Topic: ZTEX USB-FPGA Modules 1.15x and 1.15y: 215 and 860 MH/s FPGA Boards - page 38. (Read 182450 times)

Excellent - I'll look into doing this instead. I like the flexibility of the 1.15d for other potential applications so plan to build my BTC mining rig with 1.15d boards only - the microSD card will be useful for one other application I've got in mind, though whilst I'm on a steep learning curve, an old college mate is a VHDL expert (and ex-consultant) so I'm in touch with him regarding other possibilities...

Yup - though the Xilinx SDK *is* required if I want to change the 'code' the FPGA runs, or write a new app for the FPGA as hinted at above - am I correct? My mate used to do this for a living so has the tools. This is far-future stuff for me though. Right now I only need *your* SDK running, which I know is free, and the dependencies for this are also (luckily) free. And they all compile on OS X (even SDCC).

Many thanks for the tips though!

Great to have vendor support right here in the forum, especially as your BTC miner customers are likely to be less familiar with the environment than your *usual* market, and supporting noobs is a frustrating business Fortunately I've got a mate who can walk me through the tricky stuff - but what's great is that this thread will allow consolidation of information, tips and tricks. I'll make sure I document here any 'gotchas' and will offer my OS X environment once it's built.

Hopefully it'll become almost like a FAQ - and Ztex can put 'read this thread before emailing me' on his BTCMiner website


Need to save my pennies (though if I can pay with BTC... that's an idea) because I want my rigs to *look* good too... and after working out the power budget of each 1.15d plus 1.3 Exp-Board, plus the peak power taken by the planned fans in the enclosure, and the total power should be just over 60W for 5 boards.

This is ideal since I've got one of Ztex's 5-into-1 power cable splitters. From the thread it appears that I'm going to need to ensure that my PSU doesn't kill the boards - it's a switching supply for CCTV units, rated at 12V DC - sadly I only have a decent multimeter and no oscilloscope, but Stefan said 'if it's switching, it's regulated' and I'll be testing with one board first anyway.

The design for 5 boards is handy since the volume discounts kick in at 5 boards or more - and from what Stefan's said, make a difference. I was going to buy one-by-one but it's insane with the discounts on offer. Hopefully I'll be able to buy 5 boards next, fill the box design, and have one spare 'bench build' for testing.

It's effectively going to be like the Mac G4 Cube - transparent acrylic box with a couple of PC case fans at the bottom of the box, pulling air in (there will be fresh air available to these fans), then vertically mounted Ztex boards with the supplied heatsinks, then a couple more fans at the top pulling hot air out. I've learnt from my multi-GPU rigs that taking advantage of physics and having upwards airflow works better than horizontal flow. The enclosed rectangular 'tube' should ensure that air is forced *through* the experimental board gap and 1.15d FPGA as well as the FPGA's heatsink, and the input air should always be at ambient temp. Adding additional boards shouldn't affect the boards already in the box, unlike horizontal designs - hopefully the longer Experimental Boards should separate the airflow on the way in and ensure each FPGA heatsink gets a fresh blast

I've seen the horizontal 10-board rig with the blue heatsinks on this forum - which uses 6 case fans and (IIRC) custom twin-FPGA boards - and it looks gorgeous. I'm aiming for something of equal aesthetic standard using Ztex 1.15d boards that keeps everything well within thermal and power spec, but is less capital-intensive initially. If I had £10k to spend then I'd buy a batch and build a single rig with lots of boards, but it's a LOT of capital to lose if a PSU fails. Multiple 5-board rigs seems most sensible to me, and once I've got the Mac software built (thanks for the advice Stefan - I'm confident it'll work - I've got all the dependencies that need compiling, even SDCC works on the Mac), it will *solely* be a question of acquiring capital.

I'm not buying any more GPUs, and will be selling them off as soon as I can replace their hashing power with FPGAs. It's definitely the way forward, IMO.


The only concern I have is too many BTC miners flooding Ztex with orders, allowing Stefan to raise the price and causing delays. It's definitely a niche market for his business, and also a capricious one that could vanish if BTC collapses. I remember the initial rush to hack the mk1 iPhone - before George Hotz and a few others got a JTAG interface to the baseband and eventually went from a crude hardware hack to a software hack, the only way to use the iPhone with a non-AT&T SIM (i.e. anyone outside the USA and anyone without AT&T coverage) was by using a 'dodgy SIM' proxy such as the TurboSIM products. These were a niche product for a niche market, and suddenly thousands of new global customers were demanding these special SIM proxy cards. The owner of that business sold out immediately - then scaled up production to meet all this new demand.... which evaporated as soon as a viable software hack became available. I don't know whether that business survived as a result - certainly he was left with a LOT of unwanted stock!

