NerdQAxe+, NerdQAxe++ and NerdOCTAxe Setup for SoloFury — Open-Source Solo Mining
Complete setup guide for NerdQAxe+, NerdQAxe++ and NerdOCTAxe — the open-source SHA-256 ASIC family. Hardware specs, pool configuration, wallet setup, and best practices for solo lottery mining on SoloFury.
The NerdQAxe+, NerdQAxe++, and NerdOCTAxe are open-source SHA-256 ASICs built on the foundation laid by the Bitaxe project. They’re designed for hobbyist solo miners who want lottery mining at a desk — running 24/7 in your home office, no industrial cooling, manageable noise levels. This guide walks through setup specifically for SoloFury, including which coin to mine and how to optimize for the small-hashrate class.
If you have a standard Bitaxe (single-chip variants like Gamma or Ultra), see the dedicated Bitaxe Solo Mining Guide. The setup is similar but the hashrate class and best coin choice differ.
1. Hardware Overview
The NerdQAxe and NerdOCTAxe are part of the same family that started with Bitaxe. The “Q” (Quad) and “OCT” (Octo) names refer to the number of ASIC chips on the board. The newer NerdQAxe++ uses upgraded chips that more than double the per-chip hashrate over the original NerdQAxe+.
| Model | Typical hashrate | Power (approx) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NerdQAxe+ | ~2.4 TH/s | ~60–70 W | Entry-level home solo mining |
| NerdQAxe++ | ~5–6 TH/s | ~110–130 W | Improved per-chip hashrate, sweet spot for desk |
| NerdOCTAxe | ~10 TH/s | ~210–240 W | Highest hashrate of the family, still home-friendly |
Key advantages of this family:
- Fully open source — schematics, firmware, and bill of materials are public
- Reasonable home noise levels — small fans, 40–55 dB at 1 meter for NerdQAxe+/++, slightly louder for NerdOCTAxe
- Standard wall power — runs on 12V DC, powered by a single PSU
- Real community — active development on GitHub, Discord, and Twitter
- Real chance at finding a block — at 2.4–10 TH/s, BCH2 blocks are realistic on weekly-to-monthly timescales
2. Pre-Setup Checklist
Before powering on:
- Power supply:
- NerdQAxe+: 12V DC, minimum 10A PSU
- NerdQAxe++: 12V DC, minimum 15A PSU
- NerdOCTAxe: 12V DC, minimum 25A PSU
- Use the PSU model recommended in the project’s documentation when possible
- Network: Wi-Fi (most NerdQAxe/OCTAxe boards) or Ethernet (newer revisions support both). Wi-Fi is fine but plan for occasional reconnections
- Cooling: stock fan is adequate for ~25°C ambient. Above 30°C ambient, consider extra airflow or a larger fan
- Wallet: prepare your wallet address for the coin you’ll mine (see Section 4)
- Firmware version: check the project’s GitHub for the latest stable firmware. Updates often improve hashrate and stability
3. Initial Configuration via Web UI
NerdQAxe+, NerdQAxe++ and NerdOCTAxe run a variant of the open-source ESP-Miner firmware that powers Bitaxe. The first-boot setup is identical:
- Power on the miner. It boots and creates a Wi-Fi access point named something like
NerdQAxe_XXXXorNerdOCTAxe_XXXX - Connect your phone or laptop to that AP. No password needed (or check the device documentation for the default)
- A captive portal appears prompting you to enter your home Wi-Fi credentials (SSID + password)
- Save and reboot. The miner connects to your home Wi-Fi and gets a DHCP IP address
- Find the new IP: check your router’s DHCP client list for
nerdqaxe.localornerdoctaxe.local. mDNS often works too — tryhttp://nerdqaxe.localin your browser - Open the miner’s web UI at
http://<assigned_ip>and you’ll see the main dashboard
4. Pool Configuration for SoloFury
In the miner’s web UI, navigate to the Settings or Configuration page. Find the Pool section.
