NerdMiner Setup: Installation and Configuration, Step by Step

Have you ordered a NerdMiner and are you going to install it yourself? This guide takes you through the installation from start to finish, for beginners and for those who prefer to look under the hood themselves. The NerdMiner project is open source: a small device that lets you solo mine bitcoin yourself. The hashrate is deliberately modest; think of it above all as an educational and fun way to follow the network up close. The chance of finding a block is very small, but it is never zero, and that is exactly what makes the thing so addictive.

If you buy your NerdMiner in our store, then it's already flashed, and all you have to do is set up Wi-Fi and your bitcoin address. Then go straight to configuring. If you build it yourself on a LilyGO T-Display S3, you start below.

What you need

• A LilyGO T-Display S3, or a ready-to-use NerdMiner
• A USB-C cable that also transfers data (not every charging cable does that)
• Google Chrome or Brave as a browser; Firefox does not work with the web flasher
• A bitcoin address to receive any block rewards

The simple way: flashing via the browser

This is the route we recommend. The webflasher does all the work behind the scenes.

1. Connect your LilyGO T-Display S3 to your computer using the USB-C cable.
2. Open the official web flasher in Chrome or Brave. You can also our own flasher page use, that works the same way and explains what is happening along the way.
3. From the menu, select your NerdMiner model and the latest firmware version.
4. Click on flash. A window will appear where you choose the device; select your LilyGO and click connect. If you don't see a device, check the cable first: that is the culprit nine times out of ten.
5. Wait until the flashing is complete and the device restarts.

The educational way: flashing it yourself with the ESP tool

If you want to understand what the web flasher does for you, you can also flash the firmware manually.

1. Download the files starting with 0x from the bin folder of the NerdMiner project on GitHub. You need a firmware version, preferably the latest one; those are four .bin files.
2. Open the Espressif's online ESP tool in Chrome or Brave.
3. Connect your LilyGO via USB-C and connect to the tool.
4. Upload the four files to the addresses listed in the file names (the part starting with 0x is the address) and start flashing.

Configuring: wifi, address and pool

Whichever method you chose, and also if you have a ready-to-use NerdMiner from us: the last step is connecting the device to your wifi and entering your bitcoin address.

1. Connect your phone or computer to the Wi-Fi network that the NerdMiner itself broadcasts. Scan the QR code on the screen, or search for the network manually. The network name is NerdMinerAP, the password is MineYourCoins.
2. An settings page opens automatically. If it does not, go to your browser and enter 192.168.4.1.
3. Click "Configure WiFi" and enter three pieces of information: your Wi-Fi network, the corresponding password, and the bitcoin address where you want to receive block rewards. Use a SegWit address that starts with bc1q; Taproot addresses (bc1p) do not work with the default pool.
4. The pool settings are set to public-pool.io by default. You can change that, but the default is the right choice for almost everyone. If you ever find a block, the entire reward goes to your address, minus a small pool fee of around 2 percent.
5. Click on save, wait a moment and restart the device.

You are now looking at the NerdMiner's main screen, which displays the hashrate. Expect about 55 KH/s; this varies slightly depending on the firmware version. For comparison: that is many orders of magnitude smaller than a Bitaxe Gamma, and that's exactly why the NerdMiner is the best first step.

The buttons

• Top button: a single click switches between the screens (from firmware 1.5). Holding for five seconds clears your settings and restarts the device. Holding during startup opens configuration mode, so you can adjust your settings over wifi.
• Bottom button: a single click turns the screen on or off. A double click flips the screen orientation.
• Middle button (on the back): this is the hard reset. Only use if you want to erase everything on the device.

Frequently asked questions

My computer does not recognize the device when flashing.
Almost always the cable: many USB-C cables only charge and do not transmit data. Try a different cable and use Chrome or Brave.

How much power does a NerdMiner consume?
About a watt. So it can stay on day and night without you seeing it on your energy bill.

Is this profitable?
No, and that's not the point. A NerdMiner is an educational tool and a conversation starter: you participate in the network's lottery and see firsthand how mining works.

Would you rather start right away?

If you want to mine without hassle, choose our ready-to-use NerdMiner: flashed, tested and shipped straight from the Netherlands. Questions about your setup? Leave a comment below or email hello@bitcoinstuffstore.com.