How to make a farm for mining Bitcoins with your own hands: numbers, tips, problems and their solutions

The current situation in the cryptocurrency market has negatively affected the profitability of mining Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. However, this did not affect the cost of ASIC - manufacturers, trying to minimize losses from falling sales volumes, do not reduce prices for mining equipment. To reduce the cost of purchasing a miner and increase the rate of return on investment, miners dream of assembling an ASIC miner with their own hands. Let's figure out what components and tools will be needed for this.

USB miners. Review of devices and profit calculation

What do you know about portable USB ASICs?
Is it profitable to mine cryptocurrency on these devices today? Let's look at the most successful models, and also talk about the payback of this type of mining. Today we will look at one of the interesting topics in the field of mining, namely USB ASIC miners. These portable devices are increasingly filling the market, almost creating an entire niche in the mining industry. Let's consider the advantages of USB miners over traditional mining equipment, as well as, of course, their disadvantages. The article will provide descriptions and prices of the most notable devices and the estimated profit from mining on them.

Parameters by which you should choose an ASIC

It's easy to get confused in the colorful variety of existing devices. There are several points to consider when looking for an answer to the question: “How to choose an ASIC miner?” The answer to this lies primarily in the user’s decision regarding the algorithms with which further work is planned. Here you need to be extremely attentive to the characteristics of the unit:

Price. In this market segment, efficiency and price are directly dependent on each other. The higher the first indicator, the higher the second. If possible, you should not skimp on expensive utilities, because with the right approach, these investments will more than pay off in the near future.

Power consumption. This is one of the key factors that directly affects future mining income. Of course, you should try to find a product with minimal power consumption at the same time as a high hashrate. This is rare, but with a little time and patience it is quite possible to find it.

Processor frequency

The miner’s performance, its speed, as well as the degree of hashrate directly depend on it (it is important to remember that these are not the same thing!). The higher the frequency, the more efficient the work will be.

Direct hashrate

It determines the number of coins mined over a certain period of time. The higher it is, the greater the speed of work and, as a result, the profit. As mining devices develop, hashrate capabilities are constantly improving. But there is also a negative side: increased energy consumption. Perhaps in the near future developers will learn to balance these indicators.

Advantages of USB ASIC miner

Low price

A farm of USB miners in action
The second very important point is the lower risk of losing your investment. The fact is that Blockchain projects are increasingly changing the consensus protocol in order to protect themselves from mining on powerful ASIC devices. While these devices are designed to mine only one coin and cannot be reconfigured. In other words, there is a possibility that the expensive equipment purchased will simply be useless after the next hard fork. Of course, this also applies to USB miners. But the losses in this case will be of a completely different order.

Easy installation and setup

One of the most difficult moments in cryptocurrency mining is setting up the equipment. This applies not only to mining on GPU devices, but also on ASICs. In general, mining equipment is not something that can be plugged in and forgotten. It needs to be configured and the work process constantly monitored.

USB miners, as a rule, do not require complex manipulations. They are easy and quick to set up, and the Internet is full of instructions for setting it up yourself.

Greater mobility

Even a person far from mining already knows that giant mining farms have long entered the game, occupying huge production areas and hangars. Mining hardware needs to be located somewhere, it needs to be cooled, and it needs a lot of electricity.

USB ASICs are a solution for those who travel frequently or do not have free space to accommodate full-fledged rigs (mining farms). Using a flash drive miner, you can mine cryptocurrency even on a laptop. The main condition is that the computer is turned on and access to the Internet.

The best ASICs for mining

To buy a profitable ASIC miner, you will have to analyze the characteristics of each of them. Today, the leaders in the Bitcoin mining market are Antminer S9 and Antminer A3, the purchase of which will cost you $700 and $430, respectively. To calculate the efficiency of ASIC mining equipment, you need to take into account not only power, but also energy consumption. Owners of the S9 model will receive $5 per day, while the A3 will bring in $15 per day.

Antminer s9 with 13 5th s 2700

The device is aimed at mining Bitcoin and is today considered one of the leaders in the specialized market. The payback period is about 8 months, but annually the gadget brings owners up to 1.4 bitcoins. Even using ASIC in Moscow, you can acquire 1 BTC in 12 months. Manufacturers increased the energy efficiency of the model by 2.5 times, and the hashing speed increased to 13.5 Th/s.

For this, 189 BM1387 chips were used. Note the simple setup and analysis of the model. Today this ASIC is in demand among miners. The main disadvantage remains the relatively high cost, exceeding 3.1 thousand dollars, and noise during the cooling process.

Antminer r4 1000

The cost of the model varies within $1,560 with a performance of 8.6 Th/s. 850 W of electricity is used for operation. It will take about 7 months to recoup the purchase of ASIC, while the owner’s annual income is 0.85 bitcoin. One of the differences of the Antminer R4 model is its unusual, wide body shape, which has a positive effect on the efficiency and quiet operation of the cooling system.

R4 was launched into production in 2016. By reducing the noise level, Bitminer specialists increased productivity. The main task is to use it at home. The device includes 126 BM1387 chips. One can note the good cost-effectiveness ratio, as well as the easy setup of the model.

Antminer s7 500

The model was proposed in 2015, quickly winning the hearts of cryptocurrency mining fans. 19 similar batches have already been released. The reason miners choose AntMiner S7 is the price-performance ratio. For ASIC you will have to pay from $500. The device power is 1293 W with a hash rate of 4.73 TH/s. The equipment is often used at home. With 135 BM1385 chips, maximum performance is ensured.

Among the advantages of the S7 antminer are a high hashrate at a competitive price. Available spare parts and low cost ensure a quick payback. The main disadvantage remains the high consumption of resources. The model is gradually being forced out of the market by more advanced competitors.