Recommended config for small hashrate (2.4–10 TH/s)
| Field | Value (BCH2 example, closest region) |
|---|---|
| Stratum URL | stratum+tcp://bch2.solofury.com |
| Stratum Port | 7070 |
| Username | <your_BCH2_wallet>.<worker_name> |
| Password | x (anything — not used) |
Substitute the region prefix based on your geographical location:
- North America: use the base URL (
bch2.solofury.com) - Europe: prefix with
eu-(eu-bch2.solofury.com) - Asia/Oceania: prefix with
asia-(asia-bch2.solofury.com)
Wallet format per coin
The wallet must be in the native format for the coin. BCH2 requires the bitcoincash: prefix on a CashAddr address. Example:
bitcoincash:qq8x7zb9p6dvkpr5g8nhmt4ulvd7p2u8dq3z3kqgzn.my_nerdq_01For other SoloFury coins:
- BTC:
bc1q...or1...Bech32 / P2PKH (without prefix) - BCH:
bitcoincash:qq...(same as BCH2) - BC2:
bc1q...or1...(BTC-compatible) - XEC:
ecash:qq...(withecash:prefix)
Worker name convention
Use a descriptive worker name so you can identify each device on the SoloFury dashboard:
nerdq_plus_01for NerdQAxe+ unitsnerdq_pp_01for NerdQAxe++ unitsnerdocta_01for NerdOCTAxe- Or descriptive:
home_office,livingroom_corner,nightstand
The full username is then <wallet>.<worker_name> — for example bitcoincash:qq...zn.home_office.
Save the configuration. The miner restarts the stratum connection and connects to SoloFury within 5-10 seconds.
5. Why BCH2 Is the Best Coin for Small-Hashrate Solo
The single most important coin selection criterion at the 2–10 TH/s class is network difficulty. At your hashrate, every coin’s expected time-to-block is calculated as:
Expected time = (network_difficulty × 2³²) / your_hashrateRealistic mean time-to-block by hardware and coin:
| Hardware | BTC | BCH | BC2 | XEC | BCH2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NerdQAxe+ (2.4 TH/s) | Many decades | Years | A year+ | Months | Weeks to months |
| NerdQAxe++ (5–6 TH/s) | Many decades | Years | Months | Weeks | Days to weeks |
| NerdOCTAxe (10 TH/s) | Decades | Year+ | Weeks to months | Days to weeks | Days |
The difficulty of BCH2 is dramatically lower than other SoloFury coins. For the NerdQAxe family, BCH2 is the only SoloFury coin where you can realistically expect to find a block within months, not years.
If you want occasional BTC lottery exposure as well, you can split: run BCH2 most of the time, occasionally point at BTC for a long-shot moonshot. But for steady solo lottery experience, BCH2 is the answer.
See the Coin Selection Guide for full breakdown across all 5 SoloFury coins.
6. Verifying Your Connection
After saving the pool config:
-
Check the miner’s local dashboard — you should see:
- Status: “Connected” or active mining state
- Hashrate climbing toward the device’s nominal rate over 5–15 minutes
- Shares submitted (count increasing)
- Best difficulty (climbing over time as you submit shares)
-
Check the SoloFury dashboard at:
https://solofury.com/miner/?addr=<your_BCH2_wallet>&coin=bch2Your worker should appear within 1–2 minutes of starting. Initial displayed hashrate may be low until vardiff converges (15–30 min).
-
(Optional) Subscribe to Telegram notifications: message
@SoloFuryBotand follow the instructions to receive a Telegram alert when your wallet finds a block or when workers go offline.
7. Expected Hashrate Stabilization
Times below for a NerdQAxe++ at ~5 TH/s — scale proportionally for the other models.
| Time elapsed | Expected SoloFury dashboard hashrate (% of spec) |
|---|---|
| First 5 min | 30–50% (vardiff climbing) |
| 5–30 min | 60–90% |
| 1 hour | Stable at spec ± 5% |
| 24 hours | 1h average should be close to spec |
The 1-minute reading on the dashboard will always be noisy at this hashrate class — variance is large. Look at the 1-hour or 5-minute average for “is it working?” assessment.
For full breakdown of dashboard metrics, see the Reading Your Worker Stats guide.
8. Optimization Tips for the NerdQAxe Family
Tune the frequency in the firmware
The web UI usually exposes a frequency slider. Lower frequency = lower power, lower hashrate. Higher frequency = more power, more hashrate, more heat.
For most home setups:
- Stock frequency: best balance, recommended starting point
- +5%: small hashrate boost, more heat, OK if you have headroom
- +10–15%: significant heat, may trigger thermal throttling, requires extra cooling
- -5%: undervolt-light, quieter fans, slightly less hashrate
Run 24 hours at a setting before judging stability. Watch the dashboard for reject rate — if it climbs above 2%, back off.
