Raspberry Pi as an off-line, cold-storage private key generator?

[kodiak1120]

Has anyone done this?  It would be pretty easy to load up a Linux operating system on an SD Card and run the key-generating code on that (while it's off-line).  You could then print the paper wallet and then format the SD card after your done.  Any reason why this wouldn't work?

I was referring to the private key generating code found here: 

https://bitcoinpaperwallet.com/#main

[canton]

It would be pretty easy to load up a Linux operating system on an SD Card and run the key-generating code on that (while it's off-line).  You could then print the paper wallet and then format the SD card after your done.  Any reason why this wouldn't work?

Hi, bitcoinpaperwallet.com author here. One person emailed me to let me know he'd done exactly this. Where he ran into issues was in getting the right printer drivers setup. May require a fair amount of going online, downloading stuff.

If you're looking for a totally offline solution, an Ubuntu LiveCD is good. No need to format the SD card because CDs are by their nature read-only. You can run the CD on a computer with no hard drive if you're feeling especially paranoid.

DIY CD building instructions (or link to purchase one and just have it mailed anywhere in the world) here:

https://bitcoinpaperwallet.com/ubuntu-linux-live-bootable-cd/

[kodiak1120]

Wow... thanks for the response.  After I posted I thought about the printer/driver issue and that may make this option too much of a PIA to do.  I think I'll go the live CD route.  Thanks for the input.  Great site, btw. 

[canton]

I thought about the printer/driver issue and that may make this option too much of a PIA to do.

I would still like to heartily encourage you to experiment with the rPi solution (in addition to the easy Ubuntu solution) because I've been thinking it would be pretty great to be able to post up a rPi SD card image that would give people the ability to:

* Download rPi SD image and burn to card
* Pop it into a rPi
* Plug in a display, mouse, and printer
* Power on and use mouse to start printing wallets, never having gone online expect to retrieve the rPi image.

The only hangup I see here is:

* sufficient printer drivers
* would be great to plug in mouse, printer, and keyboard (esp. for supplying BIP38 keywords) but that would require a USB hub. Maybe not a big deal, but I love the idea of something that's so self-contained.

[Ente]

While you're at it, you may add a cold storage to the raspi.
Armory comes to mind here, for example.

Ente

[runam0k]

Slightly different approach, but you can use Electrum on a Pi to generate addresses and sign transactions offline.

You will want to back up the seed though, just in case the Pi fails or you forget your wallet password -- on paper or *very* well hidden in an otherwise seemingly unrelated email or file somewhere.

You can import a "watch only" version of the Electrum wallet on your Pi to Electrum on your laptop. It might even let you generate new "watch only" addresses safely on your laptop.

Any time you need to spend funds, create the transaction, copy it to a USB stick, take it to your Pi, sign it and then take it back to your laptop for Electrum to broadcast. About as safe as you can get.

[kodiak1120]

I thought about the printer/driver issue and that may make this option too much of a PIA to do.

I would still like to heartily encourage you to experiment with the rPi solution (in addition to the easy Ubuntu solution) because I've been thinking it would be pretty great to be able to post up a rPi SD card image that would give people the ability to:

* Download rPi SD image and burn to card
* Pop it into a rPi
* Plug in a display, mouse, and printer
* Power on and use mouse to start printing wallets, never having gone online expect to retrieve the rPi image.

The only hangup I see here is:

* sufficient printer drivers
* would be great to plug in mouse, printer, and keyboard (esp. for supplying BIP38 keywords) but that would require a USB hub. Maybe not a big deal, but I love the idea of something that's so self-contained.

This is sort of what I was thinking, but more self-contained.  Like a Pi connected to a small sort of receipt printer that can do QR codes, and some hardwired buttons, so all you have to do is turn it on, hit a button or two and it would print paper wallets.  Then you could just send your bitcoins to those wallets and you're done.

Edit: Sort of like this:



EDIT: Looks like this already exists: http://piperwallet.com/

Same thing, but a DIY version.  $200 is way too much!

[kodiak1120]

Actually,

It looks like someone already did a DIY on this:

http://blog.ryanralph.net/bitcoin-paper-wallet-printer-diy-piper/

[kodiak1120]

After reading through the tutorial, it looks like this is only part of the way there.  You apparently still have to log in and issue a command to get it to print.  You would need to modify it to make it so you can press one button and everything is automated.