Offline Paper Wallet Creator - Raspberry Pi?

[Stephen Gornick]

When I want a secure, offline paper wallet, currently I boot to a USB flash drive running with a bootable Ubuntu Live-CD distro and load from that same drive a copy of the page from BitAddress.org
 - http://BitAddress.org

Though this seems a trivial effort, it is disruptive to me if I have to first shut down, reboot, print, reboot and then log back in to get back to the point I was at when I wanted to create the paper wallet.

If I had a spare computer lying around I'ld use that but at the moment I don't.

In the near future, however, I might have a Raspberry Pi around.

I've not touched one of these yet nor learned much about them either but I'm supposing this unit could be useful as a paper wallet generator.  BitAddress has everything that is needed 100% in Javascript so the technical complexity to build this should be low.  Though there would need to be an alternative to wiggling the mouse for gathering entropy with this.

But for something inexpensive that would let you create a paper wallet and print it out, this seems to be capable.

It might have even more use if it could print paper wallets on demand like tickets.  I could see using a $50 printer like the Brother QL 700, for instance, where the first ticket / printout is the private key and QR code, followed by a second printout that has the public key and its QR code.   (Though I now wonder if thermal paper printouts will fade and become too obscure to scan, as time passes?)

So together, for under $100 of hardware, an individual would have an offline bitcoin paper wallet generator.

Or at least an excuse to order a Raspberry Pi.  

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[DeathAndTaxes]

It might have even more use if it could print paper wallets on demand like tickets.  I could see using a $50 printer like the Brother QL 700, for instance, where the first ticket / printout is the private key and QR code, followed by a second printout that has the public key and its QR code.   (Though I now wonder if thermal paper printouts will fade and become too obscure to scan, as time passes?)

Be careful

Thermal resin (uses paper + ribbon) will last "forever".  The resin will likely last longer than the paper.
Thermal (uses only chemically treated paper with no ribbon) will be unreadable in a matter of months (days if exposed to higher temps).

Some printers can do both, some can only do one or the other.

So together, for under $100 of hardware, an individual would have an offline bitcoin paper wallet generator.
Or at least an excuse to order a Raspberry Pi.  

Pretty cool idea.

[Ente]

I guess the printing part will be more complicated than the key-generating part :-)
You could also take the pywallet implementation (which didnt have qr codes last time I checked though), or write a different implementation in any language in a few dozen lines of code.
Since linux will run on the pi, both printing and creating should be easy. Get one of those tiny "party"-printers (as long as the used printing technology is longlasting), use the pi, and connect a single pushbutton. Hack a small enclosure to get everything neat and compact. Get paperwallets by a buttonpush!

Of course you might have to think about secure backups.. Like a second copy of the exact same key, to be buried or goes in a vault.

Heck, I am sure there is a niche marked for complete walletprint-boxes!

Go for it, the pi is seriously tempting.

Ente

[MacRohard]

When I want a secure, offline paper wallet, currently I boot to a USB flash drive running with a bootable Ubuntu Live-CD distro and load from that same drive a copy of the page from BitAddress.org
 - http://BitAddress.org

Though this seems a trivial effort, it is disruptive to me if I have to first shut down, reboot, print, reboot and then log back in to get back to the point I was at when I wanted to create the paper wallet.

If I had a spare computer lying around I'ld use that but at the moment I don't.

In the near future, however, I might have a Raspberry Pi around.

I've not touched one of these yet nor learned much about them either but I'm supposing this unit could be useful as a paper wallet generator.  BitAddress has everything that is needed 100% in Javascript so the technical complexity to build this should be low.  Though there would need to be an alternative to wiggling the mouse for gathering entropy with this.

But for something inexpensive that would let you create a paper wallet and print it out, this seems to be capable.

It might have even more use if it could print paper wallets on demand like tickets.  I could see using a $50 printer like the Brother QL 700, for instance, where the first ticket / printout is the private key and QR code, followed by a second printout that has the public key and its QR code.   (Though I now wonder if thermal paper printouts will fade and become too obscure to scan, as time passes?)

So together, for under $100 of hardware, an individual would have an offline bitcoin paper wallet generator.

Or at least an excuse to order a Raspberry Pi.  

You can buy an android phone for less than $100 (http://www.dealextreme.com/p/a6000-android-2-3-smartphone-w-3-2-touch-screen-dual-sim-tv-wi-fi-and-gps-black-silver-109574) that could print via usb or bluetooth.

[Ente]

You can buy an android phone for less than $100 (http://www.dealextreme.com/p/a6000-android-2-3-smartphone-w-3-2-touch-screen-dual-sim-tv-wi-fi-and-gps-black-silver-109574) that could print via usb or bluetooth.

It would be a fun hack to use that android, and physically destroying its ability for mobile, wifi, bluetooth, IR etc. It surely would look gorgeous!

Ente

[Stephen Gornick]

Arduino based project using a mini printer here:



 - http://learn.adafruit.com/mini-thermal-receipt-printer


Though this would only work if the paper was used to transfer / scan via paper for a short while, before the image disappears:

(Though I now wonder if thermal paper printouts will fade and become too obscure to scan, as time passes?)

Be careful

Thermal resin (uses paper + ribbon) will last "forever".  The resin will likely last longer than the paper.
Thermal (uses only chemically treated paper with no ribbon) will be unreadable in a matter of months (days if exposed to higher temps).

[Stephen Gornick]

Sorry for Necrothread, but this device is being developed:

Piper - A hardware-based paper wallet printer and so much more
 - http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=194635.0

[Stephen Gornick]

And another:

Standalone Bitcoin Offline Wallet Printer Demo
 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noW77GqmNBQ

[Jan]

And another:

Standalone Bitcoin Offline Wallet Printer Demo
 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noW77GqmNBQ

I would buy one if it could print more than one copy of the same key and if the print/paper quality would allow it to last for years.

[glitch003]

And another:

Standalone Bitcoin Offline Wallet Printer Demo
 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noW77GqmNBQ

I would buy one if it could print more than one copy of the same key and if the print/paper quality would allow it to last for years.

Good news, the Piper wallet (http://www.piperwallet.com) does exactly that.  With the new paper I've just obtained, the prints will remain legible for 7 years from the print date if stored properly (cool, dry place.  basically office filing conditions). 

A feature of Piper is that you can print two copies of the same keypair by holding down the main button on the unit.  Here's a demo of that functionality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYqY19l5cow

[Jan]

Great. Hope you bring it to the conference next week.

[Abdussamad]

All you have to do is use bitcoins bash tools:

https://github.com/grondilu/bitcoin-bash-tools