NerdOCTAxe V2 & NerdQAxe++ Solo Mining Setup
Set up NerdQAxe+, NerdQAxe++ and NerdOCTAxe V2 for solo mining: verified specs, pool config, the right coin to pick, and troubleshooting that works.
The NerdQAxe+, NerdQAxe++, and NerdOCTAxe are open-source, multi-chip SHA-256 ASICs built on the foundation of the Bitaxe project. They pack four or eight Bitmain chips onto a single board for desk-side solo lottery mining — running 24/7 in a home office, with no industrial cooling and manageable noise. This guide covers their verified specs, the AxeOS setup for SoloFury, the best coin to mine (BCH2), and how to keep them stable.
If you run a single-chip Bitaxe (Gamma, Supra, Ultra, or GT), see the Bitaxe Solo Mining Guide instead — the setup is the same, but the hashrate class differs.
Key Takeaways
- The Nerd-series boards scale the Bitaxe approach to multiple chips — four for the NerdQAxe family, eight for the NerdOCTAxe — for proportionally more lottery tickets.
- Stock hashrate: NerdQAxe+ about 2.4 TH/s, NerdQAxe++ about 4.8 TH/s, NerdOCTAxe about 9.6 TH/s. All run AxeOS-based firmware over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi on 12V power.
- BCH2 is the recommended coin — its low difficulty gives this hashrate class realistic odds. BCH2 uses port 8585 and the
bitcoincashii:address prefix. - These boards genuinely win — a NerdQAxe++ solo-found a real Bitcoin block in 2025.
- Cooling and a clean wired-or-stable connection matter most for steady 24/7 operation.
Which model should you choose?
The “Q” (quad) and “OCT” (octo) names refer to the number of ASIC chips on the board. The key 2026 distinction: the original NerdQAxe+ uses BM1368 chips, while the NerdQAxe++ upgrades to the more efficient BM1370 (the same 3 nm chip as the Bitaxe Gamma and the Antminer S21 Pro). The NerdOCTAxe doubles the NerdQAxe++ to eight BM1370 chips.
| Model | Chips | Hashrate (stock) | Power | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NerdQAxe+ | 4× BM1368 | ~2.4 TH/s | ~60–70 W | ~25 J/TH |
| NerdQAxe++ | 4× BM1370 | ~4.8 TH/s (up to ~6–6.5 overclocked) | ~75–80 W | ~15 J/TH |
| NerdOCTAxe | 8× BM1370 | ~9.6 TH/s (up to ~10.8 overclocked) | ~150–165 W | ~15 J/TH |
All three are fully open source (schematics, firmware, and bill of materials are public), run on a single 12V DC supply, and keep home-friendly noise levels (roughly 40–55 dB at a meter). The NerdQAxe++ is the usual sweet spot — best hashrate-per-watt in a compact board — while the NerdOCTAxe is the most powerful open-source miner you can buy.
What do you need before you start?
- Power supply (12V DC): at least a 10A unit for the NerdQAxe+, 15A for the NerdQAxe++, and 25A for the NerdOCTAxe (extra headroom is needed if you overclock). Use the PSU the project documentation recommends where possible.
- Network: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (the ESP32 controller is 2.4 GHz only); some revisions also support Ethernet, which is more stable for 24/7 use.
- Cooling: the stock fan handles roughly 25°C ambient; above 30°C, add airflow.
- Wallet: prepare an address in the correct format for the coin you will mine (see below).
- Firmware: check the project’s GitHub for the latest stable release before you start.
How do you do the first-boot setup?
The Nerd-series boards run an AxeOS-based fork of the open-source ESP-Miner firmware, so first-boot is the same as a Bitaxe:
- Power on the miner. It creates a Wi-Fi access point named something like
NerdQAxe_XXXXorNerdOCTAxe_XXXX. - Connect a phone or laptop to that access point (no password, or per the device documentation).
- A captive portal appears — enter your home Wi-Fi name and password.
- Save and reboot. The miner joins your Wi-Fi and gets a DHCP address.
- Find its IP in your router’s client list, or try
http://nerdqaxe.local/http://nerdoctaxe.localvia mDNS. - Open the web interface at that address to reach the dashboard.
How do you configure SoloFury?
In the web interface, open Settings (or Configuration) and find the Pool section. The recommended coin for this hashrate class is BCH2 — note its port and prefix carefully:
Stratum URL: stratum+tcp://us-bch2.solofury.com
Stratum Port: 8585
Username: bitcoincashii:q...your_BCH2_address.nerdq_pp_01
Password: xThe hostname above uses the us- region; swap the prefix for your closest of SoloFury’s nine regions:
| Region | Endpoint pattern |
|---|---|
| North America East — Atlanta | us-<coin>.solofury.com |
| North America West — Seattle | pnw-<coin>.solofury.com |
| South America — São Paulo | lat-<coin>.solofury.com |
| United Kingdom — London | uk-<coin>.solofury.com |
| Europe — Frankfurt | eu-<coin>.solofury.com |
| Middle East — Tel Aviv | me-<coin>.solofury.com |
| Africa — Johannesburg | afr-<coin>.solofury.com |
| Southeast Asia — Singapore | asia-<coin>.solofury.com |
| East Asia — Tokyo | jp-<coin>.solofury.com |
What wallet format does each coin need?
The wallet in your username must be in the coin’s native format, and the prefix matters:
- BCH2:
bitcoincashii:prefix on a CashAddr address — for examplebitcoincashii:q... - BCH:
bitcoincash:prefix (or a legacy1...address) — note this is different from BCH2 - XEC:
ecash:prefix - BTC / BC2:
bc1...or legacy1..., no prefix
How should you name workers?
Use a descriptive label so each device is identifiable on the dashboard: nerdq_plus_01, nerdq_pp_01, nerdocta_01, or something locational like home_office. The full username is <wallet>.<worker_name>. Save the configuration and the miner connects to SoloFury within seconds.
Why is BCH2 the best coin for this hashrate class?
At 2 to 10 TH/s, the coin that matters most is the one with the lowest network difficulty, because your mean time to a block is (network_difficulty × 2^32) / your_hashrate. BCH2’s difficulty is dramatically lower than the other SoloFury coins, so it is the one chain where this hardware can realistically find blocks on a human timescale.
| Hardware | BTC | BCH | BC2 | XEC | BCH2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NerdQAxe+ (2.4 TH/s) | Thousands of years | Decades | A year or more | Months | Weeks to months |
| NerdQAxe++ (4.8 TH/s) | Thousands of years | Over a decade | Months | Weeks | Days to weeks |
| NerdOCTAxe (9.6 TH/s) | Over a thousand years | Several years | Weeks to months | Days to weeks | Days |
These are averages of a high-variance lottery, and the low-difficulty figures move with difficulty — check the live Profitability Calculator and Network Radar for your exact odds. For the full five-coin breakdown, see the Coin Selection Guide. If you want occasional BTC exposure, you can split time between BCH2 and a BTC moonshot, but for a steady solo experience, BCH2 is the answer.
How do you verify the connection?
After saving, check both sides. On the miner’s local dashboard, you should see a connected status, hashrate climbing toward spec over 5–15 minutes, a rising share count, and a “Best Difficulty” figure that grows over time. On the SoloFury side, open your miner page (https://solofury.com/miner/?addr=<your_BCH2_wallet>&coin=bch2); your worker should appear within a minute or two, with the displayed hashrate low at first until vardiff converges over 15–30 minutes.
| Time elapsed | Dashboard hashrate (% of spec) |
|---|---|
| First 5 minutes | 30–50% (vardiff climbing) |
| 5–30 minutes | 60–90% |
| 1 hour | At spec, within about 5% |
| 24 hours | 1-hour average steady at spec |
The 1-minute reading is always noisy at this hashrate class; judge “is it working?” by the 1-hour or 5-minute average. For every metric in depth, see Reading Your Worker Stats.
How do you optimize and cool these boards?
Frequency tuning. The web interface exposes a frequency control: lower means less power and hashrate, higher means more of both plus more heat. Stock is the best starting balance. A small bump (around 5%) gives a little more hashrate if you have thermal headroom; pushing 10–15% adds significant heat and can trigger throttling. Run any setting for 24 hours before judging it, and back off if the reject rate climbs above 2%.
Cooling. The stock fan handles roughly 25°C ambient. Above 30°C, point an external fan at the heatsink, move the miner to a cooler room, or lower the frequency. The NerdOCTAxe dissipates the most heat and needs solid airflow — the chips throttle above about 75°C, so keep the dashboard chip temperature under 70°C for steady operation.
Connection. If your unit supports Ethernet, use it — Wi-Fi drops during overnight router restarts cause stratum reconnects and brief hashrate gaps.
How do you handle firmware updates?
