Chip refunds:
The majority of the eligible chip refunds have been processed, with the remainder to be sent tonight. We received enough requests to process 4 batches of refunds. To date, there still have not been enough requests to fulfill the fifth batch. Of the remaining two batches, we have processed and additional 200 BTC worth of chips using our own funds. Those who have submitted a refund request which cannot be fulfilled will be contacted shortly regarding their order.
Chip status:
Batch 1 and 2 have arrived, and have been sent to the assembly house. Those with a chip only order will be sent an email shortly confirming their information. Shipping will be provided free of charge for all chip only purchases.
Update:
Assembly status:
We have successfully determined the source of the hardware issues, as well as a portion of the software/firmware conflicts, and are now hashing on all 16 chips at 4.6-4.8GH/s, at 350mhz. We are still receiving high hardware error rates, which we believe is a combination of the on board PIC and suboptimal firmware, and are in the process of optimizing the driver to reduce the error rates. Overclocking testing has also shown the thermal vias were not being fully filled due to the way they were designed. The assembly house has developed a two-step process to address this, and will be ready to assemble today pending final verification after we have tested and approved the process. During testing the 3.3v regulator was operating over spec, using more amps than it is rated for. While the unit functions and the component appears to be stable, we have chosen to replace it in order to ensure there are no failures during extended long term operation.
There are several firmware issues which need to be addressed before the units are ready for end use. The first priority is a USB bootloader. This is necessary to flash the units with firmware updates via USB without the need for additional hardware and software. Additionally, there is an issue with cgminer which does not allow multiple units to be connected to the same instance without severe performance degradation. This is not essential to shipping the units so long as the USB bootloader is properly programmed, but does increase the amount of time required to test the units as the ktest utility remains unfinished. We are also working on auto-serialization code to allow us to step-program the units with a unique serial number without the need to rebuild the hex file for each board. Lowest on the priority list is I2C implementation to allow chaining between boards. While it greatly reduces the amount of USB cables and hubs necessary to connect multiple units, it is not necessary for the unit to function.
Assembly refunds:
We will be releasing information as soon as we can regarding assembly refunds. We understand you are anxious to receive your refunds, and we are working on it. Our first priority is fulfilling our obligations to those customers who have chosen to receive their units. This unfortunately is not a process we can rush. Please continue to be patient with us as we work to catch up.
I would like to devote more time to explaining in more detail where we are in the process, how we plan to proceed, and provide more timely updates, but there simply is not enough time. Our silence does not mean we are not doing anything. Quite to the contrary, we are working overtime, and have been for quite some time, to make the best of this situation. I have to cut this update short because the assembly house is awaiting final testing to begin production, but felt it could not wait any longer. A more detailed update will be sent as soon as possible describing the process and how to proceed from here.