Avalon 6 559 95

The device consists of 80 A3218 chips, the performance of which is 3.5 TH/s, which is almost the same as the S7 antminer. Equipment consumption is about 1050 W. Despite the release of new models, Avalon is still profitable

It is only important to provide him with access to inexpensive electricity. The cost of the device reaches $550

Among the advantages of the model, it is necessary to highlight the low noise level during operation. ASICs for mining of this brand are easy to install

It is important to use Raspberry Pi or TP-Link controller models. The latter use DHCP, which allows you to automatically determine the IP address, simplifying installation

The design of the miner helps it work efficiently with the proper level of cooling system.

This model is a direct competitor to AntMiner S7. While inferior in energy efficiency, the ASIC has a number of settings that allow you to set your preferred operating parameters.

Antminer s5 139

The AntMiner S5 device has dimensions that allow it to be used at home. With a low level of electricity consumption, a minimum load on the electrical network is guaranteed.

Disadvantages of USB miners

It’s not surprising, but portable flash drive miners also have their weaknesses. Let's look at them too.

Low hashrate (power)

If we talk about cryptocurrency mining, the hashrate is the most important value that characterizes the overall power and, ultimately, profitability. A low hashrate reduces the chances of finding a new block and receiving a reward. You can forget about solo mining on a flash drive - it’s simply unrealistic.

Low profit

It is logical that a small portable device with a low hashrate will be inferior to full-fledged ASICs. And if you decide to start mining cryptocurrency on a USB miner for $50, then you should expect a profit corresponding to this price. But there will still be a profit from the investment, and it will recoup the investment. We will look at this in more detail a little later.

How exactly does cryptocurrency mining occur? For what does the miner receive a reward?

For you to earn bitcoins, two conditions must match. One of them depends on your efforts, the other depends solely on luck:

• You must verify transactions per 1 MB. Everything is simple here.
• You must be the first of all miners to find a solution to a special mathematical problem.

This process is also known as Proof-of-Work.

• Good news: You don't need advanced mathematics. Essentially, each miner tries to be the first to guess a 64-digit hexadecimal number (hash) that is less than or equal to the target hash. This is where the main work lies.
• The bad news: The hash is picked randomly, and if you want to be first, you'll need a ton of computing power. To operate successfully, you need to have a high hash rate - the hash rate, which is measured in megahashes per second (MH/s), gigahashes per second (GH/s) and terahashes per second (TH/s).

That's a lot, a lot of hashes. If you want to understand how many bitcoins you have a chance to get with the hashrate available to you, you can use a mining calculator where you can select a specific hardware model (for both ASIC and GPU) and set your electricity cost.

Review of the best USB miners

The cryptocurrency mining industry is dominated by ASIC, GPU and CPU devices. But unfortunately, there are very few high-quality manufacturers of USB-ASIC miners. Let's take a closer look at the top models on the market, compare prices and find out user reviews.

Bitmain Antminer U2

Bitmain Antminer U2
Today, Bitmain is the largest manufacturer of cryptocurrency mining equipment in the world. A company that produces almost all existing types of devices for different PoW algorithms. Antminer U2 is another high-quality item in the line of mining devices from Bitmain. Unfortunately, there are only two reviews for this model on Amazon.

One of the reviews is positive (5 stars). The user noted that this USB miner is an excellent device to understand the basics of mining and get into the process. Indeed, due to its low price, the device is available to start mining and learn its intricacies. The second review is negative (1 star). The user noted that the device was not recognized on three different computers.

According to other user reviews, mining on Antminer U2 is no longer possible. This is due to the fact that U2, unlike most other USB brethren, is designed only for Bitcoin mining and cannot be reconfigured to mine other cryptocurrencies.

GekkoScience 2Pac

GekkoScience 2Pac
The developer of GekkoScience recommends users to use the CGMiner program with this device. Judging by user reviews on the Internet, buyers understand what such a USB miner is capable of and do not expect a quick payback for the device.

ASIC or video card: comparison

Due to the decrease in the cost of the main cryptocurrency to 6.5 thousand dollars, many miners began to think about ways to increase their level of earnings. Once they completely abandoned processors, it’s time to compare video cards and ASICs. This issue is multifaceted; the profitability of token mining is based on several factors.

Before mining cryptocurrencies, you should purchase a video card or ASIC. In the first case, this will require much less funds. Using a GPU is more accessible to the average user. GPU manufacturers offer buyers a two-year warranty.

Bitmain provides free assistance only for 3 months from the date of purchase of the miner. Gradually, the feasibility of using specialized devices for mining digital assets is decreasing. Selling a video card is easier than getting rid of an ASIC that is not used in other industries. GPU allows you to switch to any other cryptocurrency.

Price and payback

Unfortunately, mining on USB ASICs today cannot be considered a profitable process. Judging by the reviews of many users on the Internet, it is very difficult or even almost impossible to recoup the investment.

For example, one user left a review about his experience with the Rev 2 GekkoScience 2-Pac device. He reported that he was using a seven-port USB hub with the cgminer program and connected the power to the P2Pool. In his case, the cost of the farm was approximately $700 and the payback period would be 20 months. It should be taken into account that after “halving” the reward will be reduced. In addition, the review was written in January 2018, at the time of peak BTC price values. During the correction, the payback period is pushed even further into infinity.

USB miners

It would be wise to consider a USB miner as a hobby or a long-term investment, or even as a learning process on the way to adult mining. If you are waiting for a quick profit, then you should pay attention to full-fledged equipment with all its complexities. If you don’t want to have problems with the placement of large ASIC miners, their cooling, noise and other amenities that cryptocurrency miners face, then USB ASICs are what you need.

Mining on USB ASIC: performance, alternatives, video review

In recent years, the word "miner" sounds as industrial as its literal translation from English - "miner". In most cases, these are complexes consisting of a motherboard and several video cards roaring with fans, on which manufacturers did not even install video outputs. Such a system has an enviable appetite for electricity and can serve as a good home heater.

