Bitaxe Gamma: The open source Bitcoin miner for your home

Bitcoin mining doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. With the Bitaxe Gamma, also known as the “Lucky Miner,” you can dive directly into the world of mining from home – with a device that is not only powerful but also completely open source. When solo mining with the Bitaxe Gamma, you participate in a kind of “Lucky Lottery”: Your chance of finding a Bitcoin block and collecting the full reward of 3.125 BTC (€240,625 at €77,000/BTC as of March 2025) is small but real. In this article, I’ll introduce you to the Bitaxe Gamma, explain its features, and show how you can optimize it with simple upgrades.

What is the Bitaxe Gamma?

The Bitaxe Gamma was developed by Skot as part of the open source Bitaxe project, which aims to make Bitcoin mining accessible to everyone. Equipped with the BM1370 ASIC chip (known from the Bitmain S21 Pro), the Gamma delivers a hashrate of up to 1.2 TH/s with an efficiency of only 15 watts per terahash. This makes it ideal for solo mining at home.

Thanks to the integrated WiFi function and the user-friendly AxeOS firmware, you can easily set up the miner via a web interface. A removable OLED display shows you hashrate, temperature, and status in real-time. Whether it makes more sense to buy Bitcoin directly or acquire a Bitaxe Gamma, I show in my experiment “Buy Bitcoin or mine?” for Plebday. The Bitaxe Gamma is definitely a great entry into mining and, due to the low barrier to entry, perfect for participating in the “Lucky Lottery” for a block.

Lucky Miner: What’s the Probability of Finding a Block?

With the Bitaxe Gamma, also called the “Lucky Miner,” you can participate in a lottery that takes place every 10 minutes – with the current Bitcoin block reward of 3.125 BTC as the main prize. But what are the real chances? With a hashrate of 1.2 TH/s, the Bitaxe Gamma is a small powerhouse, but compared to the network hashrate of 825.98 EH/s (as of April 2025), it’s a drop in the ocean. Based on current data, the probability of finding a block per day is about 1 in 4.95 million, while over a year it’s about 1 in 13,567. That sounds challenging, but compared to traditional lotteries, the advantage is clear: with 144 blocks per day, you have over 50,000 chances annually! Success stories of solo miners who found blocks with similar devices (e.g., on July 24, 2024, or March 10, 2025) prove that it’s possible – even if luck plays a big role. I calculated the probabilities based on data from SoloLuck. There you can calculate with your own hashrate and check your very personal chances. The Bitaxe Gamma is thus not only a miner but a fascinating experiment in probability and decentralization.

Bitcoin Mining with Solar Energy

Want to operate your Bitaxe Gamma sustainably? With solar energy, you can run it completely independent of the power grid. With the AxeCalibur project, I’m pursuing the approach of a solar-powered off-grid miner that can operate 24/7 Bitcoin mining solely through the power of the sun. The Bitaxe Gamma is ideally suited for this thanks to its low power consumption of about 15-20 watts and small form factor.

Currently, I operate my Bitaxe Gamma during the day with power from my balcony power plant. This can be tracked well in my myStrom cockpit, where I monitor the PV system and the miner. In the image, you can see that the miner is completely supplied by the balcony power plant from 7:40 AM to 6:25 PM. Until the AxeCalibur project is implemented, the balcony power plant helps me reduce the electricity costs for the miner. Also clearly visible is that there’s still sufficient buffer for additional miners or a battery. Over a day, my Bitaxe Gamma consumes 0.6kWh - so it runs, together with the power supply, at 25W.

Where Can You Buy the Bitaxe Gamma in Europe?

You can buy the Bitaxe Gamma Silent Edition fully assembled from the Go Brrr Shop or the “Made in Germany 🇩🇪” variant from the Solo Mining shop. Why the Silent Edition purchase is worthwhile, you can learn in the Upgrades section. Additional sources for purchase can be found on the overview page of bitaxe.org.

