Bitaxe Supra Complete Setup Guide — From Unboxing to First Share

What Is the Bitaxe Supra?

The Bitaxe Supra is an open-source, standalone Bitcoin solo miner built around the BM1368 ASIC chip — the same chip family used in Bitmain’s industrial-grade Antminer S21 series. It packs serious hashing power into a device roughly the size of a deck of cards, drawing just a few watts from a standard 5V barrel jack power supply. No fan rack, no 240V circuit, no noise complaints from your neighbors. Just plug it in, connect to WiFi, and start contributing hashrate to the Bitcoin network from your desk, shelf, or nightstand.

This is solo mining — sometimes called lottery mining. You are not splitting rewards with a pool of thousands. Every hash your Bitaxe Supra computes is a ticket in the Bitcoin block reward lottery. If your device finds a valid block, you keep the entire reward: 3.125 BTC at current subsidy. The odds on any given day are small, but they are never zero — and Bitaxe miners have found blocks before. That is the beauty of solo mining: one share is all it takes.

D-Central Technologies has been a pioneer in the Bitaxe ecosystem since its earliest days. We created the original Bitaxe Mesh Stand — the first commercially manufactured stand for Bitaxe devices — and have developed a complete line of accessories including custom heatsinks, cases, and power solutions. We stock every Bitaxe variant (Supra, Ultra, Hex, Gamma, GT, and more) alongside the full open-source miner lineup. When you buy from D-Central, you are buying from a team that knows this hardware inside and out because we helped shape it.

This guide will walk you through every step of setting up your Bitaxe Supra, from unboxing to your first submitted share. No prior mining experience required. Let’s get your hashrate online.

Technical Specifications

Before we dive into the setup, here is what you are working with. The Bitaxe Supra is built for efficiency and accessibility — a real ASIC miner that runs on a simple 5V barrel jack power supply.

What’s in the Box

When your Bitaxe Supra arrives from D-Central, here is what you should find inside the package. Take a moment to verify everything is present before you start.

• Bitaxe Supra board — The main PCB with the BM1368 ASIC chip, onboard fan, and ESP32-S3 controller
• Heatsink — Pre-attached or included for mounting (varies by configuration)
• Thermal pad — If the heatsink is not pre-attached, a thermal pad is included for proper heat transfer
• Mesh stand or mounting hardware — For upright positioning and airflow (if included with your order)

If anything is missing or appears damaged during shipping, contact D-Central support immediately. We stand behind every unit we sell.

Before You Begin

A quick note on Bitcoin wallet addresses: You need a valid Bitcoin address to receive mining rewards. This should be an address you fully control — from a hardware wallet like a Coldcard or Trezor, or a self-custody software wallet like Sparrow, Electrum, or BlueWallet. Do not use an exchange deposit address for solo mining payouts. If you find a block, you want that reward in a wallet where you hold the keys.

Hardware Assembly

The Bitaxe Supra is designed to be assembled in minutes with no specialized tools. If your unit came with the heatsink pre-attached, you can skip straight to connecting power. Otherwise, follow these steps.

Attach the Heatsink

Proper thermal management is critical for stable mining. The heatsink draws heat away from the BM1368 ASIC chip and dissipates it into the surrounding air. Without a heatsink, the chip will throttle or shut down to protect itself.

1. Locate the ASIC chip on the Bitaxe board — it is the largest square component, usually in the center of the PCB.
2. Prepare the thermal pad — Peel the protective film from both sides of the thermal pad. The pad should be sized to cover the ASIC chip surface. If you need to trim it, use scissors to match the chip dimensions.
3. Place the thermal pad directly on top of the ASIC chip. Center it carefully. The thermal pad fills microscopic gaps between the chip and heatsink, ensuring efficient heat transfer.
4. Press the heatsink down onto the thermal pad firmly and evenly. The heatsink should sit flush against the pad with no wobble. Some heatsinks use screw-through mounting; if yours has mounting screws, secure them now in a cross pattern (tighten opposite corners first) to distribute pressure evenly.
5. Verify the fit — Gently try to wiggle the heatsink. It should feel secure with no movement. The thermal pad is slightly tacky and will hold the heatsink in place if there are no screws.

Connect Power Supply

The Bitaxe Supra draws power through its 5V barrel jack (5.5×2.1mm DC connector). All data communication happens over WiFi — the barrel jack is for power only.

1. Plug your barrel jack cable into the DC power port on the Bitaxe Supra. The port is located on the edge of the PCB.
2. Connect the other end to your 5V / 6A barrel jack power supply.
3. Plug the power supply into a wall outlet or a power strip with surge protection.