A USB miner has become an unusual solution for extracting cryptocurrencies from digital chaos. The phrase itself may seem absurd: miners consume so much energy, a voltage of 5 V and a current weaker than one ampere are unlikely to be suitable for them. And yet the devices are produced, sold and work.

According to energy experts, today more than one percent of global energy consumption is spent on costs associated with cryptocurrencies: mining, ensuring transactions, storing blockchain databases. And we do not count the production of the equipment used. In this light, the transition to less energy-intensive technologies can give humanity not just more hashes per kilowatt, but something more significant.

Kinds

The essence of USB mining is intuitive. There is a certain device (in the format of, say, a dongle) that you connect to the USB port of your computer. This way you provide him with a connection with your wallet and the pool in which you mine.

By type, such devices are divided into two main categories:

• Dongle miners. In appearance, they resemble flash drives or 3G modems (hence the slang name “modem”), often with a relatively large heatsink. Usually these are the devices that are meant.
• Full size miner. They are closer in power to ASICs, but use USB instead of an Ethernet connection.

The cost of the first type of device can start from a modest 30-40 dollars, which many will perceive as an inexpensive entry ticket into the world of cryptocurrency.

They should not be confused with another externally similar type of device - USB wallets. They are not intended for mining, but for the safe storage of mined coins.

Performance/cost ratio

If we consider mining costs as the cost of the equipment itself plus the cost of electricity consumption, then the second point for USB devices, in principle, can be neglected.

Note that, unlike video cards or even central processors, USB miners already have algorithms built into them that process hashes. The built-in hardware is already configured for SHA-256 calculations. That is, if on video cards you can quit computing, say, Litecoin at any time and switch to Monero or Bitcoin Gold, then USB Miner will not allow you such a trick.

Note that the peak of fashion for USB mining occurred in 2013-14. The devices of that time are now only suitable as souvenirs due to the increased complexity of mining. However, interesting devices are still being produced. In 2022, one of the most interesting proposals was the second generation Futurebit Moonlander USB - a miner that produces up to 5-6 megahashes per second. In terms of price-performance ratio, it is, of course, hundreds and thousands of times inferior to “farms”, but remains one of the best in its class.

Overclocking potential

It's not that USB miners lack overclocking potential at all. They're just configured differently. If the power of computer components is pushed to the limit by power settings (and, possibly, cooling modding), then in our case you have to reach inside with your hands and a soldering iron. The standard method comes down to replacing the resistors with others, which increases the voltage and, accordingly, the frequency of the chip. Overclocking can be twofold or more, but there is a risk of damaging the hardware both during modification and later in operation.

Overclocking without hardware intervention is also possible. However, the increase will not be large, and the number of errors at the limit of capabilities will increase.

It is also worth considering that the performance of today's USB miners, as we noted, is scanty. Even doubling the power won't work a miracle.

Alternatives

Essentially, there are two alternatives to this intermediate solution:

• Do not buy any specialized equipment and use your own computer processor and video card. On the SHA-256 algorithm, this is a hopeless task, but it makes sense on forks like Bitcoin Gold, the creators of which wanted to equate mining on regular CPUs and GPUs with “farming.”
• Take a big risk and buy a mining ASIC for computing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on SHA-256. They are, of course, more expensive and more power-hungry than a “modem for mining”, but mining on them is incomparably faster than on USB solutions.

Is it worth buying a USB miner?

Observers agree that the performance of USB devices is noticeably lower than that of traditional “farms”. Some devices produce such a modest amount of coins that even at the current exchange rate they will enrich a Bitcoin miner by only a few cents per year!

One more point must be taken into account: if cryptocurrency mining becomes unprofitable or you become disillusioned with it, then the video cards purchased for mining can theoretically be used, in fact, as video cards (unless you decide to save on video outputs - then this is dead weight). More specialized mining equipment (such as USB computers) will then remain a pile of metal.

Of course, if you want to buy a USB miner as a hobby, then no one is stopping you. But it is worth remembering that:

• A device for mining cryptocurrencies is quickly becoming outdated due to the release of new ones, as well as the planned complication of mining itself.
• In addition to knowledge of the equipment, it is necessary to at least roughly navigate the market. You may be able to make the right bet and start mining cryptocurrency, the value of which will later increase. You can put the eggs in several baskets. For a diversified method, low-power but energy-efficient USB devices are quite suitable. But, again, no one guarantees success.

Conclusion: if you want to inexpensively learn how the technologies of the cryptocurrency world work, you can start by purchasing a USB device. But don't expect to be enriched with anything other than knowledge. On the other hand, knowledge is an eternal currency.

mnogokripty.ru

Installation and configuration

Installing a USB ASIC is no more difficult than connecting a flash drive to a computer. For this you need any PC or laptop. We will give general recommendations for installing and configuring portable miners. But it should be remembered that each model is customized individually.

Ready! Mining on your USB ASIC has begun. Now you should occasionally monitor the process, checking the program and the level of power that the pool receives. And also receive rewards to your BTC wallet.

Source

ASIC mining calculator for Bitcoin, Zcash, Ethereum, Monero

There are many resources on the Internet that allow you to calculate the profitability of mining on various ASICs. Typically, mining profitability calculators automatically take into account the current mining difficulty and calculate possible earnings after entering data regarding the Asic hashrate and power consumption. In addition, it is possible to take into account other parameters that affect income (commissions, energy tariffs, etc.). Many services have a database of the main parameters of ASICs and video cards popular in crypto mining.

We are the most accurate calculator for ASICs.

In order to use the Bitcoin calculator, Ethereum calculator, Zcash calculator or Monero calculator, simply select the ASIC miner you are interested in from the drop-down list or enter the hashrate of the device with consumption known to you, and then click on the “Calculate” button. The calculator will provide all the information about the miner’s consumption and current data on cryptocurrency earnings with automatic conversion into dollars, hryvnia, rubles and euros.

