Tartanleaf

Author: Greg Weir

  • Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe — Now Available!

    Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe — Now Available!

    Today I finally get to share the reason for the recent silence: my new book, Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe, is now available.

    This project began with a simple goal: create a clear, practical guide for people who want to understand Bitcoin mining without needing warehouse-scale equipment or an electrical-engineering background. It grew into a complete, beginner-friendly walkthrough of building, configuring, and operating a Bitaxe miner at home.

    What the guide covers

    • How Bitcoin mining works, from the ASIC to the blockchain
    • Hardware setup, power, cooling, networking, and safe operation
    • Firmware configuration and connecting to pool or solo-mining services
    • Monitoring, maintenance, tuning, and practical troubleshooting
    • Realistic expectations about efficiency, payouts, and the very long odds of solo mining

    A practical view of home mining

    Solo mining is a long shot—a technical lottery with very poor odds—but a small open-source miner is also a hands-on way to learn how proof of work functions, experiment with real hardware, and participate in Bitcoin without running an industrial operation. The book treats that tradeoff honestly and focuses on learning, safe operation, and useful experimentation.

    Where to find the book

    View Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe on Amazon

    You can also visit the book page for the description, formats, and supporting material.

    This release also marks the beginning of the broader Smart Tech for Real People publishing program. You can browse all Tartanleaf books for the current catalogue.

    If you pick up the book, I hope it helps you understand what your Bitaxe is doing, operate it safely, and get more out of the experience.

    Updated August 12, 2026: Removed duplicated and autogenerated filler text and reorganized the announcement for clarity. The publication details and destination links are unchanged.

  • Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe — Living Updates, Addendums, and Ongoing Notes

    Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe — Living Updates, Addendums, and Ongoing Notes

    The world of open‑source ASIC mining moves fast — faster than any printed book can keep up with. New Bitaxe revisions appear, firmware evolves, dashboards improve, and the OSMU community continues to push the boundaries of what small‑scale miners can do at home.

    This post marks the beginning of a living update thread for Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe: The Complete Guide to Open‑Source ASIC Mining at Home, Beginner to Advanced. Think of it as the book’s companion log: a place where I can publish clarifications, corrections, new examples, expanded explanations, and notes on hardware or firmware changes that arrive after the book goes to print.

    If you’re reading the book and want the freshest information, this is where you’ll find it.

    Why This Thread Exists

    A printed guide can give you a solid foundation — and that’s exactly what the book aims to do — but Bitaxe is a rapidly evolving open‑hardware project. Since the earliest Max boards, the pace of development has only accelerated. New boards, new tuning ranges, new dashboards, new node integrations, and new community tools appear constantly.

    Rather than waiting for a second edition, this thread lets me:

    • Publish addendums to specific chapters
    • Share updated tuning tables or efficiency ranges
    • Note firmware changes that affect setup or operation
    • Add new troubleshooting patterns as they emerge
    • Highlight new Bitaxe variants or open‑hardware siblings
    • Provide clarifications based on reader questions
    • Link to new community resources worth knowing about

    It keeps the book alive — and keeps you informed.

    What You’ll Find Here

    As updates accumulate, this thread will grow into a structured reference. Expect entries such as:

    • Hardware Updates

    New Bitaxe revisions, Turbo variants, Hex developments, or changes in recommended PSUs, fans, or accessories.

    • Firmware Notes

    Changes to AxeOS, new features, new configuration fields, or updated flashing instructions.

    • Tuning & Efficiency Addendums

    Revised frequency/voltage bands, updated J/TH ranges, or new insights from community testing.

    • Troubleshooting Expansions

    Additional patterns, new error messages, or improved diagnostic steps.

    • Node & Dashboard Integrations

    Updates to Umbrel, Raspiblitz, Home Assistant, Prometheus exporters, or new monitoring tools.

    • Clarifications & Reader Questions

    Short explanations that didn’t fit neatly into the book but help deepen understanding.

    Each update will be timestamped and linked back to the relevant chapter or appendix.