Why the Bitaxe Gamma?

  • Open Source: All blueprints and firmware are visible to everyone.
  • Compact and efficient: With only about 15-20 watts consumption, electricity costs remain manageable.
  • Solo mining potential: Even if the chances are small, you have the possibility to find a block and collect the full reward (currently 3.125 BTC).
  • Community support: The project is actively developed by the open source community.

Upgrades for the Bitaxe Gamma

The Bitaxe Gamma is already good in its standard version, but with a few simple upgrades, you can make it even better. Here is a list of all my upgrades and my experiences with individual modifications:

1. Quieter Operation with Noctua Fan

The standard fan of the Bitaxe Gamma is functional but not particularly quiet. This bothered me, and since the Bitaxe Gamma sits in my office, something had to change about the noise level. The Noctua NF-A4x20 5V PWM* fan in the 4-pin version is highly recommended as an excellent alternative. I’m actually very positively surprised by how much better this fan is compared to the standard – an upgrade that’s definitely worth it. Tip: buy a Gamma with Noctua fan right away.

2. Thermal Paste for Optimal Cooling

When switching from the standard to the Noctua fan, I noticed that the heat sink had lifted slightly, leading to somewhat higher operating temperatures. The cause was probably the thermal paste, which no longer optimally ensured contact between chip and heat sink. The solution: Apply new, high-quality thermal paste.

Proven options are Noctua NT-H2 3.5g* and Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g*. The Noctua NT-H2 scores with a larger quantity, three included cleaning cloths, and its long-term stability – ideal for permanent use without frequent renewal. The Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut offers excellent thermal conductivity but is available in smaller quantities and should be renewed after a few years to maintain the best performance. Both pastes are reliable; the choice depends on your priorities.

To remove the old thermal paste, you can use a fine cloth or a cotton swab with isopropanol* to thoroughly eliminate it.

To check if the effort is worth it, I measured the temperatures before (Image 1) and after (Image 2) replacing the thermal paste and created two screenshots from the AxeOS dashboard. I decided on Noctua NT-H2 3.5g*.

3. Ice Tower for Even Better Cooling

After several weeks of operation, my Bitaxe’s temperatures continuously rose, so I could only operate it throttled (frequency: 400 MHz). To prevent damage, I cleaned the device and applied new thermal paste. A central problem: The standard cooler is only attached with two plastic pins, causing it to tilt and not lie evenly on the chip. After a corresponding post on X, the team from Powermining.io contacted me and kindly offered to send a better heat sink. To my surprise, the package contained a complete Ice Tower kit and additional goodies like coffee, stickers, and stands! Conversion of the Bitaxe Gamma from standard cooler to Ice Tower:

How to activate the overclock mode of the Bitaxe Gamma 601

I’ve created a short video on YouTube where you can see exactly how to access the overclock mode for the Bitaxe Gamma:

Quick tutorial on how to access “overclock mode” for a Bitaxe Gamma

Alternatively, you can simply follow this guide.

  • Go to your web interface http://IP-OF-YOUR-GAMMA/
  • It may look like this: http://IP-OF-YOUR-GAMMA/#/
  • Go to “Settings” URL looks like this: http://IP-OF-YOUR-GAMMA/#/settings
  • Add ‘?oc’ to the end of the URL and press ENTER
  • Or just copy this URL and insert your Gamma’s IP address:
    http://IP-OF-YOUR-GAMMA/#/settings?oc

Happy hashing!

Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

What is the Bitaxe Gamma?

The Bitaxe Gamma is an open source Bitcoin miner with the BM1370 ASIC chip that delivers up to 1.2 TH/s at about 15 watts per terahash. It’s compact, efficient, and ideal for home use.

Where can I buy the Bitaxe Gamma?

