8
2
I'm not entirely sure how FPGA's work...
Do I simply buy a ZTEX and it mines, or do I need to plug it into a computer via USB?
Can I chain them?
I'm so confused.
How do I mine with FPGAs?
Answers
11
The very basic idea of an FPGA is that it can be loaded with a specific firmware (a layout of logical gates, in essence). That page contains the firmware you'd need to load onto a Xilinx FPGA (A Spartan 6) in order to use it as a mining device. ZTEX refers to a suite of the FPGA, and various IO controllers (USB, etc.).
Roughly speaking, the steps you'd need to follow would be:
- Buy device
- Plug in device to your computer
- Load firmware onto device from your computer
- Run a piece of software on your computer that interfaces with the firmware now loaded on the FPGA
- Profit (in a couple years)
To answer your questions: yes, the device would need to be plugged in to a computer using the method in your link, and yes, you can "chain" them - i.e. have more than one plugged in. I've greatly oversimplified steps 3 & 4, by the way.
1Oversimplified is such a great description - I'm using Modular Python Bitcoin Miner with a Mining_proxy software program. IT works...but I'd like to discover how KNCminer converted their FPGAs to clock around a gigahash each and not ncecessarily 400 Mh – Frankenmint – 2013-10-08T22:13:05.057
Which FPGA would you use for mining? – hhh – 2017-10-09T23:03:04.227
1FPGA mining for bitcoin was never popular, and has not been economically viable since around the time this was written (2012). Hypothetically you'd want something recent (e.g. Stratix 10). – Rooke – 2017-10-10T14:46:30.017