The mystery of the NerdMiner v3
Over the past few years, the NerdMiner has carved out a place for itself as an educational, experimental tool in Bitcoin mining. Lately the market has filled up with listings for a “NerdMiner v3” promising real improvements. I’ve checked, and in most cases what you’re looking at is a clone or a third-party modified version, not an official release from BitMaker, the brand that actually builds and ships this Bitcoin miner.
Is there a NerdMiner v3 prototype out there?
Right now, there is no official NerdMiner v3. The version BitMaker develops and backs is still the v2, with optimized firmware (for example, v1.6.3, which bumps the hash rate up to roughly 77 KH/s) (How to update to firmware v1.6.3 – NerdMiners). That said, you’ll already find devices on the market using the “v3” label. These products, generally built by third parties, rely on running several ESP32 chips in parallel to push the total hash power higher, hitting numbers in the 300 to 415 KH/s range (GitHub – Issue #517). In other words, more than a leap in technology, the “v3” is a bundle of v2 units with no disruptive change to the algorithm or the underlying architecture.
This has spawned plenty of scam attempts: sellers claiming to have a “new” product when nothing official backs it. My advice is to be extra careful and, before buying anything, cross-check what you read against specialist forums and the official repositories, where it’s plain that BitMaker has announced no v3.
Hardware and firmware: from the v2 to the community “v3”
The NerdMiner runs on the ESP32 microcontroller with WiFi, executing firmware written in C/C++ and tuned for SHA-256 hashing. On the v2, the gap between an ESP32-S2 and an ESP32-S3 is real: the first puts out around 50–55 KH/s, while the second gets close to 77 KH/s thanks to its dual-core capacity (Understanding NerdMiner – D-Central).
In the variants tagged “v3”, what you usually find is a cluster of 4 or 5 ESP32-S3 units working in parallel. Instead of a single chip, you’re summing the capacity of each one, getting hash rates that can reach almost 0.4 MH/s. It’s an internal improvement over a single device, sure, but it’s worth being blunt about it: this is just replicating and adding up identical hardware, not introducing an ASIC or any innovation in how the mining is done.
BitMaker’s NerdMiner v3 doesn’t exist, and you can’t buy it. What you can get hold of is one of these NerdMiners on steroids that the community has been building, and that some people are now selling.
To put it in technical, comparative terms, here’s a table that places the NerdMiner alongside other mining devices:
| Device | Hash Rate (TH/s) | Per-block probability | Daily probability | Annual probability / Average 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 ~3,500 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) |
Firmware and the mining process: code and how it works
The firmware running on these devices is open source, which means any enthusiast can audit and modify the code to squeeze out more performance. The algorithm applies the double SHA-256 function to iterate over millions of nonces, hunting for a hash that meets the Bitcoin network’s difficulty. Here’s a simplified C example that illustrates connecting to a pool and kicking off the mining process:
#include <WiFi.h>
#include "NerdMiner.h"
const char* ssid = "NerdMinerAP";
const char* password = "your_password";
const char* poolURL = "stratum+tcp://pool.nerdminers.org:3333";
const char* btcAddr = "your_btc_address";
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
delay(100);
}
// Initialize the miner with the pool and the BTC address
NerdMiner.begin(poolURL, btcAddr);
}
void loop() {
// Run the mining cycle
NerdMiner.mine();
}This snippet shows the basic process: WiFi connection, parameter setup, and the continuous execution of the mining algorithm. Simplified as it is, that’s the foundation of how the ESP32 hardware is put to work for “lottery mining” on these devices (Understanding NerdMiner – D-Central).
If you want to learn about Bitcoin, there’s nothing like building your own NerdMiner. Here’s my step-by-step guide to building your own NerdMiner.
NerdMiner v4 and beyond
So, to recap: the term “NerdMiner v3” mostly refers to devices that have been upgraded by packing several ESP32 chips into a single kit, not to an official product from BitMaker. We don’t know whether BitMaker is working on a v3, but one thing is clear: the NerdMiner community has already made it their own, and it won’t be long before we see new versions, a NerdMiner v4 included.
While I’m at it, a reminder: the low power draw and the chance to experiment with real mining make the NerdMiner a genuinely fascinating tool, but the expectation of turning a profit is zero.
To close, the NerdMiner’s real innovation lies in its open-source, community-driven nature, which has let plenty of people learn and experiment in a field as deeply complex as Bitcoin mining. If you want other takes and opinions, have a look at my NerdMiner review.
Frequently asked questions
Does the NerdMiner v3 actually exist?
No. There is no official NerdMiner v3 from BitMaker. The version they develop and support is still the v2 with optimized firmware. Anything sold as a “v3” is a third-party build, usually several ESP32 chips bundled together.
Can I buy a NerdMiner v3?
You can’t buy an official one, because it doesn’t exist. What you can find for sale are community-built clusters that some makers label “v3”. Be careful: many of these listings are scam attempts, so cross-check against the official repositories and specialist forums before paying.
What’s the difference between the NerdMiner v2 and a “v3”?
The v2 is a single ESP32 device (around 50–55 KH/s on the S2, up to ~77 KH/s on the S3). A “v3” is just 4 or 5 ESP32-S3 units running in parallel, summing their hash rate to almost 0.4 MH/s. Same chip, same algorithm, more of it. There’s no new technology involved.
How much hash rate does a “v3” cluster put out?
Depending on how many ESP32-S3 units it bundles, a community “v3” lands somewhere in the 300 to 415 KH/s range, roughly 0.4 MH/s. Still negligible against any real ASIC miner.
Is a NerdMiner worth it for the money?
As an investment, no. The probability of mining a block is effectively zero, whether it’s a v2 or a “v3” cluster. It’s worth it as an educational, low-power experiment to learn how Bitcoin mining works, not as a way to make money.
Will there be a NerdMiner v4?
Nothing official has been announced. But given how active the community is and how easily people are already stacking ESP32 chips, it’s reasonable to expect new community versions, a “v4” among them, in the coming months.
Learn more about the NerdMiner
