@ jasonb
2025-03-14 17:14:05
### Quick PSA for starters
<sub>...these type of posts have turned quasi-autobiographical for me. Traditionally, I've been skeptical about people that share too much personal stuff on social media, as it just tends to promote narcissism. My hope here in sharing some of the superfluous drama is to add an engaging narrative element to this topic, which I believe everyone who really believes in freedom tech should struggle with. If you find it narcissistic, feel free to call me out, as I'd rather err on not falling down that hole too many times.</sub>
## Renewed interest
I believe that my most successful post on sn (in terms of staying on top 'o the charts) was [this guy](https://stacker.news/items/629837). There's some pre-history and the journey will continue, but I'm going to declare that this is the 'arrival' moment for that story. There is a necessary sequel, but I've reached a nice place to ride into the sunset for a bit and give y'all some closure on this topic.
So what was that post? It was the time I realized that bitcoin had a real, legit attack surface. There are companies out there hashing their asses off with gobs of exahash, and they are NOT going to redirect their hashrate if their pool gets 51% of the network. Many of the comments on that post only underscored the issues. "The people securing bitcoin's foundation are fiat minded jackasses. Let them be. I live upstairs."
Dude. Lame.
## Time to hash while the hashin's good
So I started my journey to really [step up my home mining game](https://stacker.news/items/735779). It went [poorly](https://stacker.news/items/767748). I bought a bunch of mini miners that were almost INSTANTLY obsolete. [Look](https://stacker.news/items/902474) at this cooler version that @siggy47 was able to get just a few months later. But I had [fun](https://stacker.news/items/776023) with it.
## A twist of fate
In January, I was at a bitcoin mining and energy conference and hit it off with someone who works in the industry (and REALLY has a bitcoin, not fiat, mindset) because...we share the same last name. This might sound odd, but I have a very rare last name that, in my case, came about through multiple generations of illiteracy deep in the hollow's of Kentucky. I'm not even sure we came from the same family, as he traces the name back a different way. Either way, it's a weird name, and an even weirder spