A moment of normality in the BTC R&D cave to pay our respects to the fallen SHA256 soldiers! They sacrificed their Hashrate in the name of Tech Nerd Army Science. RIP ! Cheers
Nikos
npub18cel...ulqe
Proud BTC Tech Nerd
$BTC Tech Nerd Army, it's a bitter end to another wild week – but what a ride 2 x NerdQaxe+s and 1x NerdQaxe++ RIP this week !
My latest victim? The beastly NerdAxe ++ pushed to its absolute limits in the TNA R&D cave in the name of Firmware Science. 💥🔥
I cranked it to the edge and beyond:
- Hashrate:10.6 TH/s
- Clock:1350 MHz
- Vcore: 1.58V
- Amps to ASICs: A scorching 165A!
That's when it sparked out HARD – but hey, all safely contained in the immersion fluid, as designed. 😎 Wasn't expecting the board and caps to tap out first... Those CSD95472Q5MC Synchronous Buck NexFETs (VR) are rated for 60A continuous / 90A peak per unit, but we hit ~55A and boom!
Thought the TPS53647RTAR or ASICs would cry uncle first. Lesson learned! 📊
On the next TNA Tech hall this Monday we will discuss the current TNA-v3.5 firmware and its uncontained capabilities.
Tech Nerds, dive deeper in the TNA Discord for full breakdowns, pics, and next steps. attached screen shot of last moment.. and first look into tank seconds after blow out.
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NerdQaxe++ TPS failure investigation1
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Success didnt last long ... well depends how one measures success.. the goal was to find the maximum limits the hardware design can withstand ! well guess i found the physical limit... that makes it 3 units this week ...
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Success is always sweeter after you taste failure
A little sample of tonights NerdQaxe++ Immersion Balls deep overclocking trials.
You can never have enough BTC Hashrate
Running Tech Nerd Army Firmware
10.2Th out of 4XBM1370 chips is not a bad start!
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The Harsh Realities of Self-Funded Hardware Engineering in the BTC World
As a self-funded hardware engineer diving deep into the realm of Bitcoin (BTC), there are days that hit you like a brick wall. Today is one of those days—demoralizing, frustrating, and a stark reminder of why hardware development isn't for the faint of heart. In software, you can tinker endlessly, hit "recompile," and iterate without much consequence. But hardware? One wrong move, and you're staring at a pile of expensive scrap. This is the gritty reality that very few people outside this niche ever witness. It's not glamorous; it's a grind filled with costly lessons.
This week alone, I've wrecked a second miner. Yeah, you read that right—second. Earlier this week, I blew the power regulator on a board while writing new firmware for the voltage mapping. And it's not from some catastrophic failure or external sabotage. No, this latest one stems from a deceptively tricky task: attempting to remove a heatsink after a botched thermal epoxy application. Unlike thermal paste, which is forgiving and removable, thermal epoxy is designed for permanent bonding—it's not meant to come off without a fight.
All of this is happening as I'm building an immersion cooling system for the miners. The goal? To cool them more effectively, drive up efficiency, or even overclock for higher hashrate. But to get there, I need reliable thermal interfaces, which led to this epoxy experiment. The setup involves SHA256 ASICs—the workhorses behind Bitcoin mining—bonded to a heatsink with thermal epoxy. The aim? Efficient heat dissipation to keep everything running cool and stable. But things went south during the application. Out of the four chips on the board, three were humming along at a comfortable 40°C. The fourth? A scorching 80°C. That's a red flag screaming inefficiency, potential damage, or outright failure if left unchecked.
In my attempt to salvage it, I tried peeling back the heatsink. Spoiler: it didn't go as planned. The hot chip didn't rip off entirely, which is a small mercy, but the damage was done. If you look closely (imagine a photo here with a green circle highlighting the culprit), you'll see the thermal epoxy layer. Right in the center of that problematic chip, there's a glaring gap—a missing patch where the epoxy failed to adhere properly. That void was the root cause of the temperature spike, trapping heat instead of wicking it away. It's a classic case of "now we know," but hindsight comes at a steep price in hardware land.