Position Your Bitaxe

Where you place your Bitaxe matters more than you might think. Good airflow keeps the ASIC chip cool and extends the life of your device.

• Use an upright stand — The D-Central Bitaxe Mesh Stand (the original, designed by us) positions the board vertically for optimal natural airflow across the heatsink fins. Horizontal placement on a flat surface blocks airflow on one side.
• Keep it in open air — Do not place the Bitaxe inside a closed cabinet, drawer, or box. It needs ambient air circulation.
• Avoid direct sunlight — Placing it near a window in direct sun can raise ambient temps and push the chip toward thermal throttling.
• Near your router is ideal — A strong WiFi signal means fewer disconnections and more consistent share submission. The Bitaxe uses 2.4 GHz WiFi, which has good range, but walls and distance degrade signal quality.
• Stable surface — The Bitaxe is lightweight. Make sure it is on a surface where it will not get knocked over, and keep cables tidy so nothing tugs on the barrel jack connection.

Initial Setup & WiFi Configuration

With the hardware assembled and power connected, it is time to bring your Bitaxe Supra online. The initial setup is done entirely through your web browser — no software installation needed.

First Boot

When you plug in the barrel jack power cable, the Bitaxe Supra will power on immediately. There is no power button. Here is what happens:

1. The onboard fan spins up — you should hear a faint whir. This confirms power is reaching the board.
2. The LED indicator on the ESP32-S3 module will light up, typically flashing briefly as the firmware boots.
3. After a few seconds, AxeOS completes its boot sequence and begins broadcasting its own WiFi access point.

If the fan does not spin or no LED lights up, disconnect power immediately and check your cable and power supply. Ensure the barrel jack connector is fully seated.

Connect to AxeOS WiFi

On first boot (or if the Bitaxe cannot connect to a saved WiFi network), AxeOS creates its own WiFi access point so you can configure it.

1. On your phone, laptop, or tablet, open your WiFi settings.
2. Look for a network named “AxeOS” or “Bitaxe_XXXX” (where XXXX is a unique identifier). This is your Bitaxe broadcasting its configuration network.
3. Connect to this network. No password is required on initial setup (some firmware versions may use “password” or “12345678” as the default — check the AxeOS documentation if prompted).
4. Once connected, your device may show a “no internet” warning. This is normal — you are connected directly to the Bitaxe, not to the internet.

After connecting to the Bitaxe’s WiFi access point, open your web browser and navigate to the AxeOS configuration page:

http://192.168.4.1

This is the default IP address the Bitaxe assigns itself when acting as an access point. The AxeOS dashboard should load in your browser, showing the main configuration interface.

Configure Your WiFi Network

Now you need to tell the Bitaxe how to connect to your home WiFi network so it can reach the internet and communicate with your chosen mining pool.

1. In the AxeOS dashboard, navigate to the WiFi / Network settings section (sometimes labeled “System” or accessible via a gear icon).
2. Enter your WiFi network name (SSID) exactly as it appears in your router settings. This is case-sensitive.
3. Enter your WiFi password.
4. Click Save and then Restart (or the Bitaxe will reboot automatically).

After rebooting, the Bitaxe will attempt to connect to your home WiFi network. It will no longer broadcast the AxeOS access point once it successfully joins your network.

To access the AxeOS dashboard after this point, you need to find the Bitaxe’s new IP address on your home network. There are several ways to do this:

• Check your router’s admin page — Look in the connected devices list for a device named “AxeOS” or “Bitaxe” or “ESP32”.
• Use the mDNS hostname — Most Bitaxe firmware versions support mDNS. Try navigating to:

http://bitaxe.local

• Use a network scanner app — Apps like Fing (iOS/Android) or Advanced IP Scanner (Windows) will show all devices on your network. Look for the ESP32 device.

Once you have the IP address, bookmark it — you will be using it frequently to check on your miner.

Configure Mining Settings

Your Bitaxe Supra is on your WiFi network and you can reach the AxeOS dashboard. Now it is time to tell it what to mine, where to send the work, and where to deposit any rewards. This is where things get exciting.

Choose Your Mining Pool (Solo vs Pool Mining)

The Bitaxe Supra communicates with a mining pool using the Stratum protocol. Even for solo mining, you connect to a pool server — the pool handles the communication with the Bitcoin network on your behalf.

There are two philosophies here:

Solo Mining (Lottery Mining) — You connect to a solo pool like public-pool.io. Every hash your Bitaxe computes has a chance of finding a full Bitcoin block. If you find one, you get the entire block reward (3.125 BTC). If you do not find a block, you get nothing. This is the purist’s approach — contributing to network decentralization while rolling the dice for a life-changing payout. This is what most Bitaxe owners do, and it is what we recommend.

