A Nerdminer is a very low-power Bitcoin mining device built on a microcontroller, typically an ESP32, drawing around 1 W and pushing a hashrate in the range of tens of kilohashes per second. The odds of finding a full block on your own are essentially zero, but that’s not the point. The value is in the learning, the tinkering, and the symbolic contribution to the Bitcoin network.
If you want the full picture on these devices, read the complete Nerdminer guide.
In this DIY Nerdminer guide I’ll walk you through everything: the bill of materials, the assembly, flashing the firmware, and configuring the device. I won’t promise you’ll save money, but you’ll definitely come out knowing more about programming, electronics, and Bitcoin.
What you’ll need
To build your own Nerdminer, you’ll need these components:
- LilyGO T-Display S3 development board (ESP32-S3 with a 1.9″ LCD)
This is the heart of the miner, and I’d strongly recommend it for how easy it is to work with and how cheap it is. As the official repo on GitHub – BitMaker-hub/NerdMiner_v2 notes, the LilyGO S3 is the community’s preferred choice.
- USB Type-C cable
You need it to connect the board to your computer both for programming and for power. Make sure it’s a decent-quality data cable, because the stability of the flashing process and the steady power supply both ride on it. - USB power supply (5 V)
Since the device draws barely ~1 W, any adapter that delivers 5 V and at least 1 A will do. You can even reuse a phone charger or a power bank. - Case or enclosure (optional)
If you want a clean, protected finish, mount the board in a 3D-printed case. The community shares free STL files, or you can buy a pre-printed enclosure from shops like Etsy in Spain for about €6–10. - A WiFi connection and a Bitcoin address (ideally SegWit format, bc1q)
The device connects to the internet over WiFi to receive the block template and send back stats, with no need to run your own node.
Assembling and configuring the device
Putting the hardware together
- Install it in the case (optional):
If you have a printed or bought enclosure, carefully seat the LilyGO T-Display S3 inside, lining the screen up with the window and securing it with screws or clips depending on the design. If you’re adding a small fan for better cooling, mount it in its spot and wire it to the 5V/GND pins. - Connect it to your computer:
Use the USB-C cable to plug the board into a USB port on your PC. The board will power on, and if it’s your first time with an ESP32 you may need to install drivers (CP210x or CH34x) for it to be detected correctly, as explained in How to build a LotteryMiner – Tags Trading. - Erase the preinstalled firmware:
Open the online flashing tool the project provides (usually reachable from the official repo) and click “Erase Flash.” Wait until the progress bar says it’s done. - Flash the NerdMiner firmware:
In the flashing tool, pick the right board version (for example, “LILYGO T-Display S3”) and hit “Flash” to write the firmware. It can take several minutes. The tool transfers the firmware from a binary file downloaded over the internet, as documented in GitHub – BitMaker-hub/NerdMiner_v2. - Configure WiFi and your BTC address:
After flashing, reboot the board. On startup, the device spins up a WiFi access point (for example, “NerdMinerAP”). Connect to that AP and open your browser to reach the configuration interface. There you select your WiFi network and enter your Bitcoin wallet address, following the on-screen instructions (Nerdminer Setup Guide – NerdMiners).
- Start solo mining:
Once configured, the Nerdminer connects to a public solo-mining server (by default, CKPool in solo mode) and starts crunching SHA-256 hashes. The screen shows stats like the hashrate, the number of shares tested, and other useful data.
Here’s a comparison table that puts the performance of different mining devices side by side:
| Device | Hash Rate (TH/s) | Per-block probability | Daily probability | Annual probability / Mean time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NerdMiner | 0.000055 | ~6.6×10⁻¹⁷ (1 in 1.5×10¹⁶) | – | ~3.5×10⁻¹² (1 in 2.8×10¹¹) |
| Bitaxe mini-ASIC | ~3 | ~3.6×10⁻¹² (1 in 2.8×10¹¹) | ~1 in 1.2×10⁶ | A block every ~3500 years |
| Antminer S9 | 13 | ~1×10⁻¹¹ (1 in 1×10¹¹) | ~1 in 8.6×10⁶ | ~1 in 60,000 (~60,000 years) |
| Antminer S19 XP | 140 | ~1.7×10⁻¹⁰ (1 in ~6×10⁹) | ~1 in 48,000 | ~1 in 133 (~133 years) |
| Antminer S21 Ultra | 200 | ~2.9×10⁻¹⁰ (1 in 3.48×10⁶) | ~1 in 24,000 | ~1 in 66 (~66 years) |
| Antminer S21 Ultra (hydro-cooled) | 335 | Improves to ~1 in 2.08×10⁶ | – | ~1 in 40 (~40 years) |
Power optimization and cutting costs
One of the big draws of this project is its ultra-low consumption. At roughly 0.7–1.0 W, the yearly electricity bill lands somewhere between €1.75 and €2.60 (assuming €0.20–0.30/kWh), which puts it on par with leaving a WiFi router on. You can also go the solar route to shave costs even further, exactly as the NerdMiner creators suggest in “New NerdMiner V2 78KH/s T-Display S3 Bitcoin Solo Lottery Miner“.