This isn't just about one ruined miner; it's emblematic of the broader challenges in self-funded projects like this. I've built a million things in BTC hardware over the years, pushing boundaries in every direction. But funding your own R&D means every dollar counts, and mistakes like this can set you back weeks or months. BTC mining hardware is unforgiving and expensive—pushing the limits of efficiency, power consumption, and durability in a decentralized ecosystem.
Why share this? Because the Bitcoin and Nostr and hardware communities often glorify the wins—the successful prototypes, the efficient rigs, the innovative integrations. But the path is littered with failures like this. It's demoralizing, sure, but it's also fuel. Each wrecked board teaches something invaluable: better techniques, more precise methods, or even redesigning interfaces altogether. If you're out there grinding on similar projects, know you're not alone. Press on, iterate (carefully), and remember: in hardware, the "recompile" button is your next prototype.
It's been five years of this solo grind, pouring a fortune into it all while navigating setbacks that leave me feeling utterly drained and overwhelmed on days like today. The truth is, building at this level can't remain a one-person effort forever—the vision is simply too expansive, and the challenges too daunting to shoulder alone. Yet onward we go, trying to find spare parts for this one or eventually sourcing new ones, because in the world of BTC, true advancement requires more than solitary determination; it truly flourishes when compassionate supporters step in to share the load and help turn these visions into reality.
On a lighter note, does anyone have 8 spare Bitmain BM1368 ASIC chips laying about?
This week alone, I've wrecked a second miner. Yeah, you read that right—second. Earlier this week, I blew the power regulator on a board while writing new firmware for the voltage mapping. And it's not from some catastrophic failure or external sabotage. No, this latest one stems from a deceptively tricky task: attempting to remove a heatsink after a botched thermal epoxy application. Unlike thermal paste, which is forgiving and removable, thermal epoxy is designed for permanent bonding—it's not meant to come off without a fight.
All of this is happening as I'm building an immersion cooling system for the miners. The goal? To cool them more effectively, drive up efficiency, or even overclock for higher hashrate. But to get there, I need reliable thermal interfaces, which led to this epoxy experiment. The setup involves SHA256 ASICs—the workhorses behind Bitcoin mining—bonded to a heatsink with thermal epoxy. The aim? Efficient heat dissipation to keep everything running cool and stable. But things went south during the application. Out of the four chips on the board, three were humming along at a comfortable 40°C. The fourth? A scorching 80°C. That's a red flag screaming inefficiency, potential damage, or outright failure if left unchecked.
In my attempt to salvage it, I tried peeling back the heatsink. Spoiler: it didn't go as planned. The hot chip didn't rip off entirely, which is a small mercy, but the damage was done. If you look closely (imagine a photo here with a green circle highlighting the culprit), you'll see the thermal epoxy layer. Right in the center of that problematic chip, there's a glaring gap—a missing patch where the epoxy failed to adhere properly. That void was the root cause of the temperature spike, trapping heat instead of wicking it away. It's a classic case of "now we know," but hindsight comes at a steep price in hardware land.
This isn't just about one ruined miner; it's emblematic of the broader challenges in self-funded projects like this. I've built a million things in BTC hardware over the years, pushing boundaries in every direction. But funding your own R&D means every dollar counts, and mistakes like this can set you back weeks or months. BTC mining hardware is unforgiving and expensive—pushing the limits of efficiency, power consumption, and durability in a decentralized ecosystem.
Why share this? Because the Bitcoin and Nostr and hardware communities often glorify the wins—the successful prototypes, the efficient rigs, the innovative integrations. But the path is littered with failures like this. It's demoralizing, sure, but it's also fuel. Each wrecked board teaches something invaluable: better techniques, more precise methods, or even redesigning interfaces altogether. If you're out there grinding on similar projects, know you're not alone. Press on, iterate (carefully), and remember: in hardware, the "recompile" button is your next prototype.
It's been five years of this solo grind, pouring a fortune into it all while navigating setbacks that leave me feeling utterly drained and overwhelmed on days like today. The truth is, building at this level can't remain a one-person effort forever—the vision is simply too expansive, and the challenges too daunting to shoulder alone. Yet onward we go, trying to find spare parts for this one or eventually sourcing new ones, because in the world of BTC, true advancement requires more than solitary determination; it truly flourishes when compassionate supporters step in to share the load and help turn these visions into reality.