Hence I'm sure Stefan is wise enough not to build *too* much extra capacity in *just* for the Bitcoin mining market - there is a real risk that the market will vanish. I respect his support for BTC massively (by offering the 1.15x and the BTCMiner bitstream) but hope that BTC remains a small niche in his overall market, so there are always enough to go round

Interesting to see what happens when a fan fails during mining.  I guess the FPGA doesn't completely clock down to 0 right away due to the heatsink, but the USB controller poops out first.  Good to see that no serious damage to the board though.  Anybody suspect that it causes any damage to the USB controller/board components when the fan dies?

I think a multimeter should be good enough to check. I run my x's @ 12V and the d's at 13.8V.

Module 1.15x fan failure during mining
============================

Let me start out with pointing out that it was not ZTEX's luxury fan (retail cost $29.99 or $19.99 or something like that) that failed,
but my cheap fan from China.
Which has 2mm pitch connectors and which I had attached to the 1/10" pitch connectors by a crudely made adapter cable.
 
It failed on Wednesday.

Here's what happened in  detail, starting with a time when it is still mining along happily:

ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 216.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 210.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=198.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=198.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.02
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=198.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=198.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.02
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=198.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=198.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.02
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=198.00MHz,  errorRate=0.23%,  maxErrorRate=0.29%,  hashRate=197.5MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.02
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=198.00MHz,  errorRate=0.39%,  maxErrorRate=0.49%,  hashRate=197.2MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.02
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 210.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 216.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=204.00MHz,  errorRate=3.67%,  maxErrorRate=3.67%,  hashRate=196.5MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.02
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 210.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 216.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 210.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=210.00MHz,  errorRate=7.43%,  maxErrorRate=7.43%,  hashRate=194.4MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.03
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 210.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=192.00MHz,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.05
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 210.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=192.00MHz,  errorRate=0.50%,  maxErrorRate=0.50%,  hashRate=191.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.05
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=192.00MHz,  errorRate=0.85%,  maxErrorRate=0.92%,  hashRate=190.4MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.05
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=198.00MHz,  errorRate=3.73%,  maxErrorRate=3.73%,  hashRate=190.6MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.05
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 210.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=192.00MHz,  errorRate=1.47%,  maxErrorRate=1.62%,  hashRate=189.2MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.06
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=192.00MHz,  errorRate=2.49%,  maxErrorRate=2.61%,  hashRate=187.2MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.07
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.08
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=186.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.08
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=186.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.08
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=186.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.08
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=186.0MH/s,  submitted 3 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.08
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=186.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.08
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=198.00MHz,  errorRate=6.29%,  maxErrorRate=6.29%,  hashRate=185.6MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.08
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=0.47%,  maxErrorRate=0.57%,  hashRate=185.1MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.08
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 204.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=204.00MHz,  errorRate=9.74%,  maxErrorRate=9.74%,  hashRate=184.1MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.09
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=1.16%,  maxErrorRate=1.23%,  hashRate=183.8MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.09
New block detected by long polling
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=1.51%,  maxErrorRate=1.63%,  hashRate=183.2MH/s,  submitted 2 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.10
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=1.63%,  maxErrorRate=1.64%,  hashRate=183.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.10
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=2.36%,  maxErrorRate=2.40%,  hashRate=181.6MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=186.00MHz,  errorRate=3.13%,  maxErrorRate=3.13%,  hashRate=180.2MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 180.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=180.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=180.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.47%,  maxErrorRate=0.47%,  hashRate=179.2MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.12
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.29%,  maxErrorRate=0.47%,  hashRate=179.5MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.19%,  maxErrorRate=0.47%,  hashRate=179.7MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.13%,  maxErrorRate=0.47%,  hashRate=179.8MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.09%,  maxErrorRate=0.47%,  hashRate=179.8MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.07%,  maxErrorRate=0.47%,  hashRate=179.9MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.05%,  maxErrorRate=0.47%,  hashRate=179.9MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
New block detected by long polling
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.04%,  maxErrorRate=0.47%,  hashRate=179.9MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.28%,  maxErrorRate=0.47%,  hashRate=179.5MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.11
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 198.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 180.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.73%,  maxErrorRate=0.73%,  hashRate=178.7MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.12
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=0.98%,  maxErrorRate=1.23%,  hashRate=178.2MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.12
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=1.19%,  maxErrorRate=1.23%,  hashRate=177.9MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.12
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 180.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=1.47%,  maxErrorRate=1.54%,  hashRate=177.3MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.12
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=1.81%,  maxErrorRate=1.88%,  hashRate=176.7MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.13
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=1.78%,  maxErrorRate=2.06%,  hashRate=176.8MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.12
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=1.76%,  maxErrorRate=2.06%,  hashRate=176.8MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.12
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=1.96%,  maxErrorRate=2.11%,  hashRate=176.5MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.13
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 180.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=2.34%,  maxErrorRate=2.37%,  hashRate=175.8MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.13
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=2.90%,  maxErrorRate=2.93%,  hashRate=174.8MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.13
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 180.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 174.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  submitted 2 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 2 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.00%,  maxErrorRate=0.00%,  hashRate=174.0MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.20%,  maxErrorRate=0.25%,  hashRate=173.7MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 192.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 180.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 174.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.41%,  maxErrorRate=0.43%,  hashRate=173.3MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.54%,  maxErrorRate=0.60%,  hashRate=173.1MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.41%,  maxErrorRate=0.60%,  hashRate=173.3MH/s,  submitted 2 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.30%,  maxErrorRate=0.60%,  hashRate=173.5MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.23%,  maxErrorRate=0.60%,  hashRate=173.6MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.17%,  maxErrorRate=0.60%,  hashRate=173.7MH/s,  submitted 2 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.34%,  maxErrorRate=0.60%,  hashRate=173.4MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 186.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 174.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.73%,  maxErrorRate=0.80%,  hashRate=172.7MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.15
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 180.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=180.00MHz,  errorRate=4.15%,  maxErrorRate=4.15%,  hashRate=172.5MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.15
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Set frequency to 174.00MHz
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=1.03%,  maxErrorRate=1.26%,  hashRate=172.2MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.15
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.77%,  maxErrorRate=1.26%,  hashRate=172.7MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=0.80%,  maxErrorRate=1.26%,  hashRate=172.6MH/s,  submitted 1 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.14
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=1.09%,  maxErrorRate=1.26%,  hashRate=172.1MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.15
ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: f=174.00MHz,  errorRate=1.05%,  maxErrorRate=1.26%,  hashRate=172.2MH/s,  submitted 0 new nonces,  luckFactor=1.15
Warning (try 1): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


