Topic: Swedish ASIC miner company kncminer.com - page 50. (Read 3049511 times)

Well, due to complications and my desire to get "energy saver" done and released asap... the cube historic settings tracking feature may be postponed till a future release after "energy saver" =/

I was told by KNC staff (for what they knew and what it is worth) the the only pi that worked on the Titan is the current one ..which ..again this is remembering
a Raspberry PI B+ 512? which is the standard one that comes with a Titan. They told a guy with a broke SD card port ..to replace with such if I remember correctly.

This was a thread in their KNC forums which I DID NOT ARCHIVE BUT THOUGHT ABOUT IT....a regret to this day. I looked at wayback and they go back like 6 deep which
is very frustrating because ...looking at them...i get to the 'title' of the posting and no farther.

I don't suppose I missed a memo and someone did find or got a complete archive of knc forums before they pulled the plug (we should be so lucky) lots of good stuff lost
at least from member fixes (and staff vs equip buyer (us) drama)

Got a question for yall....
I remember a few people having issues w/ their Titan webgui advanced page being blank and the miner wouldnt hash at all on firmware versions higher than v1.02

Im wondering if this just so happens to be the difference between a Pi A (the older 256MB RAM version)  or the Pi B (newer 512MB RAM version).

Can anyone confirm testing of a Pi A w/ their Titan?

The auction guy is not wanting to listen that even if he is correct and you can take a Titan board and make it a Neppie..it will not work in reverse even if you swap out the PI (as he states with proper computer the pi vs the bbb)

He is not into the truth on this (or in denial) he ASSUMES because (if he is correct).... ) the above Titan to Neptune works so it must work the other way around..... anyway he says you can make a Titan board into a Neppie board so it will work vice versa.

So I ended the conversation. If someone gets his board for Neptune/Jupiter/Saturn/Mercury use there will be no issue. IF at his high price they ASSUME it is Titan board upgrade-able ...I assume he will 'say it works' then 'muddle the issue in dispute' and is 'as is' and thus the guy who gets it for Titan use is stuck in a quagmire of explaining the difference of an identical board that is  not working on BTC machines...Neptune or Titan etc.. to Ebay rep ...man that would not be fun......

Just was pointing this out to the guy on ebay so he would NOT get jam'd up saying a Neptune board will work on a Titan ...but it seems he has his story such he thinks he can pull it off.


Back to the original question thou..if a person was CRAZY enough to want to change a Titan Controller to a Neptune Controller ....say tossed the Titan Bridge away....got a beagle bone black to replace the raspberry pi and viola Titan to Neptune Controller downgrade..can this be done (those who know)?

If so it comes down (again) to the fact KNC was too damn cheap to use the 1/3 more expensive beagle bone blacks back in the day and went with the cheaper PI on the same hardware design...hell..well played if this can be done knc....well played....(they are damn good at this evil crypto stuff)

and we get to look forward to their next 20mw data hall in probably 3 months .....fun times in btc difficulty land ..not to mention further fun in that bitfury is gonna dump its 40mh data hall in next week....damn I'm glad I mine scrypt (shudder)

woah. I didn't know the neptune boards were exactly the same as the titan boards (aside from pi/bb). what.

Can someone who has a neptune controller board take some high quality shots of the board without the BB? I just want to confirm if they are both the same. If they are, then what the hell, the bridge and pi are easy to make.

Just a side note. I saw this ebay auction for a Neptune card that claims it works with a Titan.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-KNC-KNCMINER-BITCOIN-NEPTUNE-TITAN-100-working-LAST-ONE-For-sale-/272071496900?hash=item3f58b994c4:g:Rx8AAOSwHQ9WZ56p

I sent a polite pm to the guy saying it was good for anything below a Titan but would not work with a Titan and if he had a way to do so post on here put a btc address
up for tips and he would make lots of BTC for such a trick!