Pool Mining — You connect to a traditional mining pool (like Braiins, CKPool, or Ocean). Your hashrate is combined with everyone else’s, and you receive small, frequent payouts proportional to your contribution. With a single Bitaxe Supra producing ~500 GH/s, your pool payouts will be measured in single-digit satoshis per day. Pool mining with a Bitaxe is more of a learning exercise than an income strategy.

For this guide, we will set up solo mining using public-pool.io — the most popular choice for Bitaxe solo miners worldwide.

Enter Pool Settings

In the AxeOS dashboard, navigate to the Mining / Stratum configuration section. You will see fields for the pool URL, port, and your worker name.

For solo mining with public-pool.io, enter:

Some AxeOS firmware versions have the URL and port as separate fields; others want the full Stratum address in a single field. Enter the information in whatever format your version requires.

Set Your Bitcoin Address

The Worker Name field in the Stratum configuration is where you enter your Bitcoin wallet address. On public-pool.io for solo mining, your worker name IS your Bitcoin address — this is how the pool knows where to send the block reward if your device finds a block.

1. Open your Bitcoin wallet (hardware wallet software, Sparrow, Electrum, BlueWallet, etc.).
2. Generate or copy a receive address. It will start with bc1 (native SegWit), 3 (wrapped SegWit), or 1 (legacy). We recommend using a bc1 (native SegWit) address for the lowest transaction fees.
3. Paste this address into the Worker Name or Username field in AxeOS.
4. You can optionally append a worker identifier by adding a period and a name — for example: bc1qyouraddresshere.mysupra. This helps you identify the device on the pool dashboard if you run multiple miners.

Double-check the address character by character. A single wrong character means any reward would be sent to the wrong address (or rejected). Once everything looks good, click Save and the Bitaxe will reboot and start mining.

Solo Mining with Public Pool

Public Pool (public-pool.io) is a free, open-source solo mining pool designed specifically for small miners like the Bitaxe. It has become the go-to choice for the Bitaxe community, and for good reason:

• Zero fees — Public Pool charges no pool fees. If your Bitaxe finds a block, 100% of the block reward goes to your Bitcoin address.
• Fully transparent — The pool software is open-source. You can audit every line of code.
• Built for solo miners — Unlike traditional pools that split rewards, Public Pool submits your work directly as solo mining attempts. Every valid share is a real shot at a full block reward.
• Community dashboard — You can monitor your hashrate, share count, and best difficulty shares on the Public Pool website using your Bitcoin address.

After configuring your Bitaxe with the Public Pool settings from the previous section, your device will begin hashing and submitting shares. Within a few minutes, you should see your miner appear on the Public Pool dashboard.

To check your miner’s status on Public Pool, visit:

https://web.public-pool.io/#/app/bc1q...youraddress

Replace bc1q…youraddress with your actual Bitcoin address. The dashboard will show your connected workers, total hashrate, share history, and best difficulty shares found.

What does “best difficulty” mean? Every share your Bitaxe submits has a difficulty value. Most will be very low. Occasionally, you will find a share with a much higher difficulty — these are your “near misses.” The higher the difficulty of your best share, the closer you have come to finding a block. Finding a block requires a share that meets or exceeds the current network difficulty, which is an astronomically high number. But remember — probability does not care about your device’s size. Any single hash can be the one.

Overclocking & Tuning

The Bitaxe Supra is a capable miner at stock settings, but the open-source spirit of this device means you have full control over its performance parameters. Overclocking increases your hashrate — which means more lottery tickets per second — at the cost of higher power consumption and heat output.

Understanding Frequency and Voltage

Two primary settings control the Bitaxe Supra’s performance:

• Core Frequency (MHz) — This controls the clock speed of the BM1368 ASIC. Higher frequency means more hashes per second, but also more heat and power draw. Stock is typically around 490–500 MHz.
• Core Voltage (mV) — This controls how much electrical potential is supplied to the ASIC core. Higher voltage provides more stability at higher frequencies, but increases power consumption and heat. Stock is typically around 1150–1200 mV.

These two settings are interdependent. Increasing frequency without increasing voltage will eventually cause errors and instability. Think of voltage as the foundation and frequency as the building height — you need a stronger foundation to build higher.