Warning (try 2): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


Warning (try 3): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


Warning (try 4): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


Warning (try 5): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


Warning (try 6): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


Warning (try 7): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


Warning (try 8 ): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


Warning (try 9): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


Warning (try 10): libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win error: The device does not recognize the command.


ztex_ufm1_15d3-04A32DC6E1: Error: bus=bus-0  device=\\.\libusb0-0002--0x221a-0x0100: Read hash data: libusb0-dll:err [control_msg] sending control message failed, win
 error: The device does not recognize the command.

: Disabling device


So, it kept throttling down, the error rate went up, it throttled down some more and finally it seems the USB microcontroller got too hot from the radiated/conducted heat and stopped working properly, which in turn prevented the FPGA from getting more work (well, the FPGA's flip-flops would still be toggling, right?)

This morning, I re-attached the Xilince "luxury" cooler and restarted the mining software, whereupon...
(scroll down to read the shocking facts)




























































...IT WORKS AGAIN!  

I didn't pull the heatsink ! That much i know. When i removed the pad the first time i could see that it did not made enough contact with the chip. The heatsink is perfectly flat. The latest fail could be too much of thermal adhesive. I tried to put on as little as possible. Either way, i had my chances. Now there is no way to remove the heatsink without serious damage.

I've always wondered what happens when you PULL a heat sink off a BGA chip.
Could some of the solder balls come undone?
The solder ball would still be there, but its contact to the PCB (or its contact to the chip itself) would be something like what happens in a "cold solder joint".
That it works when you apply pressure, and ceases to work when the pressure is gone, fits this picture 100%.

The board is working fine. It just needs some pressure from above. I can live with that It's the faster board of the two btw...

Heat sink installation on USB FPGA Modules 1.15d should not be difficult if you follow the instructions at http://www.ztex.de/usb-fpga-1/usb-fpga-1.15.e.html#hs.

Only two additional things have to be considered (in comparison to the 1.15x board):

• Heat sink removal is critical. Always unmount it by twisting (see http://www.ztex.de/usb-fpga-1/usb-fpga-1.15.e.html#hs ) tilting may damage the PCB (IMHO that happened to Turbors board)
• Some airflow has to be ensured, either by case fans or by using the active cooling upgrade in the shop

microSD card can be used if you mount the heat sink within the frame in the silk screen: http://www.ztex.de/usb-fpga-1/usb-fpga-1.15.e.html#hs


The ZTEX SDK is free: http://www.ztex.de/firmware-kit/. The Xilinx ISE is not required.