In addition to general data, this tool will provide you with visual tables that will collect information on earnings per day, week and month in various currencies, as well as on electricity consumption for the same time ranges.

Thus, the cryptocurrency calculator will be able to make the process of choosing the mining equipment you need as easy as possible, turning the lengthy process of counting into a quick and enjoyable experience.

Generalized information about the currently most profitable ASICs is available on the resource https://www.asicminervalue.com/, where the current exchange rate of cryptocurrencies is taken into account, and mining income for different models is also displayed. This site presents a rating of the best ASICs for mining, taking into account even those that will go on sale. It can also be used as an ASIC mining income calculator by entering the electricity cost data corresponding to your local tariff at the bottom of its pages.

Is it possible to assemble an ASIC miner with your own hands?

In an attempt to save money, many are looking for ways to assemble an ASIC miner with their own hands and start making money on cryptocurrencies. The motivation lies in the fast-growing market and strong price fluctuations. Everyone has heard about Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, etc. But few people understand how to mine cryptocurrencies and what equipment is needed for this. Let's talk in detail about assembling a car yourself to make money.

Why assemble an ASIC if the market offers ready-made solutions? The main problem with ASICs is their availability. It seems that they looked at a specific model and chose a supplier. All that remains is to order. But as soon as a specific conversation begins, we hear in response: “Sorry, we’ve sorted everything out.”

Buying an ASIC is a risk and responsibility that you assume. Buying is not easy, and delivery can bring a lot of inconvenience. But in the event of a breakdown, everything becomes very sad. The equipment must be sent to China (where most ASICs are assembled). This is expensive, plus time losses.

Taking a ready-made option in your city is not profitable from an economic point of view. The payback on equipment will increase significantly. Outbids drive unrealistic prices. Therefore, you will have to order from China or America. Difficulties fuel interest in assembling with your own hands.

ASIC payback period

The level of profitability is an important issue for every person who has invested in mining. But it is impossible to give an answer, because earnings in this area are unstable. The cost of the equipment depends on the fact that selling ASICs should be more profitable than mining. After all, it would be illogical to sell a product for several thousand dollars if it can pay for itself within a month.

Using a special calculator, you can roughly calculate the profitability of an ASIC device. The payback period is only a few months. But since cryptocurrencies are characterized by high volatility, many new effective miners appear every day, the period for compensation of spent funds exceeds 1 year.

Such calculations raise the question of the feasibility of mining cryptocurrencies using ASIC devices. During the existence of the virtual money market, users have repeatedly witnessed events that caused a sharp increase in the rate of Bitcoin and altcoins. Horse races help crypto miners get large sums in the shortest possible time. Without a plan for natural payback, no one will decide to purchase an ASIC.

Where to begin?

Let's look at a little theory. What is ASIC? This is a specialized machine to solve a specific task. In our case, cryptocurrency mining. The device is complex, but if you try, you can assemble an ASIC miner with your own hands. In this case, the mining of cryptocurrencies will be carried out in exactly the same way as in the case of a ready-made solution.

Using video cards is a safer investment. With their help you can mine almost all known cryptocurrencies. At any time, the video card can be sold on the secondary market. While Asik ties the owner to the industry. If we didn’t manage to sell on time, we lost money. But working with ASICs is a completely different volume.

A specific ASIC model is designed for mining 1-2 cryptocurrencies. This is compensated by enviable performance, which is several times higher than that of a GPU. If ASICS are so good at mining, then why not use only them? Demand for equipment significantly exceeds supply. Prices are 2-3 times higher than the actual cost. Therefore, video cards, ASICs and independent production are used. In general, any means to grab your piece of the pie.

How long does it take for an ASIC to pay for itself?

This is one of the many questions in the cryptosphere that no one will ever give you a concrete answer to. You must understand that these devices are sold at a certain price precisely because selling them is more profitable than using them for crypto mining. Well, think for yourself, who would sell equipment for 2-3 thousand dollars if it can bring, for example, a thousand dollars of profit per month?

You can (and even need to) use a calculator, enter all the necessary data and get an approximate result. As a rule, it is equal to several months. But if we take into account the volatility of the crypt, as well as the release of new, more efficient devices and make a discount on all this, then we can safely assume that it will take at least 1 year to pay off. If the device ever pays for itself.

With such a less than optimistic situation, the question arises: why spend money at all if everything is so sad? It's simple. In the still-unestablished digital money market, it is not uncommon for completely unexpected developments to occur that reward miners for their risky investments with very significant profits. We do not want to say that people spend money relying solely on chance. Of course not. Any adequate “earner” will not make any risky moves without a preliminary in-depth analysis of the market.

If you can't buy it, do it yourself

The shortage of equipment became the impetus for the emergence of homemade ASIC miners. It will take a lot of time to assemble the miner. But trying is a good experience and an additional opportunity to earn money. Where do we start?

We're not afraid of problems, are we? The main thing is to follow the plan. If you decide to make an ASIC for mining with your own hands or are assembling a farm from video cards, follow the instructions and do not forget about planning. Cryptocurrencies require a quick response; with a clear strategy, you can recoup the costs of purchasing components for an ASIC in a matter of months.

The main advantage of ASICs is performance. The disadvantages are offset by quick payback. At the same time, old models can be successfully sold, recover part of the invested money and have time to mine a net profit.

Self-assembly also entails problems with noise levels. The ASIC will work quite loudly. This is a minus, but we will return to it a little later.

Manufacturing difficulties

Creating an ASIC for mining yourself is a complex procedure that requires solving several problems.

