What is a Bitaxe?
Definition · Bitaxe
An open-source hardware Bitcoin miner. A small board carries a Bitmain mining chip, a power stage and an ESP32-S3 microcontroller that runs the ESP-Miner firmware and talks to your pool over Wi-Fi. No computer needed.
Every design file is public: the board layout, the parts list and the firmware. You can build one yourself if you can solder tiny parts, but most people buy one ready made from one of the sellers the project lists on bitaxe.org.
1 chip
A real ASIC
The same SHA-256 chip an Antminer uses, just one instead of hundreds.
ESP32-S3
The brain
Joins your Wi-Fi, fetches work from the pool and serves the AxeOS web page you configure it from.
5 V only
Power
A 5 V barrel-jack supply on most boards. The project warns that any other voltage will damage it.
40 mm fan
Cooling
A heatsink and a small fan. Active cooling is required; the heatsink alone isn’t enough.
Which Bitaxe models are there?
Each generation swaps in the chip from a newer Antminer. The series number is the board family the project uses.
The Bitaxe family, oldest to newest
100Bitaxe Max
286 GH/s · 12 W
One BM1397, the chip from the Antminer S17.
200Bitaxe Ultra
434 GH/s · 12 W
One BM1366, the chip from the Antminer S19 XP.
400Bitaxe Supra
625 GH/s · 12 W
One BM1368, the chip from the Antminer S21. Power target: 12 W on boards 400 and 401.
600Bitaxe Gamma
1.1 TH/s · 22 W
One BM1370, the chip from the Antminer S21 Pro. Power target: 19 W on boards 600 and 601, 22 W on 602 and 603.
800Bitaxe Gamma Turbo
2.1 TH/s · 36 W
Two BM1370 chips, the chip from the Antminer S21 Pro.
| Model | Chip | Hashrate | Power | J/TH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitaxe Max | BM1397 | 286 GH/s | 12 W | 42 |
| Bitaxe Ultra | BM1366 | 434 GH/s | 12 W | 28 |
| Bitaxe Supra | BM1368 | 625 GH/s | 12 W | 19 |
| Bitaxe Gamma | BM1370 | 1.1 TH/s | 22 W | 21 |
| Bitaxe Gamma Turbo | 2 × BM1370 | 2.1 TH/s | 36 W | 17 |
There are bigger open-source boards too, such as six-chip versions and designs from other makers like the NerdQAxe. They follow the same idea with more chips and more power.
How does a Bitaxe compare with a real mining machine?
The Gamma’s chip, the BM1370, comes from the Antminer S21 Pro. That machine has three hashboards of 65 chips each. A Bitaxe has one.
One Bitaxe Gamma next to one Antminer S21 Pro
Same chip, very different scale. The big machine does about 218 times the work, and with everything tuned for it, it’s more efficient too: 15 J/TH against about 21 for a Gamma at default settings. It’s also loud enough to need a garage. See the hardware comparison for current machines and what’s inside a mining machine.
What are the odds of a Bitaxe finding a block?
Your chance per block is your hashrate divided by the whole network’s. There are about 144 blocks a day.
950 EH/s
Network hashrate
live, updated hourly
0.00000011%
A Gamma’s share
1.1 TH/s
1 in 6.2 million
Chance today
Bitaxe Gamma
3.145BTC
Prize if it lands
incl. average fees
The solo mining guide goes deeper: how the waiting time works, what happens if you win and why solo pools exist.
What would a Bitaxe earn in a normal pool?
Point it at a regular pool and luck is shared, so you get small, steady amounts. Here’s what that looks like against the power bill, per month, at 15¢ per kWh.
Estimated pool earnings vs electricity, per month
At 15¢ per kWh every model mines less than its power costs. Very cheap power narrows the gap, but mining never pays back the device. The hashprice guide explains why the per-TH/s figure moves.
How do you set up a Bitaxe?
- 1
Power it up
Use a proper 5 V supply with headroom (the Gamma README asks for more than 4 A). Keep the fan on the heatsink.
