NerdMiner Complete Setup Guide — ESP32-Based Bitcoin Lottery Miner

What Is the NerdMiner?

The NerdMiner is your $50 entry ticket into the world of Bitcoin mining. Built on the ESP32-S3 microcontroller (TTGO T-Display S3 board), it is a tiny, silent, USB-powered device that performs real SHA-256 computations and submits real shares to the Bitcoin network. It draws about one watt of power — less than a nightlight — costs under ten cents a month to run, and fits in the palm of your hand.

Let’s be upfront: the NerdMiner hashes at approximately 78 kH/s (kilohashes per second). That is billions of times slower than an industrial Antminer. Your odds of solo-mining a block are astronomically small. But here is what makes the NerdMiner brilliant: it is not about the hashrate. It is about the education, the sovereignty, and the statement. Every hash your NerdMiner computes is a real, valid SHA-256 computation submitted to the Bitcoin network. You are a miner. You are participating in the protocol. And the odds of finding a block are never zero — not for you, not for anyone.

The NerdMiner is also a gorgeous desk companion. Its built-in color TFT display cycles through real-time mining stats, a Bitcoin clock, and network information. It is a conversation starter, a learning tool, and a philosophical declaration all in one tiny package. For many people, the NerdMiner is their first hands-on experience with Bitcoin mining — and it often leads them down the rabbit hole to more powerful open-source miners.

D-Central Technologies stocks the NerdMiner as part of our complete open-source miner ecosystem. We are Bitcoin Mining Hackers — we believe mining should be accessible to everyone, not locked behind industrial infrastructure and six-figure budgets. The NerdMiner embodies that mission perfectly: real mining, real participation, zero barriers to entry.

This guide will walk you through every step of setting up your NerdMiner, from unboxing to your first submitted share. If you can plug in a USB cable and connect to WiFi, you can do this. Let’s get you mining.

Technical Specifications

Here is what you are working with. The NerdMiner is not trying to compete with ASIC miners on hashrate — it is designed for accessibility, education, and pure solo mining spirit.

What’s in the Box

One of the best things about the NerdMiner is its simplicity. When your package arrives from D-Central, here is what you will find:

• NerdMiner unit — The ESP32-S3 board (TTGO T-Display S3) in its case with the built-in color TFT display, pre-loaded with NerdMiner V2 firmware
• USB cable — For power and (if needed) firmware updates

That is it. Two items. The NerdMiner is the most accessible mining device ever made because there is nothing to assemble, nothing to configure externally, and nothing extra to buy. Plug it in, set it up on the screen, and you are mining Bitcoin.

If anything is missing or arrives damaged, contact D-Central support and we will make it right.

Setup Overview — True Plug and Play

Unlike more advanced mining devices that require web dashboards, IP address hunting, and network configuration from a separate computer, the NerdMiner is configured entirely from the device itself using its built-in screen and buttons. No laptop needed. No app to download. No accounts to create.

Here is the complete setup flow at a glance:

Let’s walk through each step in detail.

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1 — Unbox

Remove the NerdMiner and USB cable from the packaging. Take a moment to inspect the device. You should see the ESP32-S3 board inside its enclosure with the color TFT display visible on the front face. The USB port is located on the bottom or side edge of the unit. There are two physical buttons on the device — these are used for navigating the on-screen menus.

Step 2 — Plug In the USB Cable

Connect one end of the USB cable to the NerdMiner and the other end to any USB power source:

• A laptop or desktop USB port
• A phone charger plugged into a wall outlet
• A USB power bank (great for portable mining demos)
• A USB hub or power strip with USB ports
• Your TV, monitor, or router’s USB port

The NerdMiner draws approximately 1 watt. Any standard USB port can handle this with ease. There is no minimum amperage to worry about — if it can charge your phone, it can power your NerdMiner.

Step 3 — Power On

The NerdMiner powers on immediately when USB power is connected. There is no power button. The color TFT display will light up and show the NerdMiner V2 boot screen with the NerdMiner logo. After a few seconds, you will see the main display interface.

