DISCLAIMERS

Please Do Not Buy From Us If...

• You're looking for a guaranteed ROI - these devices are for solo-mining, aka playing the bitcoin lottery.
• You're looking for something that's plug n' play - these devices do not magically install themselves.
• You're not willing to get your hands dirty - these devices require you to do your own research, software installation, configuration, troubleshooting, and maintenance.
• You don't plan on also getting a powered USB hub for the COMPAC-F - they require a powered USB to work, and a high-powered USB hub to work well.
• You're not going to also have at least one fan directed at your COMPAC-F miner(s) - they run HOT, even if not overclocked.
• You're not willing to deal with the inevitable addiction of forever wanting EVEN MORE hashing power!

 

Please Buy From Us If...

• You're ok if you never get an ROI, i.e. you never solve a block by solo-mining.
• You're interested in solo-mining and want to learn more about it
• You want to get your hands dirty and are emotionally prepared for potentially hours of troubleshooting and/or tinkering to either get them to work or get them to work well.
• Want to join an ever-growing community of passionate hobbyists who support each other in their pursuit of maximising hashing power (and solving blocks).
• You want to at least have a chance at winning ~6.25 BTC around every 10 minutes!
• Most importantly, want to have some fun and show off your mining rig/farm to your friends and family. :)

 

GENERAL

Solo Mining Bitcoin

• What are my chances of mining a bitcoin block when solo mining? 
• Better than winning most lotteries!
• But seriously, if you're looking for a guaranteed ROI, solo mining bitcoin is not for you - don't buy our products.
• But if you enjoy tinkering with electronics and computers, and want a chance at winning ~6.25 BTC every 10 minutes, then you're in the right place.
• There are a lot of variables that go into calculating your probability, but the most notable variables that you can control are how fast/hard you're running your GekkoScience miners, and how many miners you're running, i.e. your total hashing power - see below for some probability estimates.

• What are my chances of mining a bitcoin block with 1 GekkoScience COMPAC F USB Stick Miner?
• Using solochance.com, as of the writing of this FAQ (23 February, 2023), your estimated chances per day are:
• 1 GekkoScience COMPAC-F running at 200 GH/s = 1 in 8,991,899
• 1 GekkoScience COMPAC-F running at 350 GH/s* = 1 in 5,138,222
• 1 GekkoScience COMPAC-F running at 500 GH/s* = 1 in 3,596,756
• *Overclock at your own risk, and make sure to use lots of active cooling, i.e. fans, otherwise, "thermal runaway" is possible, resulting in device failure - we do not replace units that have failed due to thermal runaway.

• What are my chances of mining a bitcoin block with 1 GekkoScience Terminus R909 Pod Miner?
• Using solochance.com, as of the writing of this FAQ (23 February 2023), your estimated chances per day are:
• 1 GekkoScience R909 running at 1.6 TH/s = 1 in 1,123,986
• 1 GekkoScience R909 running at 2.0 TH/s* = 1 in 906,620
• 1 GekkoScience R909 running at 2.5 TH/s* = 1 in 725,296
• *Overclock at your own risk, and make sure to use lots of active cooling, i.e. fans, otherwise, "thermal runaway" is possible, resulting in device failure - we do not replace units that have failed due to thermal runaway.

• How can I increase my chances of mining a block?
• The only way to increase your chances is to increase your hash rate, and you can do so in two ways:
• Add more miners to your farm
• Overclock your miners*
• *Overclock at your own risk, and make sure to use lots of active cooling, i.e. fans, otherwise, "thermal runaway" is possible, resulting in device failure - we do not replace units that have failed due to thermal runaway.

 

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Australian & New Zealand Deliveries

• How long will it take to prepare my order for delivery?
• We will ship your order typically within 24 hours, Monday-Friday.

• What is Super-Safe Shipping?
• Super-Safe Shipping gives you extra peace of mind from damage, loss, or theft during shipping.

• How will my products be packaged?
• We will always double-box your products and include recyclable packing stuffers to limit movement within the box during transit.

• Do you deliver outside of Australia and New Zealand?
• No - sorry, we do not.

 

Australian Deliveries

• Where will my Australian order be shipped from?
• Your order will be shipped from Melbourne, VIC.

• How will my Australian order be shipped?
• We ship all Australian orders via Australia Post.
• You can choose to have it delivered via Parcel Post or Express Post.

• How long will it take to receive my Australian order after it's shipped, if I ship via Parcel Post?
• Unfortunately, we're at the mercy of Australia Post; however, based on their estimates:
• ACT = 3-4 business days
• NSW = 4-6 business days
• NT = 7-11 business days
• QLD = 2-4 business days
• SA = 3-5 business days
• TAS = 3-5 business days
• VIC = 2-4 business days
• WA = 7-10 business days
• For updated delivery estimates from Australia Post, click here (we ship from VIC).

• How long will it take to receive my Australian order after it's shipped, if I ship via Express Post?
• Unfortunately, we're at the mercy of Australia Post; however, based on their estimates:
• ACT = 2-3 business days
• NSW = 2-3 business days
• NT = 3-5 business days
• QLD = 2-3 business days
• SA = 2-3 business days
• TAS = 2-3 business days
• VIC = 1-2 business days
• WA = 3-4 business days
• For updated delivery estimates from Australia Post, click here (we ship from VIC).

 

New Zealand Deliveries

• Where will my New Zealand order be shipped from?
• Your order will be shipped from Wellington.