On a lighter note, does anyone have 8 spare Bitmain BM1368 ASIC chips laying about?
BTC Mining cluster is now cross compatible. Bitaxe soldiers can now join up
with NerdQAxes
Running Tech Nerd Army Firmware V4
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BTC Mining Cluster
Daisy chain your Home miners - think of them as extra hashboards
Master/General on the left aggregating all Worker/Soldier Hashrate from the right pic.
testing 2
testing sat
$BTC Tech Nerd Army
ImmergeNerd V1 WiP
TNA v3.5 Firmware
Tech Nerd Army - Ball Deep OverClocking Edition
By Molon Labe Holdings
═══════════════════════════════════════
YOUR HARDWARE. YOUR RULES.
The OEM firmware treats you like a child. Locked voltage. Capped frequency. Training wheels you never asked for.
You bought the hardware. You should control it.
TNA v3.5 removes the leash. No arbitrary limits. No nanny settings. No "we know better than you" restrictions.
This is YOUR miner. Run it YOUR way.
═══════════════════════════════════════
BDOC - Ball Deep OverClocking
→ Zero OEM Limits - All voltage and frequency restrictions removed
→ Push Beyond Factory Caps - Go where OEM firmware won't let you
→ Complete TPS Voltage Mapping Rewrite - Rebuilt from scratch for accurate, stable voltage control
→ You Decide the Risk - Your hardware, your choice, your responsibility
═══════════════════════════════════════
Immersion Mode
→ Pump Control (Fan 1) - Drive your circulation pump
→ Radiator Control (Fan 2) - Independent radiator fan speed
→ Higher Thermal Thresholds - Configurable overheat limits for liquid cooling
→ Built for Oil/Liquid Setups
═══════════════════════════════════════
Split Fan Control
→ Independent Fan 1 & Fan 2 - Set each fan speed separately (0-100%)
→ Manual Mode - Fixed percentage control
→ PID Mode - Automatic temp targeting with tunable P/I/D coefficients
→ RPM Monitoring - Real-time RPM feedback on both fans
→ Polarity Control - PWM polarity adjustment for different fan types
═══════════════════════════════════════
Dual Network
→ Ethernet (W5500) - Hardwired reliability with DHCP or static IP
→ WiFi - Wireless flexibility
→ Auto Failover - Falls back if primary fails
→ Runtime Switching - Change network mode without reflashing
→ Custom Hostname - Easy device identification
═══════════════════════════════════════
Dual Pool Mining
→ Failover Mode - Primary + backup pool with auto-switch
→ Dual Pool Mode - Mine BOTH pools simultaneously
→ Load Balance - Split hashrate 0-100% between pools
→ Extranonce Subscribe - Enhanced nonce handling
→ TCP Keepalive - Detect dead connections and auto-reconnect
═══════════════════════════════════════
Network Diagnostics
→ Manual Ping Tool - Ping your pool OR any custom IP/hostname
→ Test Your Entire Path - Router, DNS, external servers
→ Automated Pool Monitoring - Continuous latency tracking
→ Packet Loss History - 15-minute rolling window
→ RTT Tracking - Round-trip time metrics
═══════════════════════════════════════
Real-Time Monitoring - FULL TELEMETRY
HASHRATE
• Live hashrate (GH/s)
• 1-minute average
• 10-minute average
• 1-hour average
• 24-hour average
• Timestamped history export
POWER INPUT (PSU Side)
• Vin - Input voltage from PSU
• Iin - Input current draw
• Pin - Total input power (watts)
POWER OUTPUT (ASIC Side)
• Vout - Core voltage (actual measured)
• Iout - Output current to ASICs
• Pout - Power delivered to chips (watts)
• Core Voltage Setting - Target vs actual
TEMPERATURES
• Chip Temp - Per-ASIC core temperatures (array)
• Chip Temp Max - Hottest ASIC
• VR Temp - TMP1075 sensor near voltage regulator
• VR Die Temp - Internal TPS regulator die temperature
• Board Temp - Additional PCB sensors
FAN TELEMETRY
• Fan 0 Speed % - Current percentage
• Fan 1 Speed % - Current percentage
• Fan 0 RPM - Actual measured RPM
• Fan 1 RPM - Actual measured RPM
