DCENT_OS FAQ — Honest Answers on the Open-Source Firmware

Every answer on this page is drawn from the DCENT_OS repository's own documentation and evidence records, not from marketing copy. Where the honest answer is "experimental" or "not yet," that is the answer you get. Source paths are cited per section.

Money and licensing

Is DCENT_OS really free, with no developer fee?

Yes. DCENT_OS has no mandatory fee and no license server. There is an optional donation — default ~2%, adjustable from 0% to 5%, and fully disableable — that is always visible on the dashboard when active. Setting it to zero is a completely valid configuration. D-Central makes its living repairing and selling mining hardware, not by skimming hashrate. Source: docs/FAQ.md; donation keys in the configuration reference.

What license is it under? Can I fork it?

GPL-3.0. Fork and build freely. D-Central sets the project's direction and decides what merges upstream (see the repo's GOVERNANCE.md) — and if that direction isn't yours, the GPL guarantees your right to fork. Open-source lineage (ESP-Miner, cgminer, BraiinsOS components) is attributed in the repo's THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md. Source: docs/FAQ.md; root README.md.

Hardware support — the honest picture

Is DCENT_OS production-ready?

No. DCENT_OS is a public beta; the repo's install guide states plainly: "Public beta (not production-stable). No model is stable." The published S9 and S19j Pro packages are guarded experimental artifacts — downloadable does not mean production-ready, and it can brick hardware without a recovery path. Do not run it on revenue-critical machines. Source: docs/INSTALL/README.md; beta-20260709 artifact index.

Which Antminer models actually work?

Two different questions hide in there, and the repo keeps them separate:

• Bench mining evidence ("mining achieved" = accepted pool shares on real hardware on D-Central's bench): Antminer S9 (Zynq) and S19j Pro (Zynq and BeagleBone); the S21 (Amlogic) has earlier runtime-path accepted-share evidence, not rerun on the latest binaries. S19 Pro has hashing and clean nonce-flow evidence, with accepted shares untested on the latest binaries. S17/T17, plain S19, S19 XP, S19k Pro and the Amlogic S19j Pro are in bring-up.
• Public install readiness (can you flash it today): signed public-beta artifacts exist for the S9 (Zynq/XIL) and S19j Pro (Zynq/XIL) only — and each carries its own gate (S9: witnessed live-install capstone still pending; S19j Pro: guarded self-update from a running DCENT_OS only, vendor-stock first install is an open evidence gap). Everything else is "support incoming," not flashable today.

The per-model matrix — including which proofs are still untested on the latest binaries — lives in the repo and on the model pages here. Source: docs/PLATFORMS.md; docs/FAQ.md; beta-20260709 artifact index. See S9 · S19j Pro · site-wide compatibility matrix.

What about Bitaxe-class miners?

The ESP32-S3 member of the family ships today as DCENT_axe — you can flash it from the browser at /flash/ onto sixteen Bitaxe, Lucky Miner and Hammer Miner boards. The repo's DCENT_OS_ESP/ tree is the source route for the same family: build with the esp-rs toolchain and flash over USB with espflash, per TESTING.md Tier 1. Bitaxe Max / Ultra / Supra / Gamma / Hex-class boards are covered — Gamma live-verified, the others driver- and host-tested — with a built-in MCP (AI-control) server. Source: root README.md (supported-hardware table); TESTING.md (Tier 1); the DCENT_axe page.

What about Avalon and WhatsMiner?

Both are in development — Avalon (Canaan) architecture is scaffolded, WhatsMiner (MicroBT) reverse engineering and bring-up are underway. The repo makes no mining claim for either yet. Source: root README.md (platform table).

What is the "universal hash board" feature?