Additional cooling
The stock fan handles ~25°C ambient. Above 30°C:
- Point a small external desk fan at the heatsink
- Move the miner to a cooler room
- Reduce frequency slightly to lower heat output
The NerdOCTAxe in particular dissipates ~220 W and needs solid airflow — small enclosed spaces will overheat it. The chips throttle hashrate above 75°C silicon temperature. The dashboard typically shows chip temperature — keep it under 70°C for steady operation.
Wi-Fi vs Ethernet
If your unit supports Ethernet, use it instead of Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi disconnections during overnight router restarts cause stratum reconnects and a brief hashrate gap. Wired is more stable for 24/7 operation.
9. Firmware Updates
Open-source firmware for the NerdQAxe family is actively maintained. Periodically check:
- NerdQAxe / NerdOCTAxe GitHub (the relevant project repo for your hardware)
- NerdMiner Discord for community announcements
- The miner’s own dashboard — newer firmware may have an auto-update prompt
Firmware updates have historically delivered:
- Hashrate improvements (better chip tuning algorithms)
- Stratum stability fixes
- New features (e.g., better dashboards, additional monitoring)
- Bug fixes
Always read the changelog before updating. Critical: ensure your custom pool config (the SoloFury URL and wallet) is preserved across the update, or have your settings written down ready to re-enter.
10. Troubleshooting Common Issues
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No hashrate showing on dashboard | Stratum not connecting | Check URL exactly matches stratum+tcp://bch2.solofury.com and port 7070, verify wallet format |
| Hashrate drops randomly to zero | Wi-Fi disconnects | Switch to Ethernet, or move miner closer to router |
| Reject rate above 5% | High latency to pool | Switch to closer region (eu-bch2.solofury.com for EU, asia-bch2.solofury.com for Asia) |
| Hashrate below spec | Thermal throttling | Improve cooling, reduce frequency, check ambient temp |
| Miner reboots randomly | Power supply insufficient | Upgrade PSU (10A min for +, 15A for ++, 25A for OCT) |
| Stratum disconnects frequently | Router NAT timeout | Reserve static IP, configure router for longer TCP keepalive |
For detailed diagnostic walkthrough, see the Reading Your Worker Stats guide.
11. Running Multiple Units Together
If you run 2+ NerdQAxe/OCTAxe units side by side:
- Different worker names for each (
wallet.nerdq_plus_01,wallet.nerdq_pp_01, etc.) - Same pool URL — they all connect to the same SoloFury endpoint
- Same wallet — they accumulate share counts to the same lottery account
- Separate power supplies ideal, or one larger PSU shared between units
- Adequate cooling — multiple units in a small space generate cumulative heat
Combined hashrate scales linearly. Example multi-unit fleets:
| Fleet | Total hashrate | Approx total power |
|---|---|---|
| 4× NerdQAxe+ | ~9.6 TH/s | ~250 W |
| 3× NerdQAxe++ | ~15–18 TH/s | ~360 W |
| 2× NerdOCTAxe | ~20 TH/s | ~450 W |
| 1× NerdOCTAxe + 1× NerdQAxe++ | ~15–16 TH/s | ~330 W |
A fleet of 15–20 TH/s of NerdQAxe/OCTAxe hardware gives you BCH2 block-finding probabilities on the order of days to weeks, while remaining manageable in a home office.
12. When You Find a Block
Eventually it happens. When the SoloFury Telegram bot sends you the notification, here’s what to do:
- Verify on
/halloffame/— your block appears as a confirmed entry with the on-chain transaction hash - Verify on a BCH2 block explorer — the coinbase transaction shows your wallet address as recipient
- Wait for confirmations — typically 100 confirmations (about 17 hours on BCH2) before the reward is mature and spendable
- Track the value for tax purposes — note the fair market value of the reward in fiat on the day of receipt
The reward goes directly to your wallet address in the worker username — no SoloFury withdrawal, no custody, no threshold. You receive 99% of the block reward (1% SoloFury fee is taken as part of the coinbase transaction at block construction time).
Next Steps
- Subscribe to the SoloFury Telegram bot for block notifications
- Use the Solo Start configurator to verify exact endpoint URLs for your region
- Read the Coin Selection Guide if you want to try coins other than BCH2
- Read the Reading Your Worker Stats guide to interpret your dashboard
- Browse the Hall of Fame to see what blocks have been found recently
- For Bitaxe-class hardware (single-chip variants), see the Bitaxe Solo Mining Guide
- For background on solo mining variance and what to realistically expect, read the Solo Mining Variance article