either would be pretty sexy (though I'm not sure it's possible).

sidehack

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That's kinda what I figured. I've never seen them release chips before, and I certainly won't have enough money to give them suitable encouragement to do so, but I'd sure like to play with some of them.

dogie

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Quote from: TheRealSteve on February 23, 2015, 02:52:50 PM

Quote from: dogie on February 23, 2015, 02:30:02 PM

Avalon4 chips are and have been open for 3rd parties since release. Spondoolies often opens their chips up but availability is a bit behind actual release. I'd assume if you can put in a big enough order that Bitfury might consider taking your money as well, even Bitmain.

You'd know better about Bitmain, could you quantify 'big enough order' in their case?

Quote from: sidehack on February 23, 2015, 03:02:06 PM

What would Bitmain take to hand off a couple dozen sample chips?

I didn't mean to get your hopes up, I have zero information on if they'd actually sell chips. What I meant about money is that the more you have, the more likely they're going to be to listen. There's a good chance they'll never release them though.

[I don't usually hang around here, just passing through].

Mikestang

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Quote from: ChuckBuck on February 25, 2015, 03:18:43 PM

I certainly hope technology and efficiency converge at some point, where something that small, cheap, and power saving could actually mine something of value. 1 TH/s USB ASIC sticks, put me down for a couple hundred! Tongue

Or we can hope the other way, that large scale farm mining will become cost-prohibitive such that network difficulty will drop and existing "consumer" miners like usb sticks become viable again.

ChuckBuck

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better everyday ♥

Quote from: GigaBit on February 25, 2015, 03:12:51 PM

Quote from: ChuckBuck on February 24, 2015, 10:52:19 AM

You guys think we'll every get to the point of 1 TH/s the size of the old USB BlockErupter ASIC miners?

I think that's the only time I'd consider re-entering mining again.

Hey Chuck!

What you ask would likely cost enough for you to decide to re-exit the game again Grin

Giga, MY man! Grin

I certainly hope technology and efficiency converge at some point, where something that small, cheap, and power saving could actually mine something of value. 1 TH/s USB ASIC sticks, put me down for a couple hundred! Tongue

GigaBit

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Quote from: ChuckBuck on February 24, 2015, 10:52:19 AM

You guys think we'll every get to the point of 1 TH/s the size of the old USB BlockErupter ASIC miners?

I think that's the only time I'd consider re-entering mining again.

Hey Chuck!

What you ask would likely cost enough for you to decide to re-exit the game again Grin

ChuckBuck

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better everyday ♥

You guys think we'll every get to the point of 1 TH/s the size of the old USB BlockErupter ASIC miners?

I think that's the only time I'd consider re-entering mining again.

Mikestang

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This would be an implement of said rape then, yes?

Puts a consumer model in perspective, too.

Cablez

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Quote from: sidehack on February 23, 2015, 05:40:29 PM

Isn't that how growing an economy works? You rape it until it passes out, then look for someone to blame while you try slinking away with all the cash (or bankrupt, depending on timing). Then several years later, wait for it to wake back up and start raping again. There is no maintenance, just exploitable rapid growth (probably based on one party's greed and another's stupidity) until it breaks. Rinse and repeat.

About as truthful as you can get. +Internetz sir!

philipma1957

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Quote from: sidehack on February 23, 2015, 05:40:29 PM

Isn't that how growing an economy works? You rape it until it passes out, then look for someone to blame while you try slinking away with all the cash (or bankrupt, depending on timing). Then several years later, wait for it to wake back up and start raping again. There is no maintenance, just exploitable rapid growth (probably based on one party's greed and another's stupidity) until it breaks. Rinse and repeat.

Thanks for getting inside my head past the noise and writing just about a perfect post.

sidehack

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Isn't that how growing an economy works? You rape it until it passes out, then look for someone to blame while you try slinking away with all the cash (or bankrupt, depending on timing). Then several years later, wait for it to wake back up and start raping again. There is no maintenance, just exploitable rapid growth (probably based on one party's greed and another's stupidity) until it breaks. Rinse and repeat.

philipma1957

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Quote from: sidehack on February 23, 2015, 04:48:22 PM

Yeah I'm hoping too. I don't know what resources we'll have to put into it, but with a bit of help I think we could do something worthwhile. Novak and I have what we think are some pretty good ideas. I just hope we have the time and scrounge up the money even for a proof-of-concept. Helping the small guys is what we prefer to do.

sad that it is coming to this. But millions of homes have a space heater or 2.