• Manual Settings - Stored fan speed targets
SHARE STATISTICS
• Shares Accepted - Total and per-pool
• Shares Rejected - With per-pool breakdown
• Duplicate HW Nonces - Hardware error detection
• Best Difficulty - All-time best
• Best Session Difficulty - Current session best
• Found Blocks - Session and lifetime counts
• Pool Difficulty - Current pool diff
NETWORK STATUS
• WiFi RSSI - Signal strength
• Ethernet Link - Link up/down status
• Ethernet IP - Current IPv4 address
• Ethernet MAC - Hardware address
• Ping RTT - Last ping latency
• Packet Loss % - Recent loss rate
SYSTEM HEALTH
• Uptime - Seconds since boot
• Free PSRAM - Available SPIRAM
• Free Internal Heap - Available internal RAM
• Last Reset Reason - Why device rebooted
• Running Partition - Current firmware slot
• Firmware Version - Build version
• ASIC Model - Detected chip type
═══════════════════════════════════════
Supported Boards
✓ NerdQAxe+
✓ NerdQAxe++
✓ NerdOctAxe+
✓ NerdOctAxe Gamma
✓ NerdQX
═══════════════════════════════════════
OEM Firmware:
"Here's what we'll allow you to do with the hardware you paid for."
TNA v3.5:
"It's your hardware. Do whatever the f*** you want."
═══════════════════════════════════════
GET TNA v3.5
Web Flasher: Tech Nerd Army Web Flasher
GitHub
Releases · CryptoIceMLH/ESP-Miner-NerdQAxePlusLAN
A bitcoin ASIC miner for the ESP32 with wifi and LAN - CryptoIceMLH/ESP-Miner-NerdQAxePlusLAN
ImmergeNerd WIP
Tank lid prototype test fit.
Designed by 3D master @Printer_Gobrrr
$BTC Tech Nerd Army !
A very successful night of stability testing the NerdQaxe+ bitcoin miner. Up from a stock 2.5Th to 4.5Th. As seen on the pool log attached.
Unfortunately Its not always good news in the BTC R&D cave I'm afraid. This mornings job was to address a temperature concern, 1 asic (no1) was 15c above the rest.
Im afraid in the process of today's FAFO to get a better thermal mount of the PCB with asic chips.. it resulted in a poor mounting between the asics using indium heat springs and the heatsink.
The Result was 2 ASIC fried!
I saw a 200C reading on one...
I was expecting some shit like this to happen with what I am trying to develop for the overclocking Bitcoin mining community. Unlocking firmware comes with great risks when your task is to remove limits and un leash the hardware's true potential.
The next firmware release and Overclocking Dev work will be parked for the time being as this was my only NerdQaxe miner.
Unfortunately Its not always good news in the BTC R&D cave I'm afraid. This mornings job was to address a temperature concern, 1 asic (no1) was 15c above the rest.
Im afraid in the process of today's FAFO to get a better thermal mount of the PCB with asic chips.. it resulted in a poor mounting between the asics using indium heat springs and the heatsink.
The Result was 2 ASIC fried!
I saw a 200C reading on one...
I was expecting some shit like this to happen with what I am trying to develop for the overclocking Bitcoin mining community. Unlocking firmware comes with great risks when your task is to remove limits and un leash the hardware's true potential.
The next firmware release and Overclocking Dev work will be parked for the time being as this was my only NerdQaxe miner.
ImmergeNerd
NerdQaxe+ (4xBM1368) 2.5Th Stock -> 4.5Th Chilling!
GN from Tech Nerd Army Engineer
off to bed.. letting it run for a stability test over night
shall report back in 12h
$BTC Tech Nerd Army !
It's time to give the Asics the thermal transfer medium they deserve
$BTC Tech Nerd Army
the way it should of always been!
$BTC Tech Nerd Army !
You wanted Overclocking... Here is my Nerd+ giving your stock Nerd++ a run for its money...
Dont even get me started on the temperature sensor fiasco in the code. next revision will display all RAW temps direct from relevant sensor
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