If this is the first time powering on (or if no WiFi is configured yet), the NerdMiner will enter its setup mode, ready for you to configure WiFi and mining settings.

Step 4 — Navigate the On-Screen Menus

The NerdMiner has two physical buttons that control the display and menus:

• Button 1 (Top/Left) — Cycles through display screens and menu options
• Button 2 (Bottom/Right) — Confirms selections and enters sub-menus

The on-screen interface shows different information screens that you cycle through with the button. On first boot, the device will prompt you to configure WiFi. If it does not automatically enter setup mode, press and hold both buttons simultaneously for a few seconds to access the configuration portal.

Step 5 — Connect to WiFi

When the NerdMiner enters configuration mode, it broadcasts its own WiFi network:

1. On your phone or laptop, open WiFi settings.
2. Look for a network named “NerdMinerAP” or similar (the exact name may vary by firmware version).
3. Connect to this network. A captive portal configuration page should open automatically in your browser. If it does not, open your browser and navigate to:

http://192.168.4.1

4. On the configuration page, enter your WiFi network name (SSID) exactly as it appears. This is case-sensitive.
5. Enter your WiFi password.

Step 6 — Enter Your Bitcoin Wallet Address

On the same configuration page (or the next screen), you will see a field for your Bitcoin address. This is where any mining rewards would be sent if your NerdMiner finds a block.

1. Open your Bitcoin wallet (a self-custody wallet like Sparrow, Electrum, BlueWallet, Coldcard, or Trezor).
2. Copy a receive address. We recommend a bc1 (native SegWit) address for the lowest fees.
3. Paste it into the BTC Address field on the configuration page.

Double-check the address carefully. This is the address that would receive 3.125 BTC if your NerdMiner hits a block.

Step 7 — Select Your Mining Pool

The NerdMiner V2 firmware comes pre-configured with Solo CKPool as the default mining pool. This is an excellent choice for solo mining — CKPool is one of the longest-running solo mining pools in the Bitcoin ecosystem.

On the configuration page, you will see pool settings. The defaults are:

If you want to use a different pool, you can change these settings. See the Pool Configuration Options section below for alternatives. For most users, the default Solo CKPool is the right choice — just leave it as-is.

Step 8 — Save and Start Mining

1. Review all settings: WiFi name, WiFi password, Bitcoin address, pool URL.
2. Click Save (or the equivalent button on the configuration page).
3. The NerdMiner will reboot, connect to your WiFi network, connect to the mining pool, and begin mining automatically.

Within seconds, you will see the display come alive with mining stats: hashrate, shares submitted, block height, and more. Congratulations — you are now a Bitcoin miner.

The entire process, from opening the box to submitting your first share, takes under 10 minutes. That is the NerdMiner promise: zero barriers, real mining.

Understanding the Display

The NerdMiner’s built-in color TFT screen is one of its best features. It cycles through several display modes, each showing different information. Use the button to cycle between modes.

Mining Stats Mode

This is the primary display mode showing your real-time mining activity:

• Hashrate — Your current mining speed in kH/s. Expect to see approximately 78 kH/s on the ESP32-S3.
• Shares — The number of valid shares your NerdMiner has submitted to the pool. This number should be steadily climbing.
• Best Difficulty — The highest-difficulty share your device has ever found. This is your personal record — your closest brush with a block find. The higher this number, the “luckier” your device has been.
• Uptime — How long the device has been running since last power-on.
• Block Height — The current Bitcoin block height, updated in real time from the pool.
• Pool Connection Status — Indicates whether the NerdMiner is actively connected to the mining pool and submitting work.

Bitcoin Clock Mode

This mode turns your NerdMiner into a Bitcoin block clock:

• Current Block Height — The latest Bitcoin block number, displayed prominently.
• Time Since Last Block — How many minutes since the last block was mined on the network (approximately every 10 minutes on average).
• Current Time — Synced via NTP over your WiFi connection.