AxeOS-based firmware for the Nerd-series family is actively maintained by the open-source community. Check the project’s GitHub for your board and the OSMU (Open Source Miners United) community channels for announcements; newer firmware often improves hashrate tuning and stratum stability. Always read the changelog first, and make sure your SoloFury pool URL and wallet are preserved across the update — or have them written down to re-enter.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No hashrate on the dashboard | Stratum not connecting | Confirm the URL is stratum+tcp://us-bch2.solofury.com (your region) and the port is 8585; verify the wallet prefix |
| Hashrate drops to zero | Wi-Fi disconnects | Switch to Ethernet, or move the miner closer to the router |
| Reject rate above 5% | High latency to the pool | Switch to your closest of the nine regions |
| Hashrate below spec | Thermal throttling | Improve cooling, lower frequency, check ambient temperature |
| Random reboots | Power supply too small | Use a larger PSU (10A for the +, 15A for the ++, 25A for the OCT) |
| Frequent disconnects | Router NAT timeout | Reserve a static IP and allow longer TCP keepalive on the router |
For a deeper diagnostic walkthrough, see the Miner Health Check guide.
Can you run several units together?
Yes. Point each unit at the same wallet with a distinct worker label (wallet.nerdq_pp_01, wallet.nerdocta_01, and so on), use the same pool URL, and give each adequate power and cooling — multiple boards in a small space generate cumulative heat. Combined hashrate scales linearly:
| Fleet | Total hashrate | Approx. power |
|---|---|---|
| 4× NerdQAxe+ | ~9.6 TH/s | ~260 W |
| 3× NerdQAxe++ | ~14.4 TH/s | ~240 W |
| 2× NerdOCTAxe | ~19.2 TH/s | ~320 W |
| 1× NerdOCTAxe + 1× NerdQAxe++ | ~14.4 TH/s | ~245 W |
Around 15–20 TH/s of this hardware gives BCH2 block-finding odds on the order of days to weeks while staying manageable in a home office. The same math scales down too — see Can a Bitaxe find a block? for what documented wins look like at even smaller hashrate.
What do you do when you find a block?
When you find one, verify it: it appears as a confirmed entry with its on-chain transaction on the Hall of Fame, and the coinbase transaction on a BCH2 explorer shows your wallet as the recipient. The reward needs about 100 confirmations (roughly 17 hours on BCH2) to mature before it is spendable, and you should record its fair-market value on the day of receipt for tax purposes. The reward goes straight to the wallet in your worker username — non-custodial, no withdrawal, no threshold — and you keep 99% (the 1% SoloFury fee is taken in the coinbase transaction at block construction).
Next Steps
- Generate exact endpoint URLs for your region with the Solo Start configurator.
- Confirm your odds across coins with the Profitability Calculator and Network Radar.
- Compare all five coins in the Coin Selection Guide.
- Learn every dashboard metric in Reading Your Worker Stats.
- Running a single-chip board too? See the Bitaxe Solo Mining Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which NerdQAxe model should I buy?
The NerdQAxe++ (about 4.8 TH/s) is the usual sweet spot for hashrate-per-watt in a compact board. The NerdQAxe+ (about 2.4 TH/s) is a cheaper entry point, and the NerdOCTAxe (about 9.6 TH/s) is the most powerful open-source option if you want the best odds in one unit.
What coin should I mine on a NerdQAxe or NerdOCTAxe?
BCH2. Its low network difficulty gives this hashrate class realistic, lottery-style odds — often weeks to days depending on the model — whereas BTC would take many centuries. Remember BCH2 uses port 8585 and the bitcoincashii: prefix.
Can a NerdQAxe++ actually find a block?
Yes. A NerdQAxe++ solo-mined Bitcoin block 920,440 in October 2025 (about 3.14 BTC). Wins are still rare on BTC, but on low-difficulty BCH2 they come far more often, which is why BCH2 is recommended.
What is the difference between the NerdQAxe+ and NerdQAxe++?
The "++" uses Bitmain BM1370 chips instead of the BM1368 in the "+", which roughly doubles the hashrate (about 4.8 TH/s versus 2.4) at much better efficiency (about 15 J/TH versus 25).
What port does BCH2 use on SoloFury?
Port 8585 (us-bch2.solofury.com:8585, swapping us- for your region). Using BCH's 7070 by mistake is a common error — each coin has its own port.
Do these run the same firmware as a Bitaxe?
Yes, an AxeOS-based fork of the open-source ESP-Miner firmware, scaled to multiple chips. The setup flow and SoloFury connection are identical to a Bitaxe.
How much power does a NerdOCTAxe use?
About 150–165 W at stock for roughly 9.6 TH/s (around 15 J/TH). Overclocked configurations have reached about 10.8 TH/s near 157 W. Size your 12V PSU with headroom — a 25A unit is recommended.
Wi-Fi or Ethernet?
Use Ethernet if your revision supports it — it is more stable for 24/7 mining. The boards are 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only otherwise, so enable that band and place the unit within good signal range.