For porting BTCMiner to a other OS's the JNI library has to be compiled for that target OS, see http://wiki.ztex.de/doku.php?id=en:software:porting. Under Mac
in the libusbJava-src directory of the SDK  should do the job.  Copy the library to the working directory of your BTCMiner and it should work.

Yes, it's 4 MHz more or less for some boards. At 16 degree they do 220 and 216 for example and at 21 degree they clock down to 216 and 212. But i prefer a lower clock rate with less errors !

Hey Catfish, welcome to the ztex clan.  Good luck with the 1.15d!

I only have 1.15x, but cooling is not really a big issue for me.  I even tried blowing the board directly with a big fan and it didn't affect it much.  The good thing is that I had it run in a semi-enclosed space with ambient temperature up to 27C and it hashed just fine.  The bad part is that when I cooled the ambient down to 22C with good airflow, it didn't really matter too much (only 2 of 20 boards clocked 4Mhz higher, but hopefully the airflow will keep them running longer).  Either way, good luck.  I think Turbor has had some really good experience in getting these bad boys to clock pretty high.  And, Turbor, thanks for the advice on the heatsink.  I re-applied thermal paste on two of the units, quite painful, but it didn't seem to matter too much.  From what Stefan said, under 30C the speed is not really affected by thermals.

Well I've finally bitten the bullet, and ordered a single 1.15d with 'experimental board' (i.e. power supply rig) for my first intended 5-board frame design. And hopefully, as the GPU / logic board / PSU / RAM / drive systems are sold off, I'll be able to afford to buy more ZTEX FPGAs.

I haven't gone for the 1.15x models for two reasons. Firstly is the availability, but secondly, the 1.15x board is very specific to particular applications, and with the power regulation hardware on-board, requires better cooling.

The 1.15d needs to be plugged into a separate board underneath - I'm hoping that my experience with 12-GPU frame rigs will allow me to build a 5-board 'tube' with a couple of PC fans at each end, using the standard heatsinks. Forced air, enclosed by perspex so the cool circuit boards can be shown off :-)

Firstly a BIG shout out to Stefan for supplying and delivering my FPGA, experimental board and cabling within a day... he sent it on the Thursday evening from Germany and I picked it up in England by lunch-time on Friday. That's impressive stuff.

The kit looks nicely built - it doesn't look like I can make any use of the microSDHC card slot built onto the 1.15d, sadly, because the FPGA is too close to the card slot and the heatsink required will block any use of the card slot. OK, it'll have to be programmed via USB - not the end of the world...

Stefan - if you're reading this - yes I wanted immediate delivery and you're probably wondering why I haven't got the unit up and running yet... well, the software is only supplied for Windows (hurl) and Linux. My main machines all run Mac OS X - so I've downloaded the source to your SDK and dependencies and trying to port to OS X. It shouldn't be a problem at all, unless the only way of loading the bitstream to the FPGA is to use the binary Java distributions you have for download (Windoze and Linux only). I don't want to have to buy the expensive FPGA SDK, for obvious reasons. However, all your free tools *ought* to compile under Mac OS X - at least on Intel powered Macs. Will let you know if I hit any roadblocks...

Other than that, superb customer service, and blunt but accurate advice about what kit I needed to buy. I'm not an electronics engineer, and my questions could have got Stefan treating me like the guy who fried his voltage regulators. But he was polite and responded to my noob questions quickly.

Looks financially like I'll get the first FPGA board going, then build a funky perspex case, sadly only be able to afford another single unit at the end of the month (i.e. full price ) - but when I can release the capital to buy in bulk then I'll be trying to take advantage of the significant volume discounts. With English electricity costs, and only so much winter left to take advantage of (no gas central heating switched on this year!), I really need to switch from thirsty GPU rigs (9 Ghash worth... expensive power bills) to FPGAs.

Hopefully mine will be one of the 'good chips' and run over 200 Mhash using vertical air cooling... without spending more of my power budget on fans than actual hashing power! (just one of my frame rigs uses 60W worth of mains-powered fans... imagine all of those watts pumped into FPGAs....)



And cheeers Stefan, fantastic customer service and the kit looks top quality. Will ensure that I use a reasonably decent power source for the boards though....