Safe Overclocking Steps

Follow this incremental approach:

1. Start at stock settings — Run your Bitaxe for at least 30 minutes at default settings. Note the baseline hashrate, power draw, and temperature. Write these numbers down.
2. Increase frequency by 25 MHz — In the AxeOS dashboard under the tuning section, bump the core frequency up by one increment (e.g., from 500 MHz to 525 MHz). Save and let the Bitaxe restart.
3. Monitor for 15–30 minutes — Watch the hashrate, temperature, and error rate. If the hashrate is stable (not fluctuating wildly), the temperature is under 65 °C, and you see no spike in rejected shares, the overclock is stable.
4. Repeat with another 25 MHz increase — Continue stepping up until you see instability: frequent restarts, rejected shares, temperatures above 70 °C, or declining hashrate despite higher frequency (thermal throttling).
5. If instability occurs, increase voltage slightly — Bump the core voltage up by 10–20 mV and try again. This gives the ASIC more electrical headroom to operate at the higher frequency.
6. Find your sweet spot — The ideal overclock is the highest frequency where your Bitaxe runs stably 24/7 with acceptable temperatures. For most Supra units, this is in the 550–625 MHz range, yielding 550–650 GH/s.
7. Back off one step — Once you find the edge of stability, drop the frequency back by 25 MHz. This gives you a safety margin for warmer days or ambient temperature changes.

Monitoring Temperature

Temperature is displayed on the AxeOS dashboard in real time. Here is how to read it:

Keep in mind that ambient room temperature directly impacts your Bitaxe temperatures. A miner running at 55 °C in winter might hit 70 °C in a warm summer room. Plan your overclock settings for the warmest conditions you expect.

Monitoring Your Bitaxe

Once your Bitaxe Supra is mining, the AxeOS dashboard becomes your control center. Here is what the key numbers on the dashboard mean and what to look for.

Key Dashboard Metrics

• Hashrate — Displayed in GH/s (gigahashes per second). This is how much computational work your Bitaxe is doing. It will fluctuate naturally — do not panic if it dips or spikes momentarily. Look at the average over 10–30 minutes for a true reading.
• Temperature — The ASIC chip temperature in Celsius. Refer to the temperature ranges table above.
• Fan Speed — Shown as RPM or as a percentage. The fan adjusts automatically based on temperature. Higher temps trigger higher fan speeds.
• Shares Accepted — The number of valid shares submitted to your mining pool. This should be steadily increasing. If it stops growing, something is wrong with your pool connection.
• Shares Rejected — Shares the pool did not accept, usually due to stale submissions (your miner solved a problem the pool already moved past) or hardware errors. A small rejection rate (under 2%) is normal. A high rate indicates instability or network latency.
• Best Difficulty — The highest-difficulty share your Bitaxe has ever found. This is your personal record — your closest brush with finding a block. The community loves to share “best diff” screenshots.
• Uptime — How long the Bitaxe has been running since its last reboot. Longer uptime means more stable operation. Frequent reboots indicate a problem (usually thermal or power-related).
• Core Voltage & Frequency — Confirms your current overclock settings are applied.
• Power Consumption — Estimated wattage draw. Useful for calculating your electricity costs (though with a Bitaxe, the cost is pennies per day).

You can also monitor your Bitaxe from outside your home network by checking the Public Pool dashboard — it shows your connected workers, total hashrate, and share history using just your Bitcoin address. No login or account required.

Troubleshooting

Most Bitaxe Supra issues have simple solutions. Here are the most common problems and how to fix them.

Bitaxe Not Connecting to WiFi

Symptoms: The Bitaxe keeps broadcasting its own “AxeOS” access point, meaning it cannot connect to your home WiFi.

Solutions:

1. Verify SSID and password — Reconnect to the Bitaxe’s access point (192.168.4.1), check the saved WiFi credentials. SSIDs are case-sensitive. Passwords must be exact.
2. Confirm 2.4 GHz — The Bitaxe does not support 5 GHz WiFi. If your router uses a combined SSID (band steering), try disabling it and creating a separate 2.4 GHz network.
3. Check for special characters — Some SSID or password special characters may cause issues. If your SSID or password contains characters like ‘ ” & # $, try renaming your network or using a simpler password temporarily.
4. Move closer to the router — Weak signal strength on 2.4 GHz can prevent initial connection. Set up the Bitaxe close to the router first, then move it to its permanent location.
5. Check router client limits — Some routers limit the number of connected devices. Ensure your router has not hit its client cap.
6. Factory reset — If nothing works, you can reset the AxeOS firmware to defaults. Check the AxeOS documentation for the reset procedure (usually involves holding a button during boot or using the web interface).

Low Hashrate

Symptoms: Hashrate is significantly lower than expected (e.g., under 300 GH/s when you expect 500 GH/s).