• For installation, chips and components produced by Antminer, Avalon and other companies specializing in the manufacture of ASICs are used. The difficulty of purchasing is that manufacturers supply chips in large quantities and do not engage in retail sales. Therefore, you will need to find high-quality microcircuits on the secondary market. The problem is that not everywhere it is possible to return ordered goods. If you make a mistake when selecting components, it will only be your problem.
• Software setup. To flash ROM and configure mining programs, you need to have specific skills that you will have to learn from forums and manuals.
• The complexity of mining and equipment requirements are constantly growing. Manufacturers are bringing new high-performance chips to the market. Therefore, you cannot “stretch out the pleasure” of assembly for many months. Otherwise, your “anti-miner” will become outdated before you launch it for the first time.
• The difficulty of making boards yourself and developing complex circuits does not allow you to set up a full production cycle at home. Any of your ideas will be limited in implementation by the boards available on the market and their corresponding circuit diagrams.

What are the benefits of assembling it yourself?

The ready-made version and the one assembled from components purchased separately have their pros and cons. ASIC from the manufacturer - no hemorrhoids, quick installation and connection. Self-assembly requires a long search for boards, assembly difficulties, time losses. But all the disadvantages are covered by savings. If you get a good offer on the retail market, you can save a lot. This is the main incentive when assembling with your own hands.

In addition, understanding all the intricacies and nuances of Asik’s work is very useful. You can proudly declare that you assembled this ASIC for mining with your own hands. At the same time, everything works and makes a profit. We sorted out the purchase of microcircuits and the search for software. Let's move on to the components.

On which ASIC to mine Bitcoin (SHA-256)?

Bitcoin is the very first known cryptocurrency, appearing back in 2009. Bitcoin mining was initially possible even on processors, but over time, with the increase in their popularity and cost, the complexity of the calculations when mining these coins increased more and more. The high price and demand led to the development of ASICs that perform calculations using the SHA256 encryption algorithm used in the Bitcoin code.

Setting up ASICs for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is approximately the same and involves performing standard procedures, which include:

• installation on site;
• connection to the power supply of the required power;
• connection to a local network and the Internet;
• determination of the local ASIC address, which is necessary to configure it. It is determined using the router menu or using any other computer connected to the same local network as the ASIC. A local network scanning program is launched on it and the address assigned by the router is determined.
• connecting to the ASIC via a local network via a browser and setting up its software, including entering account data on the pool (its Internet address, connection port, worker, password, and other necessary parameters);
• launch and control of mining.

Ready-made version VS homemade

With the right approach, self-assembly will not cause problems. We wrote a plan in advance. We described it point by point: where we get the components, how the power is supplied, what we do with cooling. The rest is trifles. If you managed to assemble AntMiner with your own hands, then understanding the intricacies of cryptocurrency mining is a mere trifle.

Spending time is the most valuable resource in the cryptocurrency market. Sometimes it is more profitable to buy a ready-made option rather than looking for different parts on different sites. But if everything is done promptly, then independent selection of components for ASIC is also possible. Algorithm of actions for purchasing ASIC from the manufacturer:

A little shorter than self-assembly, isn't it? The advantage of homemade devices is that you know exactly what’s inside. You know how it works. The most important thing is saving on the initial investment in equipment.

Bitcoin farms - ready-made solutions for bitcoin mining

These complexes are not cheap, but they are already fully equipped with compatible elements, configured and ready to work. Let's look at the five most popular and interesting solutions for mining bitcoins.

Attention: prices and performance of equipment are current at the time of writing, but since the cryptocurrency exchange rate and the complexity of the Bitcoin network are changing rapidly, check the information before you decide to buy a particular device

CoinTerra TerraMiner IV

CoinTerra's TerraMiner IV is a water-cooled Bitcoin earning machine from CoinTerra that is equipped with ASIC chips, GoldStrike I. TerraMiner IV is made using the 28nm process technology, and comes with a 4U addition with a power supply, which is considered a rarity in Bitcoin earning circles.

TerraMiner IV is equipped with 4 ASIC chips, each of which outputs up to 500GH/s, which means that the total power of TerraMiner IV is 2TH/s. At the moment, earning Bitcoin is quite difficult, and this system will allow you to mine up to 1.1 Bitcoins per day. CoinTerra also claims that TerraMiner IV is energy efficient, although these claims have not yet been backed up by any statistics or evidence.

Price: $5999 (check current price with equipment suppliers)

Hashfast Sierra

Hashfast's Sierra is a high-power, water-cooled Bitcoin earning machine. The machine's performance is based on Golden Nonce ASIC chips. The machine is built into a 4U rackmount housing and comes with two built-in Seasonic power supplies.

Sierra offers a nominal rate of 1.2TH/s, which works out to approximately 0.66 Bitcoins per day. However, it should be noted that the Sierra does not have a built-in controller, so you will have to connect the machine to the main control center via USB. The control center can be anything with CGminer software installed.

Price: $6300 (check current price with equipment suppliers)

Fast-Hash One

Fast-Hash One series consists of 3 machines for earning Bitcoin: Silver, Gold and Platinum versions. These are 19-inch Bitcoin machines, the difference between which lies in the expansion capabilities and power of the installed modules. All three machines are equipped with one earning module, but the capabilities allow you to increase them to 6.

The Silver version is equipped with a 64GH/s module and allows you to increase the power to 384GH/s. The Gold version is equipped with a 128GH/s module, and can be expanded to 768GH/s. The Platinum version is equipped with a 256GH/s module, and it is possible to increase the power to 1.536TH/s. Overall, if you get to the maximum power, these machines will allow you to mine between 0.2 and 0.85 Bitcoins per day.

While the Silver version does not support expansion packs, the Gold and Platinum versions support up to 6 expansion packs, with each pack capable of holding up to 16 modules, allowing for a greater degree of power. Fast-Hash One machines are available for pre-order.

