Topic: Swedish ASIC miner company kncminer.com - page 1687. (Read 3049528 times)

I think an embedded linux is a great way of getting round the problem of having an external controller. All in one boxes are all the rage don`t ya know.

whatever....   again..  Forgive me, but using a Pi on a KNC seems a huge waste of time, resources, and equipment you already paid for, and for no advantage since the embedded so-dimm Linux module already has everything you need, and more. I don't mind at all u think I'm "Clueless"... I was thinking same of you. Fair enough...

You had me at hello....this would be an awesome way to let the news drop.

Okay, I was giving you the benefit of the doubt -  but it's now obvious that you really are clueless. I'm done with this "conversation"

It's likely a simple mockup to show the straightaway to the finish line. It's not like there's a ritual involved in sitting heatsinks/fans on top of a PCB. You sit them on top. Done. At worst, take 1 minute to screw them in place.

I've taken photos which look like that. I'm not a professional picture studio. I'm sure they're capable of wielding a 15mp camera.

As to why they might hold back on news of having chips/installing them? Underpromise / overdeliver

My theory is this: They won't announce anything. They'll simply start providing tracking numbers to customers. Let the customers spread the word like fire to a pinetree farm. That'll be the best announcement which could ever be made.

Paul Revere's ride would hold nothing compared to KNC customers screaming they have tracking numbers.

I don't know, maybe it's:
- a proven linux platform ideal for the application
- well supported in the community (see Minepeon)
- well supported technically outside the community, with thousands of applications and many developers
- cheap

A better question might be "What could a PI do for a knc miner"?
What would be the reason?

maybe they just have Pi syndrome.... a fettish known to miners as the MacGuyver way of doing things, which was adapted as standard in the field, until a real asic manufacturer came on the scene. Words like "embedded linux" just confuses the hell out of them.  

... it was a low priority
... they sent it to a studio to have it done right
... they bought a lightbox as they didn't like the quality of existing photos which will be more important as they get closer to retail
... they were waiting on the cable harnesses which will be used in production from the OEM
... they had some unreported issues they wanted resolved before taking photos

I don't know take your pick.

Having chips in hand would be a pretty massive deal.  I am pretty sure KNC isn't going to keep that a secret.  Why would they?
They want unsure customers on the edge to cancel orders?  
They are hoping Nov orders will slow down because they just have too much revenue?  
They want FUDers to drive sales to competitors by questioning the lack of chips?
They want to take more time out of their carefree days to answer emails about "when will the chips arrived"?

Because his fanboy-brain doesn't see how something KnC excluded from their supreme miners could be useful for anything.

He is right tho, that they are using OrSoc's embedded linux board. That was posted long times ago

Looks like professional studio photos, rather than just some snaps they took themselves. So if they were taken at a professional studio, at the very least a few days if not a week ago. So indeed likely to be a mock up.

i tend to agree that it is probably just a mock up as well.

That is kinda a leap.  KNC is still selling Nov units.  Showing a populated board would boost sales as it would give new customers confidence that if they are on track for Sept/Oct then they are on track for Nov.  At this point it is a race between various companies.  There is only so much money which can go into hardware before ROI approaches 0% so a missed sale today may not be made tomorrow.  Given that if they had the chips and the chips on a board I would have assumed they would snap a couple pics.  If they had an operating board I am sure they would span a pic of it mining.  Both would explode sales for Nov.

Also the Alterra FPGA requires active cooling.  Why would they mount it to the board if it wasn't to test the board?  If they are testing the board they need to cool it and the mounting hole only allow a full size heat sink.  So I am sure they intend to use the Alterra with the production heat sink as the goal of using a FPGA is to test the entire system (host, power supply, connectors, cooling, etc).  It isn't that difficult of a problem.  The simple but expensive option would be to just mount 4 FPGA on one prototype board which would make the most sense as it would allow the most comprehensive testing.  If they are only using a single FPGA a nonconductive shim isn't that difficult.

It's an OrSoC embedded Linux DIMM module:

I'm so glad it's shiny. Shiny = "the future".

You obviously have never built anything in your life -- the concept is called "mockup."

For instance, the pics make it obvious that the air partitions suggested in the cad rendering will be difficult to mount.

that could have been done weeks ago... it wasn't.  Nobody wants to assemble something that will never function, and we've been waiting for this...  I'd bet on it. It's an obvious teaser! I'm stoked!

Early KNC indicate the host would be a embedded sodimm board so not a RPi.  Then again it doesn't really matter.  The host is relatively low end stuff.  It needs a tiny amount of memory, a low end processor, ethernet, and some sort of serial connectivity to the ASIC boards.  An embedded linux board will work fine, so will a RPi.  I assume they simply have more experience with this board so they are using it.