Project Update

[JugNut]

I ordered two of the same gekko stick miners that you guys did from Holy Bitcoin at around the same time most you guys did, so they should be here monday or tuesday.  I sure hope mine are trouble free but since there all from the same batch I kinda doubt it.

Those Artic breeze USB cooling fans are still available on E-bay if anyone still looking but there not cheap. http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.TRS0&_nkw=Arctic+Breeze+Mobile+USB+Fan&_sacat=0

Or I guess you could get the cheaper ones? Though i'm not sure how good they'd be?  Anyone tried fans like these? http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_odkw=Mobile+USB+Fan&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1311.R7.TR12.TRC2.A0.H1.XUSB+Fan.TRS0&_nkw=mini+usb+fan&_sacat=0

Personally I think i'll still use USB extension leads like kashi mentioned. Which is how i've had my Bi Fury almost from day one. This time instead of the huge cooler master heat sink I have on top of it now I think i'll use some old celeron & pentium 4 heatsinks I have spare and just zip tie them to the little beasties.  If I get game enough I think the best idea might be to remove the dinky little heatsinks altogether & replace them with the before mentioned heatsinks and use thermal glue to keep them there.  Since there on USB extention cords size is of little concern.

I wonder if there's any difference between gekko sticks? They seem to be all the same chipset but perhaps just have different board partners? But I wonder? Are these identical to the ones you guys have? (except for the heatsinks of course) https://www.bitshopper.de/shop/sha-256-miner-en/gekkoscience-compac/?lang=en


PS: I've been extremely crook lately with a wicked case of the flu.  This years wog is the worst I can ever remember having so if at all possible do yourself a favour & avoid it, err like the plague ;)

[Dataman]

Speedy recovery to you JugNut.
This is what I found on getting an antminer U3 to work at BU. It is all just gibberish to me.  ??? Looks like  my two are destined to be pretty paperweights. Later I may try to learn how to use them to mine bitcoins for me but until then I am shutting them down. The unstable Gecko is still causing the occasional invalid but at least it is running again. The other 3 are doing well.



dirty way of getting u3 to run on BU with windows..

download 7zip and install

http://www.7-zip.org/

download cgminer version 4.9.0 and only 4.9.0......4.9.1 don't work and unzip somewhere but remember where...

http://ck.kolivas.org/apps/cgminer/4.9/

do not mix miners on the same computer/host, will cause problems!....
assuming that U3 are the only miner(s) attached to the computer!!!!!!
and assuming that BU is the only project attached to BOINC


pick your campaign 20+ on your account web page settings.

start BOINC, and let it download the files.
assuming you have already plugged in the U3 and did the driver set up.

you should see the task(s) running in the manager.

go the the Activity tab at the top and click suspend to suspend BOINC from running, making sure you have the box unchecked in the options 3 tap to not leave app in memory while suspended, again unchecked...

go to the place where you unzipped cgminer version 4.9.0

right click on cgminer.exe

move the mouse down to 7zip which will bring up a 2nd set of options
move the mouse down to add to archive
left click which brings up a options screen

upper right you will see a button with ... in it

below that you will see archive format, change that to zip
across from the you will see update mode, change to add and replace files

now click the button with ... and navigate to the BU project directory and select one of the .zip files, eg.. cgminer-rbox_9_win32_00003.zip

click ok, it will add/replace the cgminer.exe with the one from version 4.9.0, that is the only file that I find you need to replace.

do that for each of the rbox ....zip files that you are running..

next any BU tasks cgmimer tasks that had started before you suspended boinc you will need to copy the cgminer.exe file from the 4.9.0 unzipped directory to the slot directory(s)

after that you can go and resume BOINC via the Activity tab at top of the of the BOINC manager in advance view.

at which point if you added the 4.9.0 version cgminer.exe to all the cgminer .zip files in BU directory, that you plan on using your U3 for, and copied over the 4.9.0 cgminer.exe to the slots where it alread started,
you should be able to look in the stderr.txt file in the slot and see that it has started cgminer version 4.9.0 and not 4.7.1 and has found your U3, again version 4.7.1 and version 4.9.1 will not find your U3 and again don't mix miners on the same host/computer.. it will make a mess of things, maybe not right away, but you may find that cgminer thinks that your u2 is an U3 and trying to reset it every 1 second. the green light will go crazy and the cpu usage to go through the roof.


sad note: if you ever shutdown boinc/stop running apps, or reboot the computer
when BOINC starts back up, just about every cgminer task that you
have on the computer that your running or ready to start will error
out.
till BOINC client download a new copy of that cgminer .zip file, at
which point BU task will not find your U3.

and you get to do it all again.. (better yet would be for the BU powers that be to set up the U3 task with version 4.9.0 so you don't need to do this.)

btw: you can command line 7zip to do this in a .bat file, but I'll let you work that out.
btw2: I have 2 U3 running the 20+ task right now, on a host by them self, no mixing of miners... and they are very happy mining away.