Many NerdMiner owners keep the device in clock mode as a permanent desk display — a subtle signal of Bitcoin conviction that doubles as a functional timepiece tied to the Bitcoin blockchain.

Network Stats Mode

This mode displays live Bitcoin network information:

• Network Hashrate — The total computational power securing the Bitcoin network (measured in exahashes per second).
• Network Difficulty — The current mining difficulty target. This number puts your NerdMiner’s odds in perspective — and reminds you just how much security the Bitcoin network has.
• Block Reward — The current block subsidy (3.125 BTC post-2024 halving).
• Bitcoin Price — Current BTC/USD price (pulled from public APIs).

Cycling through these displays gives you a real-time window into the Bitcoin network — all from a device the size of a matchbox, running on one watt of power.

Pool Configuration Options

The NerdMiner V2 firmware supports any mining pool that uses the Stratum protocol. While Solo CKPool is the default and recommended choice, here are the most popular options for NerdMiner users:

To change pools, re-enter the NerdMiner configuration portal (hold both buttons to trigger the setup AP, or access via the device’s IP on your local network) and update the pool URL and port fields.

All of these pools support solo mining — meaning your NerdMiner submits work independently, and you keep 100% of any block reward. With a CPU miner at 78 kH/s, pool mining (splitting rewards proportionally) would earn you fractions of a satoshi per year. Solo mining is the only strategy that makes sense at this hashrate: go for the full block or nothing.

Firmware Update Guide

The NerdMiner V2 firmware is actively developed, with the community releasing updates that add features, improve stability, and optimize performance. Keeping your firmware current ensures you get the best experience.

Check Your Current Firmware Version

Your current firmware version is displayed on one of the NerdMiner’s screen modes (cycle through with the button). You can also see it on the configuration portal page. Note this version number before updating.

Download the Latest Firmware

1. Visit the NerdMiner V2 GitHub releases page:

https://github.com/BitMaker-hub/NerdMiner_v2/releases

2. Find the latest release and download the .bin firmware file for your board. The NerdMiner sold by D-Central uses the TTGO T-Display S3 — make sure you download the correct binary for this specific board variant.
3. Save the .bin file to your computer.

Option A — Flash via Web Installer (Easiest)

The NerdMiner project provides a web-based flasher that works directly in your Chrome or Edge browser — no software installation required:

1. Connect your NerdMiner to your computer via the USB cable.
2. Open the NerdMiner web flasher in Chrome or Edge (check the GitHub page for the current URL).
3. Click “Connect” and select the serial port for your NerdMiner.
4. Choose the firmware version and click “Flash”.
5. Wait for the flashing process to complete (typically 1-2 minutes).
6. The NerdMiner will reboot with the new firmware.

Option B — Flash via USB with esptool (Advanced)

For more control over the flashing process, you can use esptool, the official Espressif programming utility:

1. Install Python if you do not have it: python.org
2. Install esptool via pip:

pip install esptool

3. Connect the NerdMiner to your computer via USB.
4. Put the device in bootloader mode — hold the BOOT button while pressing the RESET button, then release both. (On some boards, hold BOOT while plugging in USB.)
5. Flash the firmware:

esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port COM3 write_flash 0x0 nerdminer_v2_firmware.bin

Replace COM3 with your actual serial port (on Windows, check Device Manager; on Mac/Linux, it will be something like /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/cu.usbmodem*). Replace the filename with the actual .bin file you downloaded.

6. After flashing completes, the NerdMiner will reboot with the new firmware.

Realistic Expectations — What 78 kH/s Actually Means

Let’s talk honestly about what the NerdMiner can and cannot do. This is important, and it is why we respect our customers enough to give you the real numbers.

The Math

The NerdMiner hashes at approximately 78,000 hashes per second. The Bitcoin network’s total hashrate is currently in the range of 600-900 EH/s (exahashes per second — that is 600,000,000,000,000,000,000 hashes per second). Your NerdMiner represents an almost incomprehensibly tiny fraction of that total.

