Kano's driver is very unlikely to work natively with the BM1398. The chips enumerate themselves on the bus with a distinct ID per generation, which the driver uses to distinguish which chip (and how many of them) it's talking to. It won't recognize the 1398's response and so won't initialize it for use.
The operative word in your reply is "natively". While not having dug into Kano's driver to deeply it shouldn't be too difficult to add those ID's. Was more concerned that BM dramatically changed their comm protocol.
Temperature sensing using the innards of the BM1397 also won't work natively. Bitmain implemented a register set that communicates with an external temp sensor over I2C using some otherwise unneeded pins, but this has to be built into the driver protocol. It is true that the two temp-sense-diode pins could be interfaced to any temp sensor chip and handled externally.
Your response answers the question, for me, as to how BM reads the 4 external board temp sensors. Thanks.
"... nor were there any reasonable hubs that would do the 20V spec."
Having used a variety of USB hubs over the years concur that, by & large, they're all crap (save yours) for current handling. I was assuming I'd have to build my own w/ some beefy copper bus's for PD & the USB C connectors.
Additionally, providing a higher voltage into the device would tend to *decrease* your conversion efficiency, unless you used something like a forward converter with a transformer to help balance out the duty cycle. The problem isn't the power into the main regulator, it's the power out. 400mV 40A bucks are a rare breed. I've looked into this and it's sorta possible but I have something like eleven design projects already in the pipeline so I'm probably not gonna do it anytime soon.
Good point on the decrease in efficiency w/ a larger VDC I/O spread. Kinda' assumed there would need to be an intermediary step down located close to the chip. Like 20V to 5V or 20V to 3.3V. Just use the 20V rail for PD to the port. The device plugged into the port would need to do the step down. Like what is used to do Li battery / Supercap charging in USB connected devices (cell phones, tablets, etc.).
In my experience, low V bucks (1.8V & 0.8V) are the realm of CPU/GPU power supplies & are usually seen as multiple units in parallel appropriately sized for the demands of the device. Which obviously would not fit in the Compac X form factor.
Eleven projects? You're a braver/smarter man than me. I wouldn't be able to juggle that many projects.
Thanks for all the clarification.
Pup