[Dataman]

Anyone tried fans like these? http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_odkw=Mobile+USB+Fan&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1311.R7.TR12.TRC2.A0.H1.XUSB+Fan.TRS0&_nkw=mini+usb+fan&_sacat=0

These are the ones I mentioned that Karen gave me. They DO NOT move enough air to do anything and the prop on one of them keeps spinning off. The ArticBreeze moves 10 times the amount of air.

If I get game the best idea would be to remove the dinky little heatsinks altogether & replace them with the before mentioned heatsinks and use thermal glue to keep them there.

You might try removing the existing one and use it as a template to drill holes in the new one and reattach with the same screws.

[chooka03]

Well mine has been running all night (unbelievable) but a stack of invalids (26)
I'm tempted to play with the voltage but Im also scared to actually touch the temperamental bastard as well 

[Dingo]

Jugnut:  the GekkoScience USB Compac BTC Miner (8-16 GH/s @ 0.3w/GH). *SIDEHACK STICK* I ordered and is still on the way across Canada looks the same and also has the same Blurb as the one in your link.   It should arrive by the 9^th June, a long time coming but free delivery..........

[JugNut]

@ Dataman: Geez mate did you do all those instructions? It was enough just reading it to give me a headache & send me straight back to bed again.  Now it could just be the flu hitting me once more but it could also be that I bought a second hand U3 off ebay last week? Whatever is was they both have one thing in common & that's there both starting to give me sh!#$.

@ Chooka: Well a least your moving forward at a good clip, i'm glad your finally having some success and getting some value out of your purchase,  keep at it mate. 

@ Dingo:  Yea it looks like there are a few different looking models with just a different heatsink on them.  At least I hope thats the only difference between them. I ordered pretty much the same day as kashi and chooka did, like kashi's & chooka's it's been to almost every corner of the globe before getting here. The route they take is incredible,  like chooka's mine moved around the US for a few days then to Jamaica, then back to the USA again then... well who knows? No wonder some of them a buggered by the time they get here,  that one heck of a trip.

[chooka03]

I wonder if there's any difference between gekko sticks? They seem to be all the same chipset but perhaps just have different board partners? But I wonder? Are these identical to the ones you guys have? (except for the heatsinks of course) https://www.bitshopper.de/shop/sha-256-miner-en/gekkoscience-compac/?lang=en


PS: I've been extremely crook lately with a wicked case of the flu.  This years wog is the worst I can ever remember having so if at all possible do yourself a favour & avoid it, err like the plague ;)

Hi Jugnuts, hope your feeling better soon mate!
As Dingo said, we have the sidehack units with the green heatsink, purchased from Holy Bitcoin. Maybe the one in your link are the first batch? $50.00 Euro looks quite expensive + shipping.
Gee I considered buying a U3 when more stock was available but I think I'll pass now given the trouble you're having.

I've been asking some questions on the Bitcoin Utopia message boards and you can actually contact the makers & testers of the Gekoscience units which is sidehack & Novak.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1173963.0
I haven't messaged these guys direct but I guess you won't get much closer to the source than these guys!

Hey Dingo, if you have a multimeter handy, would you mind checking the V output on your new sticks? I confess I didn't take a baseline reading BEFORE I started tinkering with the voltage screw. As mentioned before I backed my V screw off and then screwed it back roughly to the position it arrived in. For all I know that might have been .01V more and that is why mine is actually working now. Currently still sitting at 0.62V.
How did you score free delivery Dingo? Is it because you ordered 2 units that they offered the free shipping? Doesn't say on their website.

I'm at work for the day now so won't be able to check mine till late tonight.

[chooka03]

@ Dingo:  Yea it looks like there are a few different looking models with just a different heatsink on them.  At least I hope thats the only difference between them. I ordered pretty much the same day as kashi and chooka did, like kashi's & chooka's it's been to almost every corner of the globe before getting here. The route they take is incredible,  like chooka's mine moved around the US for a few days then to Jamaica, then back to the USA again then... well who knows? No wonder some of them a buggered by the time they get here,  that one heck of a trip.

LOL I dunno mate...... It took me an hour just to open all the packaging that mine was sent in. :)

[Dataman]

LOL JugNut. No I did not do any of that as it makes no sense to me. It may as well be written in ancient Sanskrit. I did order two more Geckos and a fan though. Suddenly there are tons of them available and these were $57 USD with free shipping from Amazon.
I am really bummed out over the U3's. The more I read about them they do not perform well anyway. Most non-bu mining they barely do 30-40 GH. I should have read more before buying them. Oh well, it is a learning experience.   All 4 Geckos are running good now after many adjustments.