- 2
Join its Wi-Fi
On first boot it opens its own hotspot. Connect, and enter your home Wi-Fi details in the AxeOS page.
- 3
Pick a pool
Enter a Stratum address, a port, and your own Bitcoin address as the username.
- 4
Watch it hash
AxeOS shows hashrate, temperature and “best difficulty”, the closest share you’ve found so far.
| Pool | Address | Fee | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo CKPool | stratum.ckpool.org:3333 | 2%, only on a win | The whole block, or nothing |
| Public Pool (solo) | public-pool.io:3333 | None | The whole block, or nothing |
| A regular pool | From the pool’s site | Usually a few % | Small shares, often |
Is a Bitaxe worth it?
Worth it for what it is. Here’s the honest split:
Good reasons to get one
- Learning how mining really works, hands on
- A long-shot ticket that never expires
- Pointing your own hashrate at a pool you choose
- Quiet and low power for a real ASIC
Not good reasons
- Expecting income or paying it back
- Beating the network’s odds by waiting longer
- Heating a room (it’s about 20 W)
- Treating it as an investment
Your real cost is the device plus the power, about the price of a light bulb left on. If that’s fine as the price of a hobby, it’s a lovely thing to have on a desk. The mining at home guide covers bigger home machines.
Can you mine bitcoin without a device?
Yes. In the CloudMineCrypto app you mine for free with the free plan, ads, games, offers and daily check-ins, and your BTC balance grows while your plans run. No device, no fan, no power bill, and you withdraw to your own wallet, Lightning included. Want more speed? Add an optional paid plan.
Good to know: rewards are estimates, move with the network and aren’t guaranteed. A plan doesn’t give you ownership of, or a share in, any specific hardware or pool. Terms apply.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Bitaxe?
An open-source Bitcoin miner about the size of a coaster. It uses one or two ASIC chips from Bitmain’s Antminer machines and an ESP32-S3 chip that runs the firmware and joins your Wi-Fi.
How much hashrate does a Bitaxe have?
Roughly 0.3 to 2 TH/s depending on the model. At the official firmware’s default settings a Gamma does about 1.1 TH/s on around 20 W, and the dual-chip Gamma Turbo about 2.1 TH/s.
Can a Bitaxe really find a block?
Yes, and solo pools publish the rare blocks small miners find. The odds are long though: the calculator at the top shows the live chance per day and per year for each model.
Is a Bitaxe profitable?
Treat it as a lottery ticket and a learning device, not income. Mining in a pool, it mines less than its power costs at typical household prices, and it won’t pay back its purchase price.
Which pool should I use with a Bitaxe?
For solo mining, a solo pool such as Solo CKPool (2% fee, only if you win) or Public Pool (no fees). For small, regular payouts, any normal pool that accepts low-hashrate miners.
Is a Bitaxe loud?
It has one small 40 mm fan. It’s quiet enough for a desk, and the project suggests a better fan for a more pleasant experience. It must always have active cooling.
Sources and further reading
- Bitaxe: open-source Bitcoin miner · Bitaxe project
- ESP-Miner firmware: board configs (clocks, cores, power targets) · Bitaxe project (GitHub)
- bitaxeGamma hardware (BM1370, about 1.2 TH/s, power supply) · Bitaxe project (GitHub)
- bitaxeSupra, bitaxeUltra and bitaxeMax hardware · Bitaxe project (GitHub)
- Bitaxe Gamma Turbo (dual BM1370) · Bitaxe project (GitHub)
- The BM1370 chip · OSMU wiki
- Solo CKPool: setup and 2% fee · CKPool
- Public Pool: open-source solo pool, no fees · Public Pool
- Mining guide: solo mining and pool mining · Bitcoin developer documentation
Live figures on this page come from the CloudMineCrypto API or from the public blockchain data services named next to them, refresh on a schedule, and are labelled where they appear. This guide is educational and not financial advice. CloudMineCrypto is not an investment product; rewards in the app are estimates and aren’t guaranteed.
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