Zynq-era Antminers share an 18-pin hash-board connector and UART protocol. DCENT_OS detects the chip via the ChipID command (0x1387 = S9, 0x1397/0x1398 = S17/S19, 0x1362 = S19j Pro) and loads the right driver — so in validated/lab configurations an inexpensive S9 control board can drive supported later-generation hash boards. Treat mixed-generation rigs as per-route lab work until their exact control board, hash board, power and recovery path is listed in the platform matrix. Source: docs/PLATFORMS.md; docs/FAQ.md.

Do I need a smart PSU or a Loki board? Does 120 V work?

No smart PSU or Loki board is required. Three PSU modes are supported: Bypass (estimate power from frequency/voltage tables; run any dumb PSU), Auto-Detect (probe a PMBus-capable PSU), and PMBus Monitor (full telemetry from a smart PSU). APW3 / APW7 / APW12 and generic bench supplies are supported through these modes on proven lanes, and 120 V household power is supported via PSU bypass on the appropriate hardware. Caveat from the same page: Amlogic and BeagleBone PSU-bypass behavior remains live-soak gated — don't infer those lanes from S9 proof. Source: docs/PLATFORMS.md ("Power supplies").

Trying, installing, undoing

Can I try DCENT_OS without owning a miner?

Yes — Tier 0 of the repo's test ladder runs entirely on your computer (Linux or Windows WSL): the daemon test suite (the same one CI runs) and the full dashboard driven by ~70 mocked API endpoints:

cd DCENT_OS_Antminer/dcentrald
rustup toolchain install 1.90.0
cargo +1.90.0 test --workspace --locked

cd ../dashboard
npm ci && npm run build
python3 scripts/preview-with-mocks.py --port 4173
# open http://127.0.0.1:4173 — Space Heater / Mining / Hacker modes, no miner required

Source: TESTING.md (Tier 0). Full walk-through: Run DCENT_OS in 15 minutes — no miner required.

How do I install it?

Two methods, in the repo's priority order — and a fresh install always boots management-only (dashboard/SSH/API up, hash power off) until you explicitly enable mining, so a flash never surprise-starts a loud miner:

• SD card (S9) — the S9 boots DCENT_OS straight from SD with no NAND write at all; pull the card to revert to your prior firmware. Walkthrough: the reversible SD trial.
• DCENT_Toolbox — detect → dry-run → gated persistent write. The dry run is free and writes nothing: dcent doctor <MINER_IP>, then dcent install <MINER_IP> -f <signed-package> --dry-run.

Respect the per-model readiness table before any persistent write — install readiness is path-specific and separate from mining evidence. Source: docs/INSTALL/README.md (method table, Option A/B, public-beta warning). Toolbox install is from a source checkout — see the DCENT_Toolbox page.

Can it brick my miner? Is there an undo?

It can. The repo's golden rule: "always keep a known-good recovery path (SD card, stock/BraiinsOS slot, or a full NAND backup) before writing anything persistent to a miner" — and its install guide warns that automatic failed-boot rollback is not guaranteed. The reversible tiers exist precisely for this: the S9 SD-boot trial touches no NAND (pull the card to undo), and the /tmp runtime trial on an SSH-accessible Antminer is undone by a reboot. Source: TESTING.md (golden rule, quoted verbatim; Tier 2); docs/INSTALL/README.md (public-beta warning, Option A).

How do I go back to stock firmware?

Depends on how you installed:

• S9 SD-boot trial: the full uninstall is removing a card:
  1. Power the miner off.
  2. Remove the SD card and undo the boot-select you set on the way in — JP4 jumper back to its original position, or remove the uEnv.txt override.
  3. Power on. The previous NAND firmware boots, exactly as you left it — the trial never wrote to NAND.
• Bitaxe-class: reflash stock ESP-Miner with esptool or the Bitaxe web flasher at any time; the flash is fully rewritable over USB.
• /tmp runtime trial: reboot — the trial lived in RAM; the incumbent firmware boots untouched.
• Persistent Antminer installs:For persistent Antminer installs, DCENT_Toolbox documents a per-vendor revert-to-stock lane — dcent install --revert-to-stock — covering BraiinsOS recovery-mode NAND rewrite, VNish firmware/remove, and DCENT_OS/LuxOS uninstall.sh. The honest label from its own README: this lane is code-complete and operator-gated, with BraiinsOS/VNish live proof still pending.

