Watch what you say on the alpha-t forums. You will get kicked off if you don't totally kiss their ass or pay homage to them as the Great Leader.

Anyhow, I get kicked off their forums and my order for a Viper is now ON HOLD. I dunno exactly where I went wrong:

1. When I questioned Flutz's announcements on BOTH an Ethernet and a USB connection to the Viper miner? I said both are mutually exclusive ---if you have an ethernet, that means there is an internal controller. If you have a USB connection, that means an external controller is needed be it a netbook, desktop, raspi, beaglebone etc. Why would a miner have both? It is either an ethernet or usb.  Did my asking the obvious get me kicked off?

2. Someone on the forum wanted video proof of a alpha-t miner. I said, okay on this to-be-made video:

"Here is our production factory!" Lots of activity and noise. Then pan to an electronic box that's out-of-focus, but has blinky lights. That's your video proof. Gosh, wasn't this a sweatshop assembling curling irons for the USA market just 5 minutes ago?

Did my joking get me kicked off? I did later state that trust in the company was the only thing that mattered as any video "evidence" can be faked. Did I get kicked off the alpha-t forums for this Flutz?

3. Some future Viper owners didn't like the idea of now no webgui, and that they didn't want to learn linux and that they only knew Windows. I felt for them. Then a smart-ass said he planned to RDP into the miner, and what was the big deal? I said Alpha-T is cutting things out of the miner (led screen, webgui, etc) and why would they be providing a full blown computer that you could RDP into? Did you take issue to this Flutz?

Hey Flutz. I'm asking here and via email for a total refund based on the original Terms of Order, not the current Hashfast-ish constantly changing Terms of Order. My former alpha-t forum name is the same as it is here, "sillywhim".

Guys, please be reasonable. The situation is obvious. Product is about to be shipped within 45 days. Yesterday you got the information that there will be no LCD or other unique features that were promised. Hashing speed is changed again. How it is possible that such a changes can be made last minute? What about manufactured already cases? This is not possible.

What is possible in my opinion is followng scenario:

1. Alpha tried but failed to design and produce working chips. Once they have written on the forum discussion "Call us a scam if we don't deliver by April 2014".
2. The situation got hard for them. Lots of smoke and mirror games. Options, features changed on weekly basis.
3. Luckly for Alpha the competition managed to develop and produce working chips.
4. Now Alpha is trying to buy some chips from other company. The prices went down so much that they can still get some bucks from it. As they have no boards, no cases no nothing they announced an excuse that because users pushed them so hard, they have to drop other features and focus just on hashing speed. The truth is that they have to adopt other's company solution as it is. That is why there is no Web UI no LCD no WIFI etc. Their biggest effort right now is to re-brand the chips with their own logo and buy some box to fit the gears in. The good thing is that the customer may still get some kind of equipment and maybe even be happy of it.

Another option, bad one, is that delivery will be much more late or there will be no delivery at all.

Maybe you're right. And I do hope that I am wrong. And of course these are just speculations. People have a tendency to speculate when they lack hard evidence.
Rebranding? - you know - using sandpaper and potato stamp.

EDIT
Just please notice that after last update 90 MH ASIC is now 250 MH at 1875 W. Do you realize how much more heat has to be removed from the case after this change? How it is possible that the case is still the same. Device needs now 3 times more efficient cooling. Look how much more Alpha has to pay for PSU 675W vs 1875W. Consider that these are all rush changes. What about EU certificates for changed device specs as PSU will be included. Sorry but a lot of people see this as to good to be true right now.

i called amex and "informally" they said it would work ...would not really commit ....until i had a problem but in 'theory' that is how it i supposed to work on a credit card purchase if you TOS and/or non-delivery or they are 'late' even if no fault of alpha's for a good try at it..probably uneeded..but what the heck i'm a bfl refugee did a bank xfer and it took me 1 year and 20 days to get my 8.5k back..so er maybe credit card makes me feel better  and helps so be it

Searing

I call BS on that 11 months.  No foundry is going to touch a chip design until they get paid and "refining since May 2013" means that AT has been paying some schlub at Drexel for 11 months for what?  If it takes 11 months to design a chip that other companies are doing in 90 days then something is wrong with the skill level at Drexel.

Very are a smart person. There was nothing in the beginning, only a photoshop image of something that looked like a DVD player. Then Halleluya! the competition made working products. Now all they need to do is go to the competition and bulk order a few 50 MHs and 250 MHs and get them branded. That is very plausible.

Yes a single tape out can be done in a day depending on the size of the die.  The tape out process is what we are talking about here. from the first tapeout to the final production ready chips.  There could be one tape out or dozens of them.  There all have to be tested by the foundry to prove that they are functional chips.  If there are problems fixes have to be done.   I can assure you that it would be a miracle if the first tapeout proved a flawless design.  That is why it can take weeks and months to go through the tape out process.

The problem is what the foundry will define as a functional chip and what AT will accept as a functional chip.  Because AT decided to bulk over sample chips "risk lots" leads me to believe that they plan to speed up the process by using "good enough chips" in vipers.

All chips are pulled off of wafers.  There is always a percentage of chips on a wafer that are deemed non functional and some that are deemed of lower quality.  The sample chips that are create during the first few tapeouts have a risk of having more nonfunctional chips due to poor quality.  If AT iis buying extra sample chip wafers then intend to use them in devices rather that what those risk lots are supposed to be for (more accurate test of articles). 

Welcome to Gunda Miners, may I take your order please? 

What is hard to understand about a miner that is expandabe via more cards being plugged in? If you plug more cards in you add another power supply. The cases design allowed for this and Fiaz said as much. You are acting like you uncovered a sinister plot and all you showed is that you don't understand the talked about design.

And to the other poster who edited their reply to me mentioning air flow - air flow is not affected with an expandable design, BUT you need more fans. Another shocking revelation. And if the heat is to much for you, run 1/2 of the cards.