You can buy it fully assembled from the Go Brrr Shop or the “Made in Germany 🇩🇪” variant from the Solo Mining shop. Alternatively, you can source the parts yourself and assemble it according to the instructions. An overview of all verified shops, sorted by region, is available on the Bitaxe.org page. To save yourself the hassle and potential additional purchases, I recommend buying the Silent Edition directly.

Where should I NOT buy the Bitaxe Gamma? Warning about fake shops.

Currently, reports of fake shops are increasing, so caution is advised. It’s not completely impossible that such shops might also sneak into the list of verified shops. Caution is always advised – even in the linked list, there are reports of bad actors.

Is solo mining with the Bitaxe Gamma profitable?

Solo mining can be profitable if you – very unlikely – find a Bitcoin block. Basically, tinkering, learning, and experimenting with the miner is a lot of fun – that’s definitely worth it.

Which pool can I use for solo mining from Europe/Germany?

Several pools are available in Germany:

  • SoloMining Hosted in Germany 🇩🇪
    • Pool Settings: Stratum Host: “pool.solomining.de”, Stratum Port: 3333, Stratum Password: x
    • Advantage: No fees. Hosting in Germany.
  • Public Pool
    • Pool Settings: Stratum Host: “public-pool.io”, Stratum Port: 21496, Stratum Password: x
    • Advantage: No fees. The miner with the highest monthly difficulty gets the pool’s affiliate earnings paid out as a prize.
  • EU CKPool
    • Pool Settings: Stratum Host: “eusolo.ckpool.org”, Stratum Port: 3333, Stratum Password: x
    • Disadvantage: 2% fees.

Is it better to mine Bitcoin or buy Bitcoin directly?

I answer this question in the article Buy Bitcoin or mine? Experiment for Plebday.

How loud is the Bitaxe Gamma?

In standard configuration, the Bitaxe Gamma is quite loud. The annoying fan noise can be greatly reduced by replacing it with a Noctua fan.

Which fan is compatible with the Bitaxe Gamma?

The Noctua NF-A4x20 5V PWM* fan is suitable for easy conversion and quiet operation. It’s important to make sure you get the 5V / 4-pin variant.

Where can I buy an Ice Tower?

You can buy an Ice Tower upgrade from the Solomining shop under the name “Pimp My Bitaxe Upgrade Kit.”

Which thermal pastes are suitable for the Bitaxe Gamma?

Proven options are Noctua NT-H2 3.5g* and Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g*.

What are the electricity costs for the Bitaxe Gamma?

In my configuration, my Bitaxe Gamma consumes 0.6kWh per day – so it runs, together with the power supply, at 25W. At an electricity price of €0.35/kWh, that’s €0.21/day in electricity costs. Calculated annually: €76.65.

Can the Bitaxe Gamma be operated without electricity costs?

Yes, that’s possible. With an off-grid system consisting of PV modules, a battery, and some additional components, the Bitaxe Gamma can be operated 24/7 solely through the power of the sun.

Has a Bitaxe (Gamma) already found a block?

Yes!

  1. Date: July 24, 2024
    Block: 853,742
    Details: The first documented case where a Bitaxe found a block. It’s believed to have been a Bitaxe model with about 3 TH/s (possibly a Bitaxe Hex). The miner received 3.12864161 BTC (about $204,600).
    Source: Blocktrainer.de - “Incredible Lucky Strike: BitAxe Solo Miner Finds Bitcoin Block for the First Time!”, published July 25, 2024

  2. Date: March 10, 2025
    Block: 887,212
    Details: The second known case. Here the miner used a combination of several Bitaxe devices (four Bitaxe Ultra, one Bitaxe Gamma, and one Bitaxe Supra) with a total hashrate of about 3.3 TH/s. The block was mined at 20:22:04 (CEST), reward: over 3.15 BTC (about $245,000). The Bitaxe Gamma was part of this configuration.
    Source: Blocktrainer.de - “Next Lucky Find: BitAxe Miner Mines Another Bitcoin Block”, published March 11, 2025

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