Every exit, in one place: Uninstall DCENT_OS / restore stock. Source: docs/INSTALL/README.md (Option A); TESTING.md (Tier 1/Tier 2 undo); DCENT_Toolbox README.md (capabilities table).

How do I verify a download is genuine?

Every release publishes a SHA-256 manifest; each sysupgrade package additionally embeds a signed manifest verified against the published beta release public key. Check the checksums with sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt against the files on the releases page, and follow the step-by-step firmware verification guide. Source: beta-20260709 artifact index ("Verify" section); TESTING.md ("Verify what you flash").

Running it

Will DCENT_OS make my miner quieter?

Yes — that's a core design goal. Fans boot at a low PWM and are PID-controlled, and the safety policy cuts hash power before raising fan noise (the shipped default caps fan PWM at 30). For home and night use it's much quieter than stock firmware, which pins fans at 100% from boot. Source: docs/FAQ.md; docs/CONFIGURATION.md ([thermal].fan_max_pwm).

Is it faster than Braiins OS+ or VNish?

DCENT_OS prioritizes efficiency and quiet home operation over maximum overclock — that is the design goal, not a measured claim. No independent stock-vs-DCENT_OS benchmark dataset has been published yet; when one exists it will follow the benchmark protocol, raw measurements attached. If your only goal is the highest possible hashrate on a heavily-cooled warehouse machine, a performance-tuned closed firmware may push further. Source: docs/FAQ.md (design priorities); /dcent-os/benchmarks/ (no-dataset-yet statement).

Can I run an old miner as a space heater?

That's the whole point. DCENT_OS shows BTU/h in every dashboard mode, has a Space Heater mode with thermostat-style control, and can drive hashrate from room temperature when paired with an external sensor (the DCENT Expansion Pack). Source: docs/FAQ.md; root README.md.

Can I mine to any pool?

Yes — zero lock-in; point it at any Stratum V1 pool, with multi-pool failover and anti-flap failback. A native Stratum V2 stack (Noise encryption, certificate auth, job declaration) ships under an explicit readiness gate. The shipped config's default donation route is DCENT_Pool, D-Central's Solo/Guild pool — mine solo and keep a whole block reward, or join a guild to share block rewards trustlessly by design; see the DCENT_Pool page for its current status. Source: docs/FAQ.md; root README.md; docs/CONFIGURATION.md (donation defaults).

Does it phone home or need a cloud account?

No. The dashboard is served locally off the miner — no cloud account, no telemetry phone-home, no remote-management backdoor. All UI assets ship with the firmware (no Google Fonts, no CDN). Source: docs/FAQ.md.

Why is it written in Rust?

A miner is critical infrastructure sitting in your home, controlling real voltage and heat. A memory-safety bug in firmware can brick hardware or worse; Rust eliminates that entire class of bug by construction, which is why dcentrald is written in it. Source: docs/FAQ.md.

Community

Can I contribute? Where do I report bugs or security issues?

Contributions are welcome — bug reports and bring-up findings go through GitHub Issues (use the platform-bring-up template; community test reports, success or failure, are how bring-up models get promoted). Security issues go to security@d-central.tech, not a public issue. Source: docs/FAQ.md; TESTING.md ("Reporting results"); repo SECURITY.md.

Answers adapted from DCENT_OS_Antminer/docs/FAQ.md, TESTING.md, docs/PLATFORMS.md and docs/INSTALL/README.md (fetched 2026-08-13). Where the site and the repository disagree, the repository's per-model evidence tables win. Last reviewed: August 13, 2026. Full docs: the documentation hub.