I would love to merge the avalon 4.1 into a space heater design. It is quiet and would work.

I am considering what to do. Not sure what will come down the pike.

looks like AM bitmaintech and avalon will be for the small miner. I will run my gear in the winter as space heaters only and hope for the 3 "european" companies to come to their senses and stop killing the goose to get the golden eggs faster

Bitfury-------------------
KNC---------------------
Spondoolies-------------

Mikestang

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As a small guy who's into this now for the kicks of it, I fully support your endeavors! Good luck.

sidehack

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Yeah I'm hoping too. I don't know what resources we'll have to put into it, but with a bit of help I think we could do something worthwhile. Novak and I have what we think are some pretty good ideas. I just hope we have the time and scrounge up the money even for a proof-of-concept. Helping the small guys is what we prefer to do.

Shazam!!!

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#takeminingback

@ sidehack...After reading that Spondoolies is goin' larger than I could ever Handle
it took some wind out of my noobie sail. It would be AWESOME if someone could help the small guys.
I hope you find what you're lookin' for...Goodluck and Push forward!!!

sidehack

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But that's stupid. Centralized bitcoin is no bitcoin at all, and altcoins have approximately zero long-term value. If there's a market void, someone will find a way to fill it.

sidehack

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I've already talked to Spondoolies a bit about sample chip sourcing, and we're looking at Avalon at least for concept work since their stuff is ready available (and also not BGA). I'd really love to get some Bitmain chips for what we have in mind, but I didn't know they sold chips to third-party devs. I can't think of any BM-based non-BM miners. What I'd really like is BE300 but, as mentioned, they don't really exist yet. Depending on how similar a current-gen chip is to the next-gen, it might not be hard to build a proof-of-concept around current hardware and then retool it for next-gen when they start to appear.

What would Bitmain take to hand off a couple dozen sample chips?

TheRealSteve

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Quote from: dogie on February 23, 2015, 02:30:02 PM

Avalon4 chips are and have been open for 3rd parties since release. Spondoolies often opens their chips up but availability is a bit behind actual release. I'd assume if you can put in a big enough order that Bitfury might consider taking your money as well, even Bitmain.

That's the thing though - Avalon's A3222 is readily available (A3233 slightly less so), but is the odd one out (in more ways than one). SP's is behind an NDA. BitFury used to be so accessible (even small group buys) that it spawned umpteendozen different miners, but now you'll have to show up with decent chunks of money. You'd know better about Bitmain, could you quantify 'big enough order' in their case?

Granted, that's based on what's available now and there might not be that much interest in current chips as it is - with people waiting for each developer's next chip instead (certainly for AM, the BE200 being lackluster); it's those chips' availability that I'm questioning.. as in, they're not available now, and there's very little indicating that they'd be readily available in the future.

Mikestang

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Quote from: notlist3d on February 21, 2015, 03:22:18 PM

Quote from: philipma1957 on February 21, 2015, 02:04:49 PM

It may be the last miner I ever own. If diff keeps going> I won't be doing much mining at home.

This is my worry. I love mining, always have. The trend of going to big farms seems hard to stop. I'm hoping we can continue to mine. Will be interesting to see who keeps selling to consumers and who goes for the big fish.

I hope SP and Bitmain both keep making consumer gear.

I imagine there has to be a point where farm mining will become cost-prohibitive (maybe after the next reward halving?) and gradually everything will scale down, hopefully back to where the average consumer has a "reasonable" chance to hit a block. The cost of equipment and electricity for large farms will be hard to justify as the reward decreases. Although the scenario I'm imagining might just make pools the top dogs in the mining arena. Part of what makes all of this fun to me is the speculation and wondering what will come next.

Topic: Next consumer model miner - page 4. (Read 8966 times)