Price: $2499-$5999 (check current price with equipment suppliers)

Black Arrow Prospero X-3

The Black Arrow Prospero X-3 is equipped with 20 Black Arrow Minion ASICs built into a 19-inch rackmount housing. ASIC Minion chips are based on 28nm process technology. The Prospero X-3 is also equipped with an LCD screen that displays statistics and diagnostics.

This configuration of Prospero X-3 allows you to get power up to 2TH/s, which mines up to 1.1 bitcoins per day. The system also supports the lightweight Stratum protocol.

Price: $6999 (check current price with equipment suppliers)

KnCMiner Neptune

KnCMiner Neptune can be said to be the great-grandfather of Bitcoin earning machines. Neptune consists of 4 modular 20nm ASIC boards, designed in such a way that the machine will continue to operate even if one or more boards fail. Neptune inherits a lot from the previous system, Jupiter, which was based on 28nm process technology.

Neptune allows you to achieve a minimum power of 3TH/s, which translates to mining up to 1.66 bitcoins per day. This is a pretty solid upgrade to Jupiter, which allowed you to earn only 0.6 bitcoins per day. KnCMiner also state that they plan to increase power in the near future, so it may end up that miners will have more powerful systems on their hands.

KnCMiner Neptune is currently available for pre-order. The batch is limited to 1200 units.

Price: $12,995 (check current price with equipment suppliers)

Earning options

You can buy an ASIC that suits you in the store, you can make a homemade ASIC Miner, or buy video cards and build a farm. In any case, the cryptocurrency market is actively working, capitalization is growing every day.

You can mine any type of cryptocurrency. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and so on. You can combine several directions. The main thing is to decide in advance what we will build the equipment for. Watch the growth trend of the coin, monitor the exchange rate, look for promising directions.

You can start gradually. Buy a good video card and leave it running overnight. See how the scheme works, how many coins you can get per day. Then calculate the payback and if everything fits, expand. Buy several video cards and build a small farm. Then you can think about ASICs, where the power is much greater, but the investment is more serious.

Summarize

Is it worth trying to assemble mining machines? More yes than no. In any case, you will understand the issue and study a promising direction for making money. The main difficulty today is finding components. But this can also be solved.

Regarding the risks and vagueness of the cryptocurrency market. There are and will be risks: this is a business, so it’s not worth investing your last money. Payback and profit are highly dependent on exchange rate fluctuations. But those who don’t take risks don’t drink champagne. The fact that in many countries around the world it is already possible to pay using Bitcoin is the first sign of a new era of money circulation. Bitcoin has become the official unit of account in Japan. Think for yourself: are you a participant in the game or an observer from the outside?

Source

Bitcoin mining devices

Initially, Bitcoin mining was carried out using video cards. The processors of these devices were suitable for solving problems and provided good profits to their owners (central processors were initially unable to cope with this task). However, the growing popularity of bitcoins led to a gradual decrease in the productivity of devices, and therefore special mining farms appeared. These are devices consisting of several video cards (in some cases, several dozen). They are distinguished by increased power and energy consumption.

Mining farm

As hardware requirements increased, over time even farms became insufficient to mine large quantities of bitcoins. In addition to the video cards themselves, farms also use special fans designed for cooling. As a result, the complication of the mining process combined with price fluctuations led to the fact that in many cases mining farms became unprofitable. Moreover, considering the fact that back in 2012, devices appeared on the market whose sole purpose was cryptocurrency mining.

We are talking about so-called ASIC miners. They were first presented to the public in 2012 by BFL. These are highly productive devices whose hardware is configured exclusively for cryptocurrency mining. Thanks to this, “ASIC miners” are now the main equipment used to mine virtual currency.

Where to start collecting ASIC with your own hands?

The main mistake of beginners is haste. They are in a hurry to purchase equipment and begin assembly. However, if you assemble a ready-made farm from video cards for mining virtual coins, it is still possible (even if you do not have deep knowledge, many instructions on the Internet tell you how to do this). The design of the trusses itself is simpler, but with ASIC there are many difficulties. As a result, nothing works and the money is wasted. To avoid unnecessary costs, it is important to study the hardware, watch the video, understand the operating principle of the ASIC miner and the requirements for its assembly.

Before you make an ASIC miner with your own hands, it is important to understand the operating principle of this device. ASIC is a special chip (chip) that performs certain tasks aimed at obtaining new blocks in the cryptocurrency network. Modern ASIC miners work on different algorithms - Scrypt, X11, SHA-256 and others. With their help, you can mine popular cryptocurrencies, namely Bitcoin, Dash, Litecoin and others.

Asik does a lot of work. At the same time, electricity consumption rarely exceeds 1.3–1.5 kW (for home devices). The power of professional devices is higher, but in terms of performance and consumption they still outperform classic GPU farms.

ASICs are developed for a specific algorithm and perform decryption tens of times faster than video cards or PC processors, which is why they are popular among miners. All elements of the ASIC miner work to solve a specific problem, which helps reduce energy costs.

ASIC mining or video card farms: which is more profitable?

The cost of the cheapest and most popular ASIC miners ranges from one and a half to three thousand dollars. Such devices are intended for “home” use because they consume a small amount of electricity.

ASIC miners for Bitcoin mining demonstrate a performance of 7-15 TH/s and energy consumption of no more than two kW/h. A miner with a power of 7 TH/s can be purchased for about one and a half to two thousand dollars, and a device with 10-14 TH/s costs a little more than three thousand dollars.

ASIC miners for Litecoin mining, whose performance is at the level of 500 MH/s and energy consumption is 1 kW/h, can be purchased for about two and a half thousand dollars.

Ethereum mining devices with an efficiency of 270 MH/s and a power consumption of 700 W cost a little more than two thousand dollars. The same miners, but with a performance of 400 MH/s and an energy consumption of 900 W, will cost about three thousand dollars. More powerful devices consume about 4 kW and cost 7-8 thousand dollars, while “professional” miners require 5 kW and 10 thousand dollars.

