Bitcoin Forum

Hi folks,

I would like to dig deeper in Bitcoin and all the technical aspects and I would like to start a little bit mining. I know that I will be never profitable but its not about that. I just would like to experience it and do something practical except of sending bitcoins around :)

I know that I Need a raspberry-pi and I have found two on Amazon:

Raspberry Pi 2 - 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU, 1GB LPDDR2 SDRAM, complete compatibility with Raspberry Pi 1 (39 Euro)

&

Raspberry Pi Model B+ Mainboard (GPIO polig, MicroSD Speicherkartenslot, HDMI, 4x USB 2.0) (32 Euro)

What else do I need?

Thank you very much for every little help :)

I want to do this as well, but I decided that Bitcoin mining requires such a large investment to get any results, that I would try an altcoin with a similar structure. I felt that I would learn more if I could actually mine coins. I haven't started to look at any altcoins yet though.

That would be also an Idea to mine an altcoin which is 100% the same as Bitcoin but with a lower difficulty and hash-rate.

If it's for experimenting.... I'd buy an old antminer U2 or a geccoscience compaq.

They are USBstick miners. You plug them into your PC (or raspberry pi), compile cgminer, install screen, start screen, point cgminer towards a pool => the learning starts

As you said, you'll never ROI (return on investment) on any of these usb miners, but they're a great tool to learn.

Good luck on your project.There are a variety of sources available online and many helpful tutorials for mining with Raspberry Pi 2.Here are a few links that you need to look into :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPWTSytzN7g This one is quite detailed video tutorial
http://www.instructables.com/id/Bitcoin-Mining-using-Raspberry-Pi/ Inscrutables
http://computers.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-create-a-raspberry-pi-bitcoin-miner--cms-20353 Step By Step process
Hope that helps you.

Would you say that there is any requirement on the Laptop? Because I would like to buy a new one anyway. Normally I would buy a cheap one because I only need it to surf the Internet and store some files...thats it. So something around 300-400 Euro Laptop. Is that enough?

You do realize that your laptop would have to remain on all the time? For that cash you could a way better desktop, which would be more reliable for non-stop work.

You need a PSU for the RPi. I'd advise you to get a 5V 2A one (although you're probably fine with a 5V 1.2A one if you're only mining). You can find those in any stores selling Pi-related stuff (many accept Bitcoin). You also need an SD card. If it's for mining only you'd be fine with an 8GB one. You're probably also going to need a USB Hub for the miners, depending on how many you want to connect, and cables for them. Then you need software and that's pretty much it. Have a look at Minera (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=596620.0).

The power supply unit doesn't have to offer 2 amps. It should be up to 2 amps. Some charger that you can put what power you need/want. You'll observe how it works in time.

Mining with a Raspberry Pi, beside the fact that you'll never earn anything, could even burn it I think. You should think about the cooling, because even if it tiny, this is still a computer.

you should have a good video card for it i suggest building a pc worth 3000$ if you want to make profit.

Can you mine on the test network to get experience?

Sure you can, but the hashrate and difficulty for the testnet is still very high.... You'd still need a couple compaq's, or and old S3/S5 to have a decent chance of hitting a block once in a while.

Have you considered out of the box ready solution? http://www.amazon.com/21-INC-21BC1-Bitcoin-Computer/dp/B014RD021C (http://www.amazon.com/21-INC-21BC1-Bitcoin-Computer/dp/B014RD021C)

If you just want to mine to experience how it works why you don't buy a cheap one like usb asic miner i saw in ebay that you can buy for 10-20 usd each
here is the cheap one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASICMiner-Block-Erupter-USB-330MH-s-Bitcoin-Miner-/161972806177?hash=item25b654e221:g:1igAAOSwFNZWuTwx
I hope it helps.

I would start with raspberry pi, since you have more chance do hand on stuff.
Learning something is your goal, not actually make the return.

Thank you for your input, this is very helpful.
I will try this myself report back.

Yes, I have also thought about the 21 BTC Computer. Do you think that would be a nice Hands-on experience? I would mine in a pool right?

For testing, I would go for those small usb asics, you can have a bunch of them running on the same or multiple usb hubs.
You will not make that much, but it's quite fun to do.

I agree, they cost around $20 as far as I remember, and yes you couldn't mine a lot with them but this is definitely fun.

And you will not have all those problems with noise and heat which users of the "normal" miners have.

The easiest / cheapest way to experiment with Mining is with the Antrouter R1. Upgrade to the CrazyGuy firmware and you then have a Miner with the familiar Antminer Interface, integrated PSU, integrated Wireless and PC only needed for configuration and monitoring.


Rich