Letter of complaint to Butterfly Labs.

gistfile1.txt

I (finally!) received my BFL order yesterday. http://ell.io/i18OtQ

I wire them up carefully, following the, er, completely lack of instructions provided? I verify that
the fans are working, first, before plugging in any of the actual cards, as the (single) sheet of
paper warns in all caps. They operate as-expected.

Really, the only instructions whatsoever on the single sheet of paper included, is, in all caps,
‘Butterfly Labs suggests *TWO* PCI power cables.’ Well, there's three PCI ports on each card.
Unlabeled. I have no idea *which* two that means I'm supposed to use. http://ell.io/i1a9pp

Suddenly: sparks, flames, smoke, burning rubber/plastic smells. I kill everything immediately.

Now I have no idea what to do. Presumably, that card is DOA. Do I return it? How do I prevent this
happening again? The power-supply product page *specifically* lists short-circuit protection,
over/undervoltage protection, etceteras. This shouldn't have been possible.

I'm pretty pissed.

---- ---- ----

Finally, some unrelated miscellaneous feedback:

 - Receiving several thousand dollars of presumably delicate electronic hardware, all jammed into a
   box, with no padding between the pieces? Not heartening. You might want to pack better for future
   shipments, if only for the show of the thing. http://ell.io/i1cMV8

 - Several of the (apparently custom?) wires shipping with your “EVGA Super Pack” are *really*
   sketchy. The pins terminating the cords wobble and twist in the plastic plug-body, with
   apparently nothing but friction holding them in; it looks like they'd lose contact at the slightest
   pull or provocation. http://ell.io/i10P2A

 - Why on earth are the fans on separate wiring from the boards? Why do I have to wire them
   manually, instead of running a single set of PCI-8 wires from the power-supply to each board?
   This, again, feels extremely sketchy.

 - The *single* sheet of non-instructions included, say there's more product manual available
   online. The URL included is on some forum, and redirects me to a login form. After attempting to
   register, I still see no manuals, only this: “ELLIOTTCABLE, you do not have permission to access
   this page.” Please *ship manuals with your products.*

 - I cannot successfully register for your forums, to ask for help with these issues. I never
   receive a confirmation e-mail. (I'm on Gmail; I've done all the usual things. Checked spam,
   etceteras.)


⁓ ELLIOTTCABLE — fly safe.
  http://ell.io/tt