Quote from: DigitalDoom on May 27, 2013, 11:44:06 PM

This thread is rather Long and I have not read it's entirety so apologize if this is a repeat question that's been answered.
I'm a bit confused about how the finished product will be handled.
My understanding is each board requires 16 chips.
Are we to purchase the chips now w/ BTC (0.086BTC per chip) and nothing more until delivery?
When they are delivered we will pay the cost of components + assembly?
Once assembly completes we pay shipping cost to have them delivered? Or do we only have option to have them hosted?
Again, apologies if this was cleared up before but what I've understood from what I read is that we do not actually receive the physical product. I'm thinking I misunderstood but want to be certain I will get the finished, physical product before starting the process.
Thanks in advance to anyone who helps in clearing up my confusion.

Short answer:

Chip purchase is available now. Component/assembly purchase will be available soon.
Payment for assembly will be due once the fab contract has been signed and we have a final design that has been tested.
You may chose to receive chips only, chips and assembly, assembly only, shipped or hosted.

You may choose to use any or all of the services offered, in any combination. If you would like a finished, fully assembled and tested miner delivered to your door, you may do so. If you only want chips, that's quite acceptable as well.

Quote from: frontbit on May 28, 2013, 03:00:07 AM

Thanks for your reply wrenchmonkey. I have of course read the first post. however, my question was in the case when I elect to use his assembling service and hosting. as in when the fault was found during assembly and/or hosting.

I should re-word my question then, In the case when my chips stay with steamboat (assembled and hosted by steamboat) should I (or do you recommend me to) buy extra chips in advance?

I am aware of below statement too

Quote

In the event the customer has not purchased, or purchased an inadequate amount of, replacement chips, additional chips will be available for a fee of BTC0.0939.

and I am sure this depends on availability too.

The main reason I asked this question because I thought if this thing assembled and hosted by steamboat is easier to get replacement chip since the device stays with him.

Thanks.

The only possible way to tell if a chip is faulty is to assemble and test it. In the event assembly and testing, or assembly and hosting, is chosen and a faulty chip is discovered, it is the responsibility of the purchaser to provide replacement chips.

Availability is a factor in replacement chips. This should be taken into account when deciding on the amount to purchase. While a number of chips in each batch have been reserved for such a scenario, it is prudent to weigh the factors and draw your own conclusions.

It is not any easier to get replacement chips if the device is hosted. There are a finite amount of chips per batch, which have been accounted for.

Quote from: Galli on May 28, 2013, 02:43:25 PM

Hi Steamboat,

Some questions on the hosting (couldn't find an answer on this thread)

What does the 8% hosting fee cover exactly? I understand power costs are to be distributed to the miners (somehow proportionately?), will the 8% cover security, electricity infrastructure upgrades, portal setup (assuming we can log into something to monitor our account?) A/C cooling/upgrades, insurance, central servers, data connection, replacement parts (PSUs, fans, cases etc), maintenance? There seems to be a lot of extra bits of overhead, will the 8% compensate you for your time and cover these misc costs?

Also, do you have the manpower ready to scale up/setup the hosting center? Might be good for us who are interesting in the hosting option to pay a one-time setup fee so there isn't a chance of the project being stalled or delayed because lack of hands

I apologize in advance if these questions have been asked and answered already.

Thank you for asking this question.

The 8% hosting fee is scheduled to cover security, infrastructure upgrades, portal setup (tentative. the format for hosting has not yet been finalized.), central servers, (this point is also under consideration), data fees, replacements, and maintenance.

Additionally it covers firmware updates and on/offsite support.

The hosting option still remains to be finalized, and there are several options being researched. There are many items which must come first in the project timeline before those questions can be addressed, and a setup fee may be unavoidable. The logistics of developing a cluster are vast, and the timeline for bringing the assembled miners online very small.

PSUs, cases, cooling, Switched PDUs, hosts, racks, and line runs are just a few of the hardware items which must be purchased for hosting. At a minimum, each batch of chips requires 250 amp service, which is an incredibly dense power requirement.

Skilled labor is available and has been reserved, and is not free.

I cannot answer those questions at this time, as I do not have any definitive answers.

As a personal note:
I as a member of bitcointalk.org and the Bitcoin community was a miner first. I understand staying up until 4 in the morning tweaking a miner to get the most efficient setup possible. I have spent many red-eyed nights pouring over spreadsheets and studying product offerings to make sure I chose the most effective solution. I know the feeling when you take the first big step and make the investment, hoping there wasn't a missed variable. I have experienced the elation when all those concerns melt away as the miners are brought online and the hashrate begins to climb. My mission is to help the community get the most cost effective, stable, reliable mining solution possible, as quickly as possible. I have approached each part of this project as if I were building my own mining rigs, because I am. I have been reluctant to release information not because I want to make it more difficult to calculate ROI or budget your coins, but because I do not ever want to be forced to tell you the price is higher than you had planned, or the timeline has increased, or the power usage was incorrect. Each phase of this project has been checked and rechecked, verified and tested, with backup plans implemented, to do everything in my power to make sure I never have to do that. I am not out to make a quick buck. I am not here to be yet another chip gateway. My goal is to add as much value and service to your purchase as I can, doing something I love, and hopefully produce something you can be proud to own. This approach takes time, and there are no shortcuts. This poses a problem as time is of the essence I know, but it takes twice as long to do it wrong. I ask that you bear with me and the information delays, and I thank everyone for their assistance in this thread.

Quote from: cp1 on May 28, 2013, 06:33:52 PM

Since Avalon released their reference design does that mean it could be used to make 10 chip boards instead? Would that be easier / more reliable than the Klondike design?

Yes, Avalon clones can be made using their open source designs. They are being verified by a partner in the event the primary solution fails. They are, as some pointed out, less efficient than the Klondike design, and most expensive to produce.

All purchases received, recorded, and replied. All emails have been responded to. If you have made a purchase and have not received a reply, please check your spam box and send a message to asicbuy[at]gmail[dot]com

We have had a small setback as one member of the team working on the website is no longer able to due to work constraints. This is being actively worked on, and hopefully will be finished before the end of next week.