To put it in perspective: if finding a Bitcoin block were like guessing a specific grain of sand on Earth, the entire Bitcoin network is examining billions of grains every second. Your NerdMiner is examining less than one grain per second. The odds of finding a block in any given year with a single NerdMiner are on the order of one in billions.

But the Odds Are Never Zero

Here is the thing about probability: improbable is not impossible. Every single hash your NerdMiner computes has the exact same chance of being the winning hash as any hash computed by a warehouse full of Antminers. The hash does not know what device computed it. It does not know your hashrate. It either meets the difficulty target or it does not.

Solo miners with tiny hashrates have found blocks before. It happens. Not often, but it happens. And when it does, the reward is the full 3.125 BTC — not split with anyone, not reduced by pool fees. Every hash counts.

The Real Value of the NerdMiner

The NerdMiner is not a money-making machine. It is something more interesting than that:

• Education — You learn how Bitcoin mining actually works at the protocol level. Hashing, nonces, difficulty targets, Stratum protocol, shares, block rewards — these stop being abstract concepts and become tangible when you see them happening on a device you own.
• Sovereignty — You are running your own mining hardware. You are participating directly in the Bitcoin network. No middleman, no permission, no account. Your device, your keys, your hashrate.
• Decentralization — Every miner on the network, no matter how small, contributes to Bitcoin’s censorship resistance. The more distributed the hashrate, the stronger the network. Your 78 kH/s matters philosophically even if it is a rounding error mathematically.
• The Gateway — For most people, the NerdMiner is the beginning of a journey. It leads to a Bitaxe, then maybe a NerdAxe, then a Space Heater, then a full mining operation. It is the first domino.
• Pure Fun — There is genuine joy in watching those shares tick up, in checking your best difficulty, in knowing that your little device is out there fighting for a block 24/7. It costs you less than a dime a month. What other hobby is that cheap?

The Open-Source Miner Upgrade Path

The NerdMiner is most people’s first open-source miner — but it rarely stays their only one. The open-source mining ecosystem offers a clear upgrade path as your curiosity grows, your conviction deepens, and your hashrate ambitions expand. D-Central stocks the entire lineup.

Every device in this lineup is open-source hardware and software. Every one of them runs on home power, fits on a desk or shelf, and connects to the same solo mining pools. The difference is hashrate — and with it, your odds of finding that block.

Start with the NerdMiner. Learn the ropes. Feel the thrill of watching shares tick up. And when you are ready for more, the path is clear.

Troubleshooting

The NerdMiner is a simple device with very few things that can go wrong. Here are the most common issues and their solutions.

WiFi Connection Issues

Symptoms: The NerdMiner cannot connect to your WiFi network, or it repeatedly drops connection and reverts to broadcasting its own access point.

Solutions:

1. Verify SSID and password — Re-enter the configuration portal and check that the WiFi name and password are exactly correct. SSIDs are case-sensitive. Passwords must be exact, including special characters.
2. Confirm 2.4 GHz — The ESP32-S3 only supports 2.4 GHz WiFi. If your router uses band steering (combined 2.4/5 GHz SSID), try creating a dedicated 2.4 GHz-only network.
3. Move closer to the router — The ESP32’s WiFi antenna is small. For initial setup, place the NerdMiner within a few meters of your router. Once connected, you can move it to a permanent spot.
4. Check special characters in credentials — Characters like ‘ ” & # $ % in your SSID or password can cause issues with the configuration portal. Try temporarily using a simpler password for testing.
5. Reboot your router — Sometimes routers need a refresh to recognize new devices, especially if they have been running for a long time.
6. Check client device limit — Some routers cap the number of simultaneous WiFi clients. If you have many smart home devices, you may be hitting a limit.

Screen Issues

Symptoms: The display is blank, frozen, or showing garbled text.

Solutions:

1. Power cycle — Unplug the USB cable, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in. This resolves most display freezes.
2. Try a different USB cable — A damaged or low-quality cable can cause insufficient power delivery, leading to display glitches. Try a different cable.
3. Try a different USB power source — Some USB ports (especially on older laptops or USB hubs) may not provide clean enough power. Try a wall charger.
4. Re-flash the firmware — If the display is consistently garbled after power cycling, the firmware may have been corrupted. Follow the Firmware Update Guide to re-flash NerdMiner V2.