In the comments on the below link below..He says the following

quote:

Question & Answer    Answered On
Q:     I have been told that this card can't be upgraded to a titan card in that the titan uses a pi and neptune/jupiter/saturn/mercury all use this card if firmware is changed because beagle bone black in them ..not a pi just figured you should know good luck with your auction    Dec-11-15
A:     That is why in the listing it says if you have the correct computer...I.E. a Pi...I don't understand why so many people are confused by this...I KNOW that you can take a Titan and use it as a Neptune (swapping the PI for a beagle bone black) So I am sure you can go the other way.
Ask seller a question

unquote:

The key on the above is "I know you can take a Titan and use it on a Neptune (swapping the PI for a beagle bone black) So I am sure you can go the other way. (his quote above)


Well still think you can't take a Neptune controller and make it a Titan BUT CAN YOU take a Titan controller as he states and make it a Neptune/Jupiter/Saturn/Mercury with the
above Beagle Bone Black swap? Would explain the guys ebay auction assumptions.

Just wondering if his premise on that is correct even thou the reverse (neptune/jupiter/saturn/mercury to titan controller) is not.

Thanks I was not slamming the guy .....just trying to be helpful and point it out...but kinda wondering about what he replied.

(The ways of KNC design are mysterious to me (w/o my voodoo for dummies book and a bucket of ACME chicken entrails)

Quick update: I opened another thread on hacking these things but I figured out the problem: The FPGA's output drivers are shorted, causing the little 4 way power supply to crowbar and fail while trying to bring up the I/O rail. Proof is in the ssh session, the bring-up-the-power supply command fails.

Edit: Note the board design sucks IMO. The raw FPGA lines go right to those edge connectors, normally a wise person would put an optoisolator chip or heck even a buffer/Schmidt/Op amp trigger on the outputs. Nope, instead of putting in a ten cent part the $100+ FPGA is exposed.

On to the next problem....

best place is always a place you can directly control them.

Hi there,

Wondered if anyone here could help me out with recommendations for a good hosting site for two (X4 cube) titans?

Thanks for any help...

Quick question: Trying to get a Neptune board and BBB/controller working. Doesn't see Neptune, BBB up and running, only 3 i2c devices in ssh.

Is there a command line way to verify if the bbb can see the FPGA? Likewise do you need 12v on the neptune up just to see the voltages or anything on the dc-dc converters?

root@Neptune:/boot# waas -g all-asic-info
Error opening /sys/bus/i2c/devices/3-0050/eeprom: No such file or directory
ASIC board #0 is non-functional: Bad EEPROM data
Error opening /sys/bus/i2c/devices/4-0050/eeprom: No such file or directory
ASIC board #1 is non-functional: Bad EEPROM data
Error opening /sys/bus/i2c/devices/5-0050/eeprom: No such file or directory
ASIC board #2 is non-functional: Bad EEPROM data
Error opening /sys/bus/i2c/devices/6-0050/eeprom: No such file or directory
ASIC board #3 is non-functional: Bad EEPROM data
Error opening /sys/bus/i2c/devices/7-0050/eeprom: No such file or directory
ASIC board #4 is non-functional: Bad EEPROM data
Error opening /sys/bus/i2c/devices/8-0050/eeprom: No such file or directory
ASIC board #5 is non-functional: Bad EEPROM data
{
Error opening /dev/i2c-3: No such file or directory
Error opening /dev/i2c-4: No such file or directory
Error opening /dev/i2c-5: No such file or directory
Error opening /dev/i2c-6: No such file or directory
Error opening /dev/i2c-7: No such file or directory
Error opening /dev/i2c-8: No such file or directory

Thanks!

great

Quick update: Cube settings history tracking for each controller... code written and in testing =)

I get it, you want to use what we have to fix our shiz. Problem with this cheap solution is that it requires more people that don't care enough about it and rather not invest the time. Hence my conclusion to just get the PCBs made on a mass scale. The more people that want, the cheaper it will get which is the best it can get with bulk orders.

And I am certain the copper blew out on the bridges. All of my boards have had that issue on multiple controllers with multiple different PSUs after working with the same ones after some time. Just bad design is all. And yeah, rerolling these loafs of bread are fun and why I enjoy everything about cryptocurrency generation.

I will gladly help anyone who is willing to take the bridge/controller situation further (software/build wise). If there's any of you out there that care enough

wow, looks like some great reference material

thx tolip_wen

I was suggesting above that if you run power to the Pi thru the original Pi power connector you can use the voltage regulator that is already installed on every Pi.
If there is ONLY a voltage regulator on the bridge  and not also a voltage level shifting logic part that might explain why they are going kaput before their time. In that case I'd suggest adding a part to deliver the proper voltage level logic(as if it were a BBB) the controller is designed for.
It's still just a bandaid and using a BBB is cheaper than 0.5BTC for a new bridge board.
(this assumes that someone ports the software)
I posted a few times in the OC thread instructions for setting up a BBB to compile software.
Has anyone asked kfc if they have a BBB flavor of tit FW???

