Nerdminer: Mining Bitcoin on a Tiny ESP32

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    <div class="atitle" style="font-size:200% !important"><span class="db8orange">NerdMiner</span></div>
     <div class="atitle2">Mining Bitcoin on a Tiny ESP32<br>
        <br><br><br><br>
        <span class="apage1">by Peter Martin / <a href="https://db8.nl" target="_blank">db8.nl</a></span>
        <br>
        <span class="apage1">slides: <a href="https://slides.db8.nl" target="_blank">https://slides.db8.nl</a></span>
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        <a href="https://db8.nl" title="Joomla Specialist db8 Nijmegen" target="_blank">
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<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">NerdMiner</span><br>
    <ul style="font-size: 70%">
        <li>What is NerdMiner?</li>
        <li>My 15 Euro device</li>
        <li>Setup</li>
        <li>Demo</li>
        <li>Questions</li>
    </ul>
</div>

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<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">NerdMiner V2</span><br>on-ESP32-2432S028R</div>

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## What is NerdMiner v2?

<ul>
  <li>
    A fun, <a href="https://github.com/BitMaker-hub/NerdMiner_v2" target="_blank">open-source Bitcoin miner project</a>
  </li>
  <li class="fragment">Runs on an <span class="db8orange">ESP32</span>-based microcontroller</li>
  <li class="fragment">Uses Wi-Fi to connect to public <span class="db8orange">mining pools</span></li>
  <li class="fragment">Designed for <span class="db8orange">solo mining</span> on the Bitcoin blockchain</li>
  <li class="fragment">Sorry, it won't make you rich...</li>
  <li class="fragment">Also not poor:<ul><li>device: 15 euro</li><li>power: 1 watt (3 euro/year)</li></ul></li>
</ul>

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## Key Components
<ul>
  <li><span class="db8orange">ESP32 Board</span>: Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller</li>
  <li class="fragment"><span class="db8orange">Stratum Protocol</span>: Mining pool communication</li>
  <li class="fragment"><span class="db8orange">NerdMiner Firmware</span>: Written in Arduino C++</li>
  <li class="fragment"><span class="db8orange">Mining Pool</span>: Provides new block headers to hash</li>
  <li class="fragment"><span class="db8orange">TFT Display</span>: Shows real-time data like hashrate, block height, difficulty</li>
</ul>

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## How it works
<ul>
  <li>Connects to Wi-Fi on boot</li>
  <li class="fragment">Pulls work from public mining pool</li>
  <li class="fragment">Calculates SHA-256 hashes on the ESP32</li>
  <li class="fragment">If a valid block is found (extremely rare): submits to pool</li>
</ul>

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<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">My 15 euro device</span><br><span style="font-size: 60%">from Aliexpress.com</span></div>

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### Aliexpress: 15 euro incl shipping

Search for "nerdminer V2" or "ESP32-2432S028R" or with "Smart LCD Display"

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### Without NerdMiner v2?

- Setup Guide: https://nerdminers.com/nerdminer-setup-guide/
- Online Flasher: https://flasher.bitronics.store/

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<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">Setup </span>NerdMiner V2</div>

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### NerdMiner Setup 1/3

1. <span class="db8orange">Connect to NerdMiner Wi-Fi</span>
    - <span class="db8orange">SSID</span>: `NerdMinerAP`
    - <span class="db8orange">Password</span>: `MineYourCoins`
    - Or scan the QR code on the device screen.

2. <span class="db8orange">Access Setup Page</span>
    - <span class="db8orange">Open browser</span> — should auto-redirect.
    - If not, manually go to: <a href="http://192.168.4.1" target="_blank">http://192.168.4.1</a>

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### NerdMiner Setup 2/3

3. <span class="db8orange">Enter Configuration</span>
    - Tap “Configure Wi-Fi”
    - Fill in:
        - <span class="db8orange">Your Wi-Fi SSID & password</span>
        - <span class="db8orange">Your Bitcoin address</span> (SegWit `bc1q...`)
    - Default pool: public-pool.io (can be changed)

4. <span class="db8orange">Save & Reboot</span>
    - Tap “Save”
    - Wait a few seconds
    - Restart the NerdMiner

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### NerdMiner Setup 3/3

5. <span class="db8orange">Confirm It’s Working</span>
    - Device shows hashrate (~55 KH/s)
    - Mining stats begin to display
    - Check <a href="https://web.public-pool.io/#/app/" target="_blank">https://web.public-pool.io/#/app/[bitcoin-address]</a>

6. <span class="db8orange">Find a block</span>
    - reward (minus a small pool fee) goes directly to your wallet!

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<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">Profitability</span></div>

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### Profitability?

- Hash rate
  - 1 KH/s (Kilohash) is 1,000 H/s (Hashes).
  - 1 MH/s (Megahash) is 1,000,000 H/s.
  - 1 GH/s (Gigahash) is 1,000,000,000 H/s.
  - 1 TH/s (Terahash) is 1,000,000,000,000 H/s.
  - 1 PH/s (Petahash) is 1,000,000,000,000,000 H/s.
  - 1 EH/s (Exahash) is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 H/s.

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### Profitability

- <a href="https://minerstat.com/coin/BTC" target="_blank">Bitcoin mining calculator</a> @ minerstat.com
- 55 KH/s = 0.000055 TH/s
- 1 W power
- 0% Pool fee
- Electricity cost: 0.25 euro/Kwh

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### Probability

<span style="font-size:75%">
Finding a Block with NerdMiner v2
<ul>
  <li><strong>Device</strong>: NerdMiner v2 (ESP32)</li>
  <li><strong>Hashrate</strong>: 55,000 H/s (55 KH/s)</li>
  <li><strong>Mining Mode</strong>: Solo mining via <code>public-pool.io</code></li>
  <li><strong>Block Reward</strong>: ~3.1 BTC (as of 2025)</li>
  <li><strong>Bitcoin Network Difficulty</strong>: ~8.5 × 10¹³</li>
</ul>
</span>
<span class="fragment">

**1 in 365,000,000,000,000 chance per day to find a block and earn ~3.1 BTC.**
> _(That’s 1 in 365 trillion, or 1 in 365 million million)_

</span>

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### Conclusion

- Fun
- NOT profitable at all

<span class="fragment">But it has a built in clock!</span>

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<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">Questions?</span></div>

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## Photo Credits

<ul style="font-size:50%">
<li>AI generated: https://app.leonardo.ai/image-generation</li>
<li>https://pixabay.com/photos/notebook-paper-pages-open-731212/</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/a-close-up-of-a-person-holding-a-small-electronic-device-NEqR20e6eY4</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/person-using-computer-on-table-TlFw-WoI8_w</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/a-glass-jar-filled-with-coins-and-a-plant-joqWSI9u_XM</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/man-in-black-crew-neck-t-shirt-and-beige-pants-sitting-on-white-and-blue-stairs-XY0uyBhZWCA</li>
</ul>

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