It is too damn hot here. I am down to running two machines. Not doing too much with the AA but every bit helps.

They made a lot of progress on the deck while we were gone. They may finish tomorrow and certainly by Tuesday. It looks so good. Karen already has the new deck furniture assembled. I was wondering what she was doing in the garage this morning while I was fiddling with Geckos.
HELP! Can anyone remind me how to post a picture here? I have forgotten. I will post some deck pics when they get finished.

[chooka03]

Hi DM,

When you write a post (like I'm going now), up the top under "message Icon" there is a button which looks like a picture. You can inset a picture that way.

[Dingo]

@Dataman you can add a picture when in your post there is a button at the bottom "Additional Options" press that and you can choose your file from your PC but there looks like there is a 200 KB limit.


@JugNut 

Hey Dingo, if you have a multimeter handy, would you mind checking the V output on your new sticks? I confess I didn't take a baseline reading BEFORE I started tinkering with the voltage screw. As mentioned before I backed my V screw off and then screwed it back roughly to the position it arrived in. For all I know that might have been .01V more and that is why mine is actually working now. Currently still sitting at 0.62V.
How did you score free delivery Dingo? Is it because you ordered 2 units that they offered the free shipping? Doesn't say on their website.

I am still waiting for mine to arrive.  Supposed to be here on the 09 Jun.  I don't have a multimeter though sorry.  I live in Canada during the summer here so the web site had free delivery in Canada.   It is free but very very slow.

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[kashi]

Hope you're feeling better soon JugNut.

Glad that a few of you have got your Gekkos working now. I still haven't had another fiddle with my other one yet. Slack that I am, haven't completely cured the strobe light show all night, don't want to stop it while it's working. Have just surrounded it with little business cards for now, but it still flashes onto the ceiling. Another one flashing away would just be too much.

Re the different looking one on bitshopper.de site. Yes, "MacEntyre" of bitshopper.de is manufacturing them under licence for European market. On the back is printed "Assembled in Germany by bitshopper.de - Under license of GekkoScience". It explains in this thread why they are more expensive than US produced ones and shows the different heatsink. Other than the heatsink and black PCB rather than green, the hardware and circuit design should be the same though.

I noticed this on the bitshopper.de listing too, "Please note: An active USB hub with adequate power supply is highly recommended (such as Anker 9-Port, Asicminer 49-Port, Orico 10-Port)". "Active USB hub is highly recommended" was mentioned twice before this as well. Hmm, 3 times proves it, maybe they're trying to really tell us something there!

BTW, I think "Jamaica" is in the borough of Queens, New York confusingly, not the island.

Q. What is Jamaica, Queens, named after? The Caribbean island?

A. Nope. Beavers.

Jamaica wasn't the settlement's first name. In 1655, English colonists from Massachusetts and eastern Long Island established a town, Rusdorf, in the area the Dutch called Rustdorp ("rest-town").

By the end of the 17th century, after the English takeover of the colony, the English had renamed it Jamaica.

According to "The Neighborhoods of Queens" by Claudia Gryvatz Copquin, the word is believed to have been derived from the Jameco, or Yamecah, Indians who first lived there; "jameco" is the Algonquin word for "beaver." There is a Beaver Road in Jamaica, but it is north of Jamaica Bay, where the Jameco Indians lived along the shore.

Thanks for finding the gooseneck USB fans, though I think they're a bit expensive for me, so will use one of the other old heatsink fans I have about the place.

Just ordered a PSU and USB hub from Amazon, wouldn't accept PSU order to Australia for the last day, but now it's working. Must have been my whingeing about it here before I edited this post that fixed it. Arriving June 20-23, that's quick, records used to take up to 5 weeks or sometimes longer.

[Dataman]

The Mastiff stands guard to attack the demons which cause invalid wu's.  I am done adjusting and no failures since then.



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[Dingo]

Yesterday I ordered a Anker USB 3.0 7-Port Hub from Amazon.ca as well as a HDMI splitter so I can hook up both RAspberry's to my monitor.

[chooka03]

I am still waiting for mine to arrive.  Supposed to be here on the 09 Jun.  I don't have a multimeter though sorry.  I live in Canada during the summer here so the web site had free delivery in Canada.   It is free but very very slow.

Ahhhh I see. Nice. I'd love to visit Canada one day. Looks beautiful.
No worries about the multimeter. Seems my stick is running ok now but boy has it been frustrating to get there. Not sure if it was me fiddling with the voltage screw that made the difference.