    How to Use This Thread

    If you’re reading the book:

    • Treat this thread as a living appendix
    • Check back periodically for new entries
    • Use it to cross‑reference your setup or troubleshooting
    • Follow along as the Bitaxe ecosystem evolves

    If you’re new to Bitaxe:

    • This thread gives you a sense of how quickly the project grows
    • It also shows how open‑source hardware benefits from community iteration

    If you’re an experienced miner or builder:

    • You may find new tools, dashboards, or firmware branches worth exploring
    • And if you spot something worth adding, feel free to reach out

    First Updates Coming Soon

    I’ll begin posting the first addendums shortly — including notes on recent firmware changes, updated tuning ranges for Gamma boards, and a few clarifications that didn’t make it into the manuscript.

    Thanks for being part of this project.
    Open‑source mining thrives when knowledge is shared, improved, and kept alive — and this thread is one more way to do exactly that.

    New to Bitaxe? Start with the complete guide. Browse all Tartanleaf technology guides or explore Smart Tech for Real People and RadioBook.

  • Introducing the New Tartanleaf Website & Blog

    Introducing the New Tartanleaf Website & Blog

    Update — July 2026: Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe is now available in paperback and Kindle. Visit the book page for current purchase information and the companion updates hub for ongoing firmware and hardware coverage.

    Today marks the launch of a project I’ve wanted to build for a long time: a dedicated home for clear, honest, practical technology guidance — starting with open‑source Bitcoin mining and the Bitaxe ecosystem.

    If you’ve followed the rise of Bitaxe, OSMU, or the broader movement toward transparent, hackable hardware, you already know how rare it is to find information that’s both technically accurate and accessible. Too much mining content swings between megawatt‑scale industrial advice and shallow “plug‑and‑play” reviews that never explain what’s actually happening under the hood.

    This website exists to bridge that gap.

    It’s built for people who want to understand their tools, not just plug them in. For people who value open hardware, open firmware, and open participation. For people who want to learn, experiment, and build — whether that means running a single Bitaxe beside a node or exploring the full stack of firmware, dashboards, and automation.

    And it all begins with the book.

    Introducing Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe

    Complete Guide to Open‑Source ASIC Mining at Home

    This site serves as the official home for the book — updates, supporting material, and purchase links.

    The book is designed to be the reference I wished existed when I first stepped into the Bitaxe world:

    • A full explanation of why Bitaxe exists and how open ASIC mining became possible
    • Clear guidance on choosing hardware and avoiding unsafe clones
    • Step‑by‑step setup, configuration, and first‑hash workflows
    • Real‑world cooling, power, safety, and tuning advice
    • Deep dives into firmware, nodes, dashboards, and long‑term operation
    • Troubleshooting checklists and a full glossary for quick lookups

    If you’re new to Bitaxe, this site will help you get started.
    If you’re already hashing, it will help you go deeper.
    If you’re building or experimenting, it will give you the tools to push further.

    What You’ll Find Here

    Over time, this website will grow into a hub for:

    • Book companion updates, corrections, and new resources
    • Guides and walkthroughs for Bitaxe owners
    • Practical tech articles that cut through jargon and marketing
    • Open‑hardware insights from the Bitaxe and OSMU community
    • Tools, templates, and reference material for miners, tinkerers, and educators

    Think of it as a companion to the book — a living space where new material, examples, and community knowledge can evolve alongside the hardware itself.

    Why This Matters

    Open‑source mining is more than a hobby.
    It’s a statement about transparency, sovereignty, and participation.

    Bitaxe proved that ASIC mining doesn’t have to be sealed away in proprietary boxes. It can be open, understandable, repairable, and accessible. It can be something you learn from, experiment with, and build upon.

    This website is here to support that movement — and to help more people join it with confidence.

    Ongoing Companion Coverage

    Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe is published, but Bitaxe hardware, firmware, and community practices continue to evolve. I’ll use this site to share:

    • Firmware and hardware developments
    • Corrections and clarifications related to the book
    • Practical guides for Bitaxe owners
    • Troubleshooting notes and useful community developments

    Visit the companion updates hub for the latest material and to sign up for occasional Bitaxe updates.

    Explore Tartanleaf

    Browse the published RadioBook series and Bitcoin Mining with Bitaxe, or learn about the Smart Tech for Real People series, which is currently in development and not yet available for purchase.