VMC website problems:
1. On main page it says "Free shipping"
But during order stage 4 I see DHL shipping = $200.
I'll forward this to Ken.
2. On the order page it says "Available", but in fact it is a pre-order. Misleading.
Please avoid becoming another BFL, and state thing clearly.
Well, there are only so many pre-orders available since low production will start Q4, and high production kicks into gear at the beginning of Q1 2014. It
is and pre-order but there are only limited amounts. I'll talk to Ken to get this changed so people don't get confused.
3. Pricing issue:
Base model + 1 module = $4000, but Base model + 2 modules = $10,000. How come?
It's quite a deal really. You get the base module and a hashing card for $4000. Afterwards, the hashing cards cost $5000 a piece. Not a bug.
4. Supply/Demand - the current situation with ASIC market is a joke.
I cannot find an ASIC mine anywhere, except Ebay Avalon for $30,000 bucks. (Which I'm not ready to pay)
Every single company offers pre-orders (with 1 year delay; BFL) or nothing.
You're right. When Ken first started earlier this year, he created VMC to supply AMC with machines solely for this matter.
He is doing none of the production himself (though he has written the RTL code for the chips themselves). He is outsourcing the production to a company called
www.easic.com.
eASIC approved Ken's code and tested to make sure it works with their chip 2 weeks ago.
Ken is in the process of gathering necessary funds for paying NRE costs on its 28nm chip. We hope these funds to be gathered soon, so that chip production can start as soon as possible. Estimated dates after NRE payment are:
- Chip samples delivered in 9 weeks;
- Low-volume chip production starting in 12 weeks, using an e-beam process;
- Normal volume chip production starting in 16-18 weeks.
My suggestion: Put a batch of production-ready mines on an auction at VMC. Not pre-orders. Actual and working mines.
And place a very small minimum ask of each mine, near production costs.
If you have real working mines traded at VMC at auction, we would *solve* the stupid Supply/demand issue in a short order.
If the auction fails (no bids), the mine temporarily goes to AMC department for in-house mining until next-week's auction. Repeat.
Auction selling will allow the company to determine mine's real, free-market price. AMC should also be allowed to bid.
Capitalism is about solving problems, including supply/demand problems.
If Avalon sold batch #1 mines for $1300, and a few months later I find an Avalon for $30,000 on ebay, then something is dead wrong here.
-Technologov
The first batch will be coming out in 9 weeks
after the NRE is paid for unfortunately. The good news is that we are getting closer to that goal each day. At current rate it is projected that we will reach this goal sometime next week (BTC/USD withstanding of course)
Klondike boards are boards for 16 GH/s Fast-Hash 28 nm chips, right ?
And will they arrive _before_ the chips themselves ?
No. The Klondike boards are entirely seperate from VMC. Those boards will go to AMC to mine right away. Kens chips through eASIC will be 16GH/s each and be manufactured at 28nm.
Hope this answer some of your questions. Let me know if you have any more.