Inexpensive ASIC miners for Altcoin mining work with the same efficiency as farms of several top-end video cards costing a total of 4-5 thousand dollars. If you add a few hundred dollars for additional elements, then it is safe to say that ASIC miners allow miners to save significant amounts of money.

Pros and cons of assembling an ASIC miner with your own hands, as well as ready-made equipment?

As noted earlier, ASICs have better performance compared to classic farms, which reduces the payback period for the miner’s expenses. Such devices have certain advantages and disadvantages:

Above are the advantages and disadvantages for all ASICs in general. If you decide to assemble an ASIC miner with your own hands, there are also a number of pros and cons.

Search and purchase of necessary components

An important feature of ASIC is its narrow specialization. Devices can mine coins only using one algorithm. Each of them has its own chips and circuit diagrams. Before ordering individual components, check the availability of all other components.

When choosing components, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• Chip hashrate. This is the most important parameter that determines mining income.
• Energy consumption. The power of the ASIC determines the cost of electricity and the parameters of the power supply, the performance of which should be 20-30% higher.
• Price. The price of components determines the payback period and the feasibility of assembling the device.

A simple solution is to order ready-made boards with soldered chips. This will greatly simplify assembly, but will increase the cost of manufacturing the device.

In fact, this applies not only to the board. The main principle that should guide the assembly is to buy everything that you cannot do yourself.

Before you assemble an ASIC for mining with your own hands, you need to study the market for finished products and components. You may come across ready-made devices that cost less than assembly costs. If the goal of ASIC manufacturing is to minimize costs, you can save money simply by purchasing a ready-made device on the secondary market.

You need to look for firmware for your home ASIC on the secondary market or, if available, download freely distributed software. Manufacturers themselves supply software only along with the devices themselves or large quantities of components. A retail buyer will not be able to buy firmware for an “antminer” or other device.

High performance means high power consumption. Therefore, a power supply from a home computer is not suitable for powering the ASIC. The boards consume up to one and a half kilowatts of electricity. There are three options available to solve the problem:

• purchase a ready-made powerful power source;
• make an assembly from several standard power supplies;
• make your own power supply.

A homemade power supply is not always cheaper than a ready-made one. Estimate the cost of components for manufacturing and compare with the cost of power supplies in the primary and secondary markets. The second option is more preferable from a financial point of view, but you need to take into account that used devices are less reliable and may soon require repairs.

High energy consumption places high demands on the quality of wiring and electrical appliances.

The body is the simplest part that you can easily make yourself. This requires plumbing skills, not electrical skills. Make sure there are enough ventilation holes. Without them, even the best fans will not be able to remove heat from the chips.

When all components are installed, you can connect the device to the electrical network and check its functionality.

Before purchasing components, you should perform a payback calculation taking into account current prices for cryptocurrency and electricity. ASICs on outdated chips are characterized by low energy efficiency and their use may even be unprofitable. In this case, you will gain invaluable experience in making electronic circuits yourself, but you will not be able to return the money spent on purchasing components.

1. Where to start collecting ASIC with your own hands
2. Pros and cons of assembling an ASIC miner with your own hands, as well as ready-made equipment
3. How to calculate the payback after assembling an ASIC for mining with your own hands
4. How to assemble an ASIC - the main preparation features and stages
5. How to make an ASIC - brief instructions

To assemble an ASIC miner with your own hands, you need not only desire and money. To create a full-fledged device capable of mining cryptocurrency, you need free time, component materials, knowledge of the design and nuances of the equipment’s operation. Let us immediately note that it is easier to buy a ready-made new or used device, for example, from BW or Bitmain, than to assemble the device yourself. But some miners can still try their hand. Below we will look at how to make an ASIC, what parts are required for this, and how effective mining will be on your own equipment.

How to assemble an ASIC - the main preparation features and stages

The main difficulty for miners who decide to start assembling an ASIC is developing a circuit and purchasing the elements required to create the device. As a rule, chips from companies that manufacture Avalon or Antminer miners are used during installation. But there are many manufacturers, so you should focus on the budget and expected parameters (in terms of hashrate and power). In addition, difficulties arise with the manufacture of the printed circuit board, as well as setting up the software.

Many miners on forums note that it is almost impossible to get chips. As for microcircuits, they are quite complex. Their production requires a professional approach, as well as the use of special equipment. Soldering by hand is a labor-intensive process, and auto-soldering often does not give the expected results (the quality leaves much to be desired).

If a person is thinking about how to assemble an ASIC and put this business on stream in the future, he will encounter problems. It is unlikely that it will be possible to organize a full production cycle, and the process itself requires significant financial investments. In addition, chip technologies are regularly updated. A microcircuit that is effective today may be useless in 2–3 months. This is important to remember before making a miner with your own hands. For example, a person will spend time and money, and by the time mining starts, a new and more powerful machine will be released, which will lead to a more complex network and an increase in payback time.

The creation of ASIC integrated circuits takes place in several stages:

Taking into account the above, we can conclude that it will not be possible to establish a full production cycle and make an ASIC miner with your own hands from start to finish. This is an expensive and time-consuming process with big questions about the payback of the equipment.

Changing chip technology for ASICs

As the tech sector evolves, new developments are emerging. Until recently, the jump from 55 nm to 28 nm was considered a real breakthrough. Even the productive and popular BW-L21 runs on chips created using the 28 nm process technology, and its efficiency is beyond doubt. ASIC chips manufactured using 20nm technology showed impressive performance (Uranus v1 Miner, SMART Miner 2.0 SE).

But technological progress cannot be stopped. Today, ASIC chips are produced, the return on investment of which is much higher. Users have access to devices equipped with 16- and 14-nanometer circuits, characterized by higher hashrate and lower power consumption (A4 Dominator, Antminer S9). The changes didn't stop there. It is expected that ASIC miners equipped with 7nm chips will appear on the market in the foreseeable future.