Solutions:

1. Check temperature — If the ASIC is overheating, it will automatically throttle (reduce frequency) to protect itself. Improve cooling, reduce overclock, or reposition the device for better airflow.
2. Verify power supply — An underpowered PSU (under 3A) causes voltage drops under load, forcing the chip to operate below its rated speed. Try a better power supply.
3. Check the barrel jack cable — Some cheap power supplies have thin conductors that cause voltage drop under load. Use a quality 5V/6A barrel jack PSU with adequate wire gauge.
4. Review frequency/voltage settings — If you have been overclocking, the settings may be causing the chip to error out and restart repeatedly, averaging the hashrate down. Return to stock settings and test.
5. Update firmware — Older AxeOS versions may not optimize for the BM1368 as well as newer releases. Check the AxeOS GitHub releases for the latest firmware.

High Temperature

Symptoms: ASIC temperature consistently above 65 °C or spiking above 70 °C.

Solutions:

1. Check heatsink contact — Remove the heatsink and verify the thermal pad is making full, even contact with the ASIC chip. Replace the thermal pad if it has shifted or degraded.
2. Improve airflow — Move the Bitaxe to a more open location. Use the mesh stand for vertical positioning. Point a small desk fan at it if necessary.
3. Reduce ambient temperature — Air conditioning, moving away from heat sources, or relocating to a cooler room all help.
4. Reduce overclock — Lower the core frequency by 25–50 MHz. This is the most effective immediate fix.
5. Check the onboard fan — Ensure the fan is spinning. If it has stopped, the fan motor or connector may be faulty. Contact D-Central support for replacement options.
6. Upgrade the heatsink — D-Central’s custom heatsinks offer larger surface area and better fin design for improved passive cooling.

No Shares Found

Symptoms: The Bitaxe appears to be hashing (hashrate displays a number), but the share count stays at zero.

Solutions:

1. Verify pool settings — Double-check the pool URL, port number, and your Bitcoin address. A single typo will prevent shares from being accepted.
2. Check internet connection — The Bitaxe needs internet access to communicate with the pool. Verify your WiFi connection is active and your router has internet.
3. Wait longer — On some pool configurations, it can take several minutes for the first share to appear. Be patient for at least 10–15 minutes before troubleshooting.
4. Try a different pool — Temporarily switch to another pool (e.g., solo.ckpool.org on port 3333) to rule out a pool-side issue.
5. Check firewall/DNS — Some routers block certain outbound ports or have DNS filtering that interferes with Stratum connections. Try changing your router’s DNS to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8.
6. Reboot everything — Power cycle the Bitaxe, then your router. Sometimes a fresh connection resolves intermittent network issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

Your Bitaxe Supra is up, running, and submitting shares to Public Pool. Welcome to the global community of solo miners fighting for Bitcoin’s decentralization — one hash at a time. Here is where to go from here:

• Join the community — The Bitaxe community is active on Twitter/X, Discord, and Reddit. Share your setup photos, compare best difficulty scores, and celebrate block wins together. Follow @DCentralTech on X for news and updates.
• Experiment with overclocking — Now that your Bitaxe is running stable at stock, revisit the Overclocking section to squeeze out more hashrate. Document your best settings for your specific unit.
• Keep firmware updated — Follow the ESP-Miner GitHub repository for new AxeOS releases. Firmware updates often include performance improvements, bug fixes, and new features.
• Explore more miners — One Bitaxe often leads to a fleet. Check out the Bitaxe Hex for six times the hashrate, or the NerdAxe and NerdQAxe for alternative open-source miners.
• Consider a Bitcoin Space Heater — If you want serious hashrate AND free heating, D-Central’s Bitcoin Space Heaters convert full-size ASIC power into room heating. Mining and comfort, combined.
• Accessorize your setup — D-Central carries the full range of Bitaxe accessories — heatsinks, mesh stands (we invented them), cases, and power supplies. Browse Bitaxe accessories.
• Read the Bitaxe Hub — D-Central’s Bitaxe Hub is your definitive resource for all things Bitaxe — model comparisons, deep-dive guides, firmware tutorials, and community block win tracking.

Solo mining is a long game. Your Bitaxe Supra is hashing around the clock, every second a new attempt at finding a Bitcoin block. Most days will pass quietly. But one day — maybe tomorrow, maybe in a year — your little miner might find the hash that changes everything. Until then, you are part of something bigger: a global network of individuals running their own miners, keeping Bitcoin decentralized, and proving that you do not need a warehouse full of hardware to participate in securing the most important monetary network ever built.

Happy hashing.

— The D-Central Technologies Team
Bitcoin Mining Hackers since 2016