The 1.15d should get you 208 to 212 MHz with good cooling. I cool mine with a 120mm fan from above and a 92mm from the side. At 21 degree C the boards run 208 MHz at almost zero % error rate. Heatsink placement is a bitch. I have one board that i can only use with a clamp, holding down the heatsink (and that with arctic alumina adhesive...  ). If you use the pads, i would use a clamp for some time to be sure the heatsink sticks to the chip. 1.15x boards run a bit faster due to their bigger heatsink. And yes, the boards are heavy duty. I ripped off the heatsink countless times just to find out that it won't work without clamp. Very good quality.

2 year EU warranty is the minimum guarantee which is ensured by EU law. This covers defects which existed at the time of delivery.  Since the FPGA boards are functionality tested there is not much room for this kind of errors.

In practice you can expect the FPGA board to be replaced if improper use is at least unlikely, e.g. if only a small percentage of a cluster fails within 2 years. (If more fails there are probably cooling problems).

The total run time of all LX150 FPGA boards produced by my company is about 50 years. AFAIK until now no board failed during proper use. So there is a good chance that the board run as long their power costs are less than their mining revenues.

I think 5-10 years would be pretty sweet.  Let's see if BTC survives.  I would think these things are made to run for awhile but I am not sure how heat and overclocking would affect longevity.

I did some thermal measurements on the boards, using the stock Xilence heatsink/fan with a open case and also with a big desk fan blowing directly on them. 

ztex said he expected these to run 5 - 10 years... I guess depending on heat?

Per Ztex in his emails, there is a 2-year EU mandated warranty on the boards that covers defects in the manufacturing.  the boards are tested before shipping, and you will be covered if it is DOA.  He has mentioned that it doesn't cover improper usage of the board.  I figure if the boards fries from you sticking in the wrong voltage power (see one of the threads here), you won't be covered.  
The build of the boards look pretty solid.  I have had no issues with it even after repeatedly connecting/disconnecting the power/usb connectors.  The fpga runs pretty cool and the software downclocks based on errors so I am not too worry about frying the fpga.  Feels much safer (maybe unfounded) than running the 6950 at 75C.  However, I don't think anybody knows (or does anybody know) how long these boards are expected to run, but they feel solidly built to me.    

  Thanks for finding that info

So as I understand it,there's a 2 year warranty??

7.2  The customer shall examine the goods upon receipt for completeness and any defects. In the event of identifiable defects, the customer shall inform Company ZTEX GmbH thereof in writing within 14 days of receipt. Non-identifiable defects shall be reported in writing immediately upon their identification. The warranty period shall commence upon receipt of the goods by the buyer and shall remain in effect for 24 months pursuant to statutory provisions. Commercial transactions shall be subject primarily to Section 377 HGB [Handelsgesetzbuch, German Commercial Code].

If so,I guess I might give one a shot

I wouldn't be too worried about that, ZTEX has been around for years and they are a German company with business registration, phone numbers, liabilities, laws, etc. Not some outlet operating from a backyard in Cambodia.

In fact, if I am not wrong, German law minimum warranty is 6 months and they have to provide replacement parts and defects liability for 2 years (means they have to fix it, for a reasonable cost, for 2 years even if it is your fault etc). Correct me if I am wrong.

Yes, of course this all won't be of any use if the company goes bankrupt. But in Germany it's not easy to just go bankrupt and disappear, trust me on this. Germany is not for no reason one of the most restrictive economies in the world (in comparison to the USA or Hong Kong for instance, or other countries on the top of the list of freest economies). For instance, the director of a German company is criminally liable if the company goes bankrupt and this is indeed enforced even for small scale operations. I don't know many countries where this is the case.

Warranty information:
http://www.ztex.de/agb.e.html

No I'm not a software guy,I just think for the kind of money being asked per unit ($414-$569 & $580) I need reassurance that if something dies,due to no fault of my own (possible defect),that I will have some kind of recourse,for at least 3-6 months.Heck my 05 impala has 125,000 miles & I got an extended warranty for large repairs(engine,trans,A/C) for $200 a year.

$175 is about my limit for risk,one at a time(buy one,let it mine & buy another with those earnings),if the hashrates were worth it.At 30 mh/s it isn't enough for a ROI in any decent timeframe,for me anyhow.I was hoping around 150 mh/s,but its all good.

I haven't noticed anyone raging about DOA's or major malfunctions with Ztex or Icarus,so I might be a bit anal about a warranty for no reason.I'm still thinking it over

What kind of mh/s does the LX75 get.

BTW,I'm not tryin to knock anyone's products,so please don't take it as I were.

Thanks !!!