Solo describes how rewards are allocated
Bitcoin miners repeatedly hash candidate block headers, looking for a result that meets the network target. In solo mining, your work earns a block reward only if your miner finds a valid block that becomes part of the accepted chain. A conventional reward-sharing pool distributes payments under its rules using submitted work called shares.
A solo service can provide jobs and submit blocks on your behalf while keeping that solo reward arrangement. The word pool in its name does not necessarily mean rewards are shared. Check the actual payout rules, fees, and operator responsibilities. Solo CKPool is one documented example of this distinction.
Bitcoin developer documentation — mining and shares
Solo CKPool — service and share-difficulty explanation
A full node and a miner have different jobs
A full node independently checks transactions and blocks against Bitcoin's rules and can relay valid data. Running one does not, by itself, make your computer an ASIC miner or generate mining rewards.
Mining hardware performs the repeated hashing. For your own solo setup, mining server software also connects the hardware's protocol to a synchronized node and prepares jobs. Public Pool is an example of such software. A miner that expects Stratum cannot simply use a normal Bitcoin Core RPC address as its pool endpoint.
Using a public solo service usually means its operator runs this infrastructure. Running it yourself gives you additional responsibilities for updates, connectivity, and reliable block submission.
Public Pool — open-source solo pool software
Bitaxe contains a real mining ASIC
Bitaxe is an open-source hardware family built around dedicated Bitcoin mining ASICs. An onboard microcontroller handles control and networking; the ASIC performs the intensive hashing. The Gamma project, for example, uses a BM1370 chip and supports mining through compatible pools over Wi-Fi.
Open hardware does not mean every internal component has an open chip design. It also does not make every seller's board identical. Match the model and board revision to its power supply, cooling requirements, and firmware. ESP-Miner provides Bitaxe firmware and its AxeOS interface, with hardware-specific images.
A compact miner still needs suitable cooling and a correctly specified supply. More aggressive clock or voltage settings can create heat and instability rather than a useful improvement.
Bitaxe — Gamma hardware repository
NerdAxe and NerdQAxe are families, not one specification
NerdAxe combines ASIC mining with a display-oriented design derived from Bitaxe. The project's Ultra and Gamma variants use different ASICs. Their familiar screen does not make them equivalent to the original ESP32-only NerdMiner.
NerdQAxe expands this approach to multiple ASICs. The hardware repository distinguishes NerdQAxe+ from NerdQAxe++, including different chip generations and board revisions. Treat the plus signs as meaningful model information; do not apply one model's power, cooling, or firmware settings to another.
Check the label on the actual board, its documented revision, and the seller's included components. Use firmware intended for that target. A shared firmware family does not mean all builds support all boards.
BitMaker — NerdAxe hardware repository
shufps — NerdQAxe hardware generations
shufps — NerdAxe and NerdQAxe firmware
The original NerdMiner is an educational ESP32 miner
Standard NerdMiner v2 performs hashing on an ESP32 microcontroller rather than a dedicated mining ASIC. Its project emphasizes learning and a desktop display. It does real hashing, but its very small contribution should be understood as an educational experiment. An ASIC addon changes the hardware category.
The project also warns that some pools do not accommodate its very low share difficulty. A compatible dashboard reporting accepted work is useful evidence that the experiment runs; it does not turn the device into a practical source of expected payouts.
BitMaker — NerdMiner v2 project
Read the odds without imagining a countdown
Under a simplified model, a miner with fraction f of the network's active hashrate has approximately probability f of finding the next block. Assuming that fraction stays fixed and block outcomes are independent, the chance of at least one success across N blocks is 1 − (1 − f)^N. This is an explanatory calculation based on proof-of-work competition, not a live forecast.
For an invented example, f = 0.000001 means one millionth of network hashrate. Across 1,000 network blocks, the formula gives approximately 0.10% chance of at least one success. These numbers describe no specific product or current network.
A theoretical average waiting time is not a deadline. Previous failures do not make the next hash lucky. A small device can find a block, but it can also run throughout its useful life without finding one. Network changes, outages, and stale work complicate real results.
Bitcoin — original white paper
Bitcoin — frequently asked questions about mining
Shares show work, not accumulating progress toward a block
Pools accept easier targets as shares so they can measure contribution. Most shares are not valid Bitcoin blocks. A rising share count or personal best difficulty is not a completion bar, and lowering share difficulty does not improve the underlying probability of finding a block.
For setup checks, review pool connectivity, accepted work, temperatures, and the configured payout destination. Enter only the information the documented setup requires; a mining payout address does not require giving a device your wallet recovery phrase.
Bitcoin developer documentation — mining and shares
Choose the learning goal before the payout arrangement
Use solo mining when you understand and accept highly uncertain outcomes. A reward-sharing pool can reduce payout variability, but a tiny miner may still face minimum payouts, fees, or unsupported difficulty settings. Neither arrangement guarantees that proceeds cover equipment and electricity.
Set a hardware and energy budget, keep the device within its documented limits, and judge the experience by what it teaches. Treat any block reward as uncertain, including when a seller advertises a device as a lottery miner.
Sources and further reading
Bitcoin developer documentation — mining and shares
Bitcoin — frequently asked questions about mining
Bitcoin — original white paper
Bitaxe — Gamma hardware repository
BitMaker — NerdAxe hardware repository
shufps — NerdQAxe hardware generations
shufps — NerdAxe and NerdQAxe firmware
BitMaker — NerdMiner v2 project