The firmware also lets you turn off the screen when you don’t need it, which trims consumption a little without touching the mining process running in the background (GitHub – BitMaker-hub/NerdMiner_v2).
Compatible software and configuration options
The open-source NerdMiner v2 software is the core of how all this works. This firmware, built by the BitMaker community, implements the Stratum protocol to connect to solo pools (by default, solo.ckpool.org). It gets updated regularly to squeeze out more performance, bumping the hashrate without raising power draw.
And if you want to grow your mining “farm,” you can use other ESP32 boards, even ones without a screen, by configuring the serial or web output to monitor their activity.
A project that will teach you a lot
Building your own Nerdminer is a hands-on, technical project that, with a modest upfront spend of €20–50 and a yearly electricity cost that rounds to nothing, lets you get into Bitcoin mining without any real financial risk. The expectation of an actual payout is close to zero, but the practical experience, the satisfaction of learning about hardware, firmware, and networks, and the freedom to customize your device make it a genuinely fun build.
Keep in mind that this kind of mining is a lot like buying a tech lottery ticket: the reward is remote, but the experience and the knowledge you pick up along the way are worth a great deal.
If this project feels like too much, or you don’t have the time to put it together and you just want a shiny Nerdminer in hand, take a look at my buying guide covering the Nerdminer models, alternatives, and specs.
I hope this tutorial helps you build your own Nerdminer and dig deeper into the inner workings of Bitcoin mining. Good luck, and happy nerd-mining!
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a DIY Nerdminer?
The upfront spend runs about €20–50. The bulk of that is the LilyGO T-Display S3 board; the rest is a USB-C cable, a 5 V power supply you probably already own, and an optional case (€6–10 if you buy one pre-printed). After that, the yearly electricity cost is between €1.75 and €2.60, basically nothing.
Which board should I use for a Nerdminer?
The LilyGO T-Display S3 (an ESP32-S3 with a 1.9″ LCD) is the community’s go-to and what I’d recommend. It’s cheap, easy to flash, and the built-in screen lets you watch the hashrate and shares without any extra hardware. You can run the firmware on other ESP32 boards too, even screenless ones, but the T-Display S3 is the path of least resistance.
Do I need a Bitcoin node to run a Nerdminer?
No. The device connects over WiFi to a public solo-mining pool (CKPool in solo mode by default) to get the block template and send stats. You don’t run your own node. All you need is a WiFi connection and a Bitcoin address, ideally in SegWit format (bc1q).
Can I actually earn Bitcoin with a Nerdminer?
Realistically, no. At a hashrate of tens of kilohashes per second, the odds of solving a full block are astronomically small, on the order of 1 in 10¹⁶ per block. If you ever did hit one, you’d collect the full reward, which is why people call it a lottery miner. Treat it as a learning project, not an income source.
How do I flash the NerdMiner firmware?
Connect the board over USB-C, install the CP210x or CH34x driver if your PC doesn’t detect it, then open the project’s online flashing tool. Click “Erase Flash” first, select your board (for example “LILYGO T-Display S3”), and hit “Flash.” After it finishes, reboot, connect to the device’s WiFi access point, and enter your network and Bitcoin address in the configuration screen.
Is building a Nerdminer worth it?
If you’re after profit, no. If you want to learn about ESP32 hardware, firmware flashing, and how Bitcoin mining works for the price of a couple of pizzas, absolutely. The electricity cost is negligible and the build itself teaches you more than the payout ever would.
Learn more about Nerdminer