• How will my New Zealand order be shipped?
• We ship all New Zealand orders via NZ Post.
• You can choose to have it delivered via Economy, Courier, or Express

 

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

We Test ALL Units Before Shipping

• We test ALL GekkoScience COMPAC-F USB Stick Miners and GekkoScience R909 Terminus Pod Miners before shipping.
• If the device(s) are not working for you, it is more than likely due to your setup, i.e.
• Computer
• Computer USB port
• Computer operating system (Linux, Windows, Mac OS)
• CGminer
• CGminer Installation
• CGminer parameters
• Equipment
• USB cable
• Power supply

 

What We CAN Help You With

• We can help you get your computer to recognise your GekkoScience miner in Kano's CGminer so you can start mining.

 

What We MAY NOT Be Able to Help You With

• Installations using equipment not purchased from us, e.g.
• USB hubs other than the GekkoScience High-Powered USB Hub
• USB cables other than the USB 2.0 A-B cable included with the hub
• Power supplies other than our High-Powered 12V-10A Power Supply

 

What We Can NOT Help You With

• Computer issues, e.g. your USB port(s) not recognised or not providing enough power
• Operating system issues/questions, e.g. Linux commands, Windows driver compatibility, etc.
• Networking issues, i.e. internet connectivity to Kano pool
• Any other mining software, including any other version of CGminer other than from Kano
• Attempts at overclocking, although we encourage you to play around, we can't guarantee specific results, and if you opt to attempt overclocking, we cannot accept return requests.
• Kano pool-related questions/problems - please contact Kano using his Discord channel (follow his instructions to join)

 

Before Contacting Us, Please, Please, Please...

1. Make sure you're using the latest version of Kano's cgminer.
2. If using a COMPAC F, make sure you're using:
1. A GekkoScience High-Powered USB Hub
2. Our 12V-10A power supply
3. One of our USB 2.0 A-B cables
4. Have a good fan directed at the COMPAC F
3. If using a R909, make sure you're using:
1. Our 12V-10A power supply
2. One of our USB 2.0 A-B cables
4. Read through the FAQs below and Kano's Gekko page and cgminer Readme

 

USB Cables & Ports

• Can I use my existing USB cable to connect the GekkoScience Hub or R909 to my computer?
• Yes - however, we recommend using a USB 2.0 cable instead of a USB 3.X cable, as the GekkoScience hub and miners are designed to work with USB 2.0
• Please note, that if you are experiencing issues, and you are not using a USB cable from us, then you may need to use/purchase one of our supported cables in order to rule out your cable as being the issue.

• Should I connect the GekkoScience hub or R909 to a USB 3.X port (blue) or a USB 2.0 port?
• Ideally a USB 2.0 port, as the GekkoScience hub and miners are designed to work with USB 2.0

 

Troubleshooting COMPAC F

• I plugged my GekkoScience COMPAC F USB Stick Miner into my computer, and nothing happened or it stopped working after a little while - why?
• As stated very clearly on our product pages, you usually cannot simply plug a GekkoScience COMPAC F straight into your computer - you have to use a powered USB hub, and then plug the hub into your computer.
• This is because the COMPAC F requires more power than the typical USB port on an average computer.
• It may work for a while, but then will likely stop working.
• These things are like Ferarris (this the "F") - they need to go fast, and in order to go fast, they need power!

• I am using a powered USB hub, but not the GekkoScience High-Powered Hub, and I'm having issues - what can I do?
• First, buy a GekkoScience high-powered hub as it's specifically designed to work with the GekkoScience COMPAC Fs.
• We cannot guarantee that your COMPAC F will work with any other hub and we do not provide any troubleshooting support when using any other hub.

• On the GekkoScience COMPAC F, the white LED light does not come on - what's wrong?
• This means that the COMPAC F is not getting any (or enough) power from the USB port.
• Make sure you are using a high-powered USB 2.0 hub and a high-powered 12V-10A power supply.
• If you're using a GekkoScience Hub and 12V-10A power supply from us, please contact us for additional troubleshooting.
• You could try switching to another port, ideally one that you know is working well.
• If you're not using a hub or power supply from us, we will try to help, but can't guarantee your equipment will work.

• On the GekkoScience COMPAC F, the red LED light does not blink - what's wrong?
• This means the COMPAC F is not mining.
• Confirm that CGminer is running on your computer - if not, run it.
• Confirm that the COMPAC F is recognised in CGminer - if not, unplug it from the hub, wait 5 seconds, and then plug it back in.
• Confirm that the USB 2.0 cable is connected from your computer to the powered USB hub.
• You may need to tweak your CGminer parameters.

• I am using the GekkoScience high-powered USB hub, however, I'm still having issues - what should I do?
• If cgminer recognises your COMPAC F but it's giving problems, it's more than likely because of your performance parameter settings.
• Some chips don't like performing at low settings and run better at higher settings; therefore, add the following parameters when starting cgminer: "--gekko-start-freq 300 --gekko-compacf-freq 400" but make sure you are using a fan.

 

Troubleshooting R909

• I am having performance issues with the GekkoScience R909 - what should I do?

1. First, try simply restarting CGminer.
2. If still having issues, stop CGminer, and disconnect the USB cable but keep the R909 power plugged in.
3. Let the fan run for at least 5 minutes for the device to cool down and reset.
4. Reconnect the USB cable and try running CGminer again.
5. You may need to tweak your CGminer parameters.

 

General Troubleshooting

• I've tried everything, but still need help - are there any other resources to help troubleshoot?
• Assuming you're using the recommended cgminer software from Kano and Kano's mining pool, the best resource is straight from him - https://kano.is/gekko.php
• He updates the page regularly.

• I still need help - can I contact you?
• Absolutely - we appreciate you doing your best to first follow the suggestions above and as listed on Kano's Gekko page, then welcome you an email to support@101crypto.com.au or support@101crypto.co.nz