The new development is presented by GMO, which only partially lifted the curtain on the characteristics of the new equipment. In addition, plans were announced for the production and sale of ready-made farms and ASICs on new chips. According to the developer, the new data center will be based in Northern Europe, Scandinavia. The first testing began at the end of 2022, and more detailed information and results are planned to be announced in 2018.

Today, tens of millions of dollars have been invested in the creation of 7, 5 and 3.5 nm chips, which will play a big role not only for ASIC miners, but also for all technical equipment. According to the developers, the total investment has already exceeded the 90 million mark. This includes the costs of organizing and maintaining a data center for information processing and chip testing. In addition, new investments in research and verification of 5 and 3.5 nanometer chips are expected in 2018–2019.

It is planned that the updated ASIC chips will be installed not only in miners, but also in ordinary personal computers. This will increase the power of home machines and turn them into powerful farms for mining cryptocurrency. For example, on a PC it will be possible to install a board with a speed of 8 Tx/second and a power consumption of only 0.3 kW. Representatives of the GMO company said that testing of 7-nanometer chips is almost finished and now it’s time for 5 and 3.5 nm chips. The launch of the test version is planned for early 2022, and release in May.

How to make an ASIC - brief instructions

The best way out when creating an ASIC miner with your own hands is to work according to a simplified scheme, without organizing the full production cycle of a printed circuit board and developing complex circuits. To complete this task, you need to take the following steps:

1. Buy microchips.
   This step is the most difficult for people who want to build an ASIC miner with their own hands. Ready-made boards are not produced in Russia, so you will have to look for options on the Internet and turn to foreign resources. This is where the time delays mentioned above come into play. When ordering microchips, you should take into account the algorithm on which the device operates, and also decide in advance on the cryptocurrency to be mined. In addition, it is important not to fall for scammers and not to purchase a defective board. In general, a lot here depends not so much on knowledge and money, but on luck.
2. Create a program.
   In order for the ASIC miner to perform its assigned tasks, you need to find software. Difficulties are also possible at this stage, because manufacturers of finished devices supply programs to customers. All that remains is to install and configure the equipment. If you buy the chip separately, you will have to search for the software yourself. It is advisable to resolve this issue before making an ASIC. Otherwise, time will be wasted.
3. Search for a power supply.
   It is important to take into account that the internal elements of the circuit are powered by constant voltage, and it still needs to be converted from the mains voltage. It is important to choose the right power supply to ensure operation at full capacity.
4. Preparing the case and installing the cooler.
   A working ASIC generates a lot of heat, which must be removed to avoid overheating and failure of expensive microcircuits. Here it is important to install the fans correctly and select a housing that will facilitate timely heat removal.

As a result, several conclusions arise about creating an ASIC miner with your own hands:

• If you do not have skills in radio electronics, you should not attempt to create a miner with your own hands. You will have to attract other people, whose qualifications will also not be certain. However, you will still have to pay money for the services.
• The main problem is finding chips. They are difficult to obtain and the cost is very high. If you successfully find and order microcircuits, you need to be confident in your abilities. It would be a shame to ruin an expensive device during the testing stage. As a result, the savings will be useless.
• To keep up with changes in the cryptocurrency network, it is important to do the work as quickly as possible. This poses difficulties, because it takes a lot of time to deliver parts, prepare circuits and solder.

Many miners build FPGA miners on Spartan6. Previously, they were relevant, but today the productivity of 800 MH/sec, which can be obtained as a result of work, is extremely small. The cost of purchasing equipment, preparing the circuit, and manufacturing the miner is $300–500, but even this amount cannot always be recouped.

Assembling an ASIC miner with your own hands is only relevant if you have access to components and software, have drawn a diagram, and also have experience in performing similar tasks. At the same time, it is important to act quickly in order to have time to recoup expenses before the next increase in mining difficulty. So, purely theoretically, it is of course possible to make an ASIC miner with your own hands, but in practice many difficulties arise that complicate the task so much that the relevance of self-assembly is a big question.

Source: technoobzor.com

Accessories for ASIC farm

If you have the required amount and decide on the relevance of creating an ASIC farm, you can start purchasing equipment. Typically, an ASIC farm consists of the following elements:

Frame.
Additional construction may be required to accommodate multiple ASIC miners. To make it, it is advisable to use special wooden bars or corners (aluminum, steel).

Motherboard

— the basis of the computer to which the equipment for mining cryptocurrency will be connected. The main requirements are uninterrupted operation, reliability and build quality.

RAM.

This element does not affect the mining speed in any way, but the stability of the PC depends on it. To save money, you can install only one stick, but it is better if the RAM is 4 GB or more.

CPU

- an element that ensures the operation of a computer. Simple options are allowed here due to the lack of a large load.

HDD.

There are no additional criteria here, so it can be anything, but the recommended capacity is 100 GB or more.

Power supply block.

We are talking about a computer power supply, which should be taken with a power reserve of 15–20%. In some cases, it is cheaper to purchase two devices and install them in parallel than to take two powerful power supplies.

The main element of the farm is ASIC. When purchasing, you should consider your budget, algorithm, and mined cryptocurrency. The following options are available here:

• Canaan AvalonMiner 741 (7.3 TH/s) - $1450.
• Ebit Miner E10 (18 TH/s) - $4,800.
• Bitmain Antminer L3+ (504 MH/sec) – $1,536.
• BW-L21 Litecoin ASIC Miner (550 MH/sec) – $2,500.
• Innosilicon A5 DashMaster (32.4 GH/sec) - $3,300.

All prices are indicated from official websites. In Russian online stores, the cost can be 30–70% higher. In addition to those listed, you can also use professional ASICs - Prospero X1, Prospero X2, SP35 Yukon and others, but their cost will be higher.