No Shares Submitted

Symptoms: The NerdMiner appears to be running (display shows hashrate), but the share count stays at zero or the pool dashboard shows no activity.

Solutions:

1. Verify pool settings — Check the pool URL and port are correct. A common mistake is typing the wrong port number.
2. Check your Bitcoin address — Ensure the address you entered is valid and correctly formatted. An invalid address will cause the pool to reject your work.
3. Confirm internet connectivity — The NerdMiner needs internet access to communicate with the pool. Verify your WiFi is connected and your router has internet.
4. Be patient — At 78 kH/s, it may take a few minutes for the first share to be submitted, depending on the pool’s minimum difficulty setting. Give it 10-15 minutes.
5. Try a different pool — Switch to an alternative pool (e.g., from Solo CKPool to Public Pool) to rule out pool-side issues.
6. Check firewall/DNS — Some routers or network configurations block outbound connections on non-standard ports. Try changing your DNS to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8.

Firmware Recovery

Symptoms: The NerdMiner is unresponsive, stuck in a boot loop, or the firmware appears corrupted after a failed update.

Solutions:

1. Enter bootloader mode — Hold the BOOT button while pressing RESET (or hold BOOT while plugging in USB). This forces the ESP32-S3 into programming mode, bypassing any corrupted firmware.
2. Re-flash using the web flasher — With the device in bootloader mode, use the Chrome-based web flasher from the NerdMiner GitHub page to re-flash the latest stable firmware.
3. Re-flash using esptool — If the web flasher does not work, use esptool from the command line (see the advanced firmware flashing instructions above).
4. Erase flash first — In severe cases, erase the entire flash memory before re-flashing:

esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port COM3 erase_flash

After erasing, re-flash the firmware as described above. You will need to re-enter all configuration settings (WiFi, Bitcoin address, pool) after a full erase.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, contact D-Central support. We have extensive experience with ESP32-based mining devices and can help diagnose the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

Your NerdMiner is plugged in, connected, and mining. That little device on your desk is performing real SHA-256 computations and submitting real work to the Bitcoin network. You are a miner now. Here is where to go from here:

• Watch and learn — Spend some time cycling through the display modes. Understanding what each stat means (hashrate, shares, difficulty, block height) builds genuine Bitcoin protocol knowledge that most people never get.
• Monitor on the pool dashboard — Visit your mining pool’s website and enter your Bitcoin address to see your miner’s stats from any device, anywhere. Track your shares, uptime, and best difficulty.
• Join the community — The NerdMiner community is active on Twitter/X, GitHub, and Discord. Share your setup, compare best difficulty scores, and learn from other miners. Follow @DCentralTech on X for news and updates.
• Keep firmware updated — Follow the NerdMiner V2 GitHub repository for new releases. Updates bring new features, display improvements, and performance optimizations.
• Level up when ready — When you want more hashrate (and you will), check out the upgrade path. The NerdAxe, Bitaxe, and NerdQAxe are all waiting to multiply your mining power by millions.
• Explore the ecosystem — D-Central’s Bitaxe Hub is the definitive resource for all open-source miners. Our Bitcoin Space Heaters take mining to the next level by heating your home while mining. And our ASIC Repair service is here when you go deeper into the hardware rabbit hole.

The NerdMiner is the beginning of something. For fifty dollars and a dime a month, you own a piece of the Bitcoin network. You are running real mining computations. You are part of the global hashrate. You are contributing — in your own small, meaningful way — to the decentralization of the most important monetary network in human history.

Is it going to make you rich? Almost certainly not. Is it going to teach you something, inspire you, and connect you to a community of like-minded builders and dreamers? Absolutely. And there is always that tiny, tantalizing, never-zero chance that your little NerdMiner finds the hash that solves a block. Stranger things have happened.

Every hash counts. Happy mining.

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