If one must throw BTC at something I'd suggest asking Luke-jr what he'd charge to port the kfc Pi 'utility' code to the BBB.
He is/was quite fluent in the details of what goes where on the Pi and BBB.
(just an idea if there is no willing tit programming talent in this thread)

I think in one of your posts you mentioned burnt traces on the bridge boards.
This kinda does not make sense, I could see killing Pi's happening or killing a part on the bridge but not burning copper.
There should not be enough current between a Pi and a controller to smoke PCB traces.
A Pi runs fine powered by a typical USB port, this means less than 0.5A @ 5VDC, equates to 2.5 watts or less, mentioned already by others.
The Cyclone IV on the controller gets it's power from the 65217A power chip also on the controller.
The FPGA depends on the 65217A being set up correctly before it will operate.
Thusly, troubleshooting a controller should start by verifying power.
I'd guess that some large portion of dead controller boards are just blown 65217.
It is an easier part to repair than the BGA Cyclone.
Definately the 65217 is doable with US$50 hobbyist reflow tools and they are under US$10 each qty1.

I'm not trying to ruin your fun, rerolling the bridge PCB artwork sounds like fun if it's for something that interests you.
But it doesen't sound IMneverHO like the ideal cost effective long term solution for the wider audience of tit users.

You might try one of theese instead...
https://www.adafruit.com/products/2426
or
https://www.adafruit.com/products/2427
They are already 5V tolerant but may not lead to correct IO pins.
It's a common enough challenge for solutions to have already been found and commoditised specifically for the Pi.
Why re-invent the wheel?

If you like to solder start here...
https://www.adafruit.com/products/801
and add your favorite 5V to 3.3V buffer chip.

As usual,
YMMV

This could also be implemented using a local log server.  This would give users the option of being able to move cubes across multiple controllers, all communicating with a local log server, and the cube's setting would follow it from controller to controller.

Alternately, the existing conf file could just be set up to reference cubes via their serial numbers, and keep a configuration history, but only use the most recent config.

My short answer is yes, it would be nice to have this feature.  If I remove (or move) one of my cubes, it often messes with the other cube's settings.

Very interesting post tolip. I appreciate the link for the JTAG and mentions of neppy boards as I haven't had a jupiter or neptune to confirm.

Would be nice to make those bridges cheaper, my new batch will be ready this weekend (for those that don't want to make their own). Also note, the bridge boards aren't just rewiring pins. There's a voltage regulator on there, hence the burning out of some boards, that will also have to be taken into account if you want to make your own (you can use a Harwin M20-7872042 and a Farnell 1256663 for the connectors to fit with the Pi).

I'm not too sure about having control over that cyclone though.

Genius as always tolip.

In other news, kfc have started sending out Xmas cards to their customers in the lawsuit against them 

@ tolip_wen

great post man thank you   

@ Searing, not a dumb question.


There is no 'bridge' board between a BBB and a kfc controller.
The BBB plugs directly into the BBB compatable connector on the controller.
The controller boards are the same for all the BTC products from kfc.
I use Oct. Saturn controllers on nepturds. No difference WITH the correct firmware.
Educated guess says this 'bridge' board you guys are referring to is just lining up the power and SPI pins of the R Pi to the pinouts of the BBB connector that is on the controller PCB. SPI is P1 pins 5&6 on a Pi and P9 19&20 on a BBB.
There is probably also a voltage regulator involved. And should be but probbly missing if they tried it and it worked logic level shifting circuitry.

The main difference between them(hoopiter vs. nepturd) is the program(spimux.rbf) that is loaded into the FPGA by the firmware.

The primary function of the FPGA is to take the multiplexed SPI signals from a Pi or BBB and de-multiplex it to correct seperate physical cube serial interfaces.
The software on the Pi or BBB sends all external cube communication over a single 'data' wire to the FPGA.
(there is also a clock wire, SPI is a "2 wire interface")
Between the controller and the cube it is still serial just de-multiplexed.
The ASICs themselves further demux because there are more cores addressable than a single SPI channel supports.
Iffin I recollect correctly the serial to and from the ASIC cores is unidirectional requiring a wire  for each direction.
External to the FPGA are at least 12 seperate serial interfaces, 6(or12) for ASIC and 6 for DC/DC converters.
There might be 6 more for the LM75 not sure if it shares wire w/ VRM's.

The filename "spimux.rbf" tells us almost all we need to know if we recognise the jargon.
SPI=Serial Perephial Interface (a common industry interface)
mux=multiplexer
.rbf=compressed 'encrypted' proprietary Altera file format used to keep prying eyes like ours ignorant.

IMneverHO reverse engineering the FPGA even from decripted 'rbf' code would take an expert to understand.
Additionally the Cyclone IV can be turned into a CPU for clock request filtering purposes.
If kfc purchased the code to do this they "can't" release all the FPGA source because it is not theirs.
Another thing to keep in mind re: the FPGA.
The original FPGA sha256 code is the only diamond in the pile of shit that kfc has become.
The one and only technical competence (other than fleecing customers for NRE $) is their FPGA expertise.
 
Both the Pi and the BBB have an industry standard SPI interface.
If you bought something like this...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQA5BWU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
You could make your own 'bridge' board for about US$8.00.
If you wanted to get real fancy add one of theese...
http://www.adafruit.com/products/2711
Way less than the 0.5BTC I have seen mentioned.

You will need 2 or more power and ground wires, 2 SPI wires, and prolly some few others for LEDs etc.
I think you could run the power wires to the original Pi POWER connector and won't need a voltage regulator on the 'bridge' setup.
The Pi and the BBB do run on different voltages, it is one notable difference.
Ohm out each pin on the 'bridge' board and make a map for wiring.

You could probbably use a BBB instead of a Pi or a Pi instead of a BBB.
You would just have to adjust the SPI port setup in the firmware for any HW differences.
The various port pinouts of the Pi and BBB are easily findable.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Pi+SPI+pinout&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en#hl=en&q=BBB+SPI+pinout
The kfc source code for the SPI port setup on the BBB is online too.
I'm positive the only reason for the BBB to Pi change was for kfc to squeeze another US$10 out of each unit.

IMneverHO it would be easiest to port the Pi firmware to the BBB and forget about the voltage differences instead of 0.5BTC bandaid that still uses the Pi on a board designed for a BBB, FWIW. It might be as easy as changing the Pi header files with BBB header files and recompiling the utilities.

For those still on the quest for clocks, you might try using the 'raw' request type. 
If it can be done with non FPGA software that is a potential vector.
I have no idea about on the 'tit' but, someone might try using an spimux.rbf from a hoopiter or a nepturd.
Don't forget you need to also set serial interface speeds in conf file if you try the hoopiter flavor.

If you want to spy on the communications between the controller and the cube it is simple also.
Purchace one of theese...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUH3R48?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
and attach it to one of your ribbon cables, pay attention to the pin #1 markings! (a little triangle molded into the part)
and one of theese...
http://dangerousprototypes.com/docs/Open_Bench_Logic_Sniffer

The logic sniffer is just an FPGA(cheaper/less capable than a Cyclone IV) doing almost exactly what the 'controller' board does BTW.
There already exist Cyclone IV development kits that could with the addition of any PC(or Pi, or BBB, etc,etc) replace the kfc controller board.
Could prolly even load and run the kfc "spimux.rbf" file.
https://www.google.com/search?q=EP4CGX22CF19C7N+development+board&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

If you also installed a header into JP6 (the FPGA JTAG port) you can verify if the FPGA 'thinks' it's functional.
The logic sniffer above can do that too.
If all you wanted was JTAG info from the FPGA (to test FPGA functionality whilst troubleshooting controller boards)
one of theese...
http://dangerousprototypes.com/docs/Bus_Pirate
or one of theese
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALTERA-ByteBlaster-II-ALTERA-USB-Blaster-CPLD-FPGA-ALTERA-Download-Cable-JTAG-/271138629988
might be a better choice.

Last but not least, pay close attention so you witness when the smoke comes out!