You are on the DCENT_OS closed-beta waitlist. This page is what to expect next, in plain terms. It is also the page to read first if you have not joined yet — so you know exactly what you are signing up for before you leave an email. Everything here is honest about a project that is still experimental: closed beta now, public beta planned for summer 2026 (an estimate), GPL-3.0.

What this is, in one line

DCENT_OS is open-source (GPL-3.0) Antminer firmware, currently in closed beta on the Antminer S9 family. There are no public image downloads yet. The waitlist is how we reach you — once, when an image is ready to flash on your hardware. It is a waitlist, never a pre-order, and nothing here is a finished product.

What “closed beta” actually means

Closed beta means a small group of testers is running DCENT_OS on real S9 hardware right now and telling us what breaks. It is not a download you grab today. We are deliberately slow here, the same way we are deliberately slow building hardware to order: we would rather ship an image that is safe to flash than ship one fast and brick someone’s miner. Concretely, closed beta means:

• Experimental, not production. DCENT_OS can brick a miner, cause downtime, and flashing third-party firmware can void your manufacturer warranty. Treat every build as software you might have to recover from.
• Antminer S9 first. The S9 family (S9 / S9i / S9j) is the only platform in closed beta today. S17, S19, and S21 support is in active development and follows later — one validated control board at a time.
• No public images yet. Until the dated beta status page says an S9 SD card image is downloadable, there is nothing to flash. If the download area still reads “Support incoming,” that is the honest state.
• Open source by design. The firmware is GPL-3.0 with a 0% mandatory dev-fee target and an optional contribution setting for people who choose to fund the work. You will be able to read the code.

What to expect after you join the waitlist

We do not send newsletters and we do not broadcast. Joining the waitlist triggers exactly one thing: we email you once, when a slot opens for hardware like yours. Here is the honest sequence:

1. You join. You leave an email below (or in the waitlist on the main DCENT_OS page). That is it — no payment, no commitment, no pre-order.
2. You follow along, on your terms. Between now and your slot, the live channels are the beta status page (dated, updated first if anything slips), the GitHub repository (watch it for commits and releases), and the Discord community for build notes and tester chat. We do not email you in this window.
3. Your slot opens. When an image is validated for your hardware, we email you once with the link, the checksum, and a release note. That is the single email this list ever produces.
4. You flash — carefully. Before you do anything, you work through the hardware-readiness and recovery checklist and read the install guide. Recovery first, always.

Timeline, stated honestly: public beta is planned for summer 2026, opening with the first downloadable S9 SD card image. That is an estimate, not a promise of speed. The image answers to the hardware, not the calendar — if it is not safe yet, it does not ship yet, and the status page says so before anywhere else does.

Get ready while you wait

The single best use of the waiting period is to make sure the miner you intend to flash is recoverable. You do not need an image in hand to do this — the readiness work is the same for any custom firmware. Start here:

• Hardware-readiness & recovery checklist — pick a miner you can afford to take offline (an S9 first), prepare a recovery SD card, confirm UART access, and back up your current config before you change anything.
• SD card firmware flashing & recovery guide and recovering a bricked ASIC — the generic recovery skills that apply no matter whose firmware you run.
• Repair bench — if a flash goes wrong and you cannot recover it yourself, this is the same bench that has serviced thousands of miners since 2016. Recovery support is a separate service, not a warranty on the firmware.

Want to run it on hardware we hand-build?

The Bitaxe side of DCENT has a separate, easier path. DCENT_axe is our open-source Bitaxe firmware, and it flashes straight from your browser with the web flasher — no SD card, no UART. If you are new to open mining hardware and want a low-stakes place to start, The Bitaxe is the entry point. That is a different tool from the Antminer SD card images this waitlist is about, but it is the same philosophy: open, recoverable, yours.

Join the waitlist

Leave your email and we reach out once, when the S9 image is ready to flash. Waitlist only — this is not a pre-order, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Join the DCENT_OS Beta Waitlist

One email, when your slot opens. No newsletters, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. Waitlist only, never a pre-order.

Join the waitlist

I agree to D-Central storing my email to contact me about this. See our privacy policy.

Shoulders we stand on

DCENT_OS stands on real, prior work: the CGMiner / BMMiner lineage, Braiins’ open-source firmware and Stratum V2 protocol work, Luxor’s tooling for the mining community, and the open-ASIC community — skot9000 and the ESP-Miner / AxeOS project — around the Bitaxe. DCENT_OS is one more layer of a stack other people started; the goal is simply one more layer decentralized.

FAQ

What happens right after I join?

Nothing is sent immediately and nothing is charged. You are on the list. The next time you hear from us by email is when an image is ready for hardware like yours. In between, follow the beta status page, GitHub, or Discord — whichever you prefer.

Is the waitlist a pre-order? Will I be charged?

No. The waitlist is free and is not a pre-order. DCENT_OS is open-source firmware with a 0% mandatory dev-fee target; there is nothing to purchase to join the beta.

When will I get an image?

The first public image is the Antminer S9 SD card image, planned for summer 2026 — an estimate, not a guarantee. We ship an image when it is safe to flash, not before. The beta status page is updated first if the timeline moves.

Which miner should I get ready?

An Antminer S9 you can afford to take offline. The S9 family is supported first; S17, S19, and S21 follow later. Work through the readiness and recovery checklist so the miner is recoverable before any image exists.

Can DCENT_OS brick my miner?

Yes — it is experimental beta firmware. Flashing custom firmware can brick a miner, cause downtime, and void the manufacturer warranty. Only flash a miner you are prepared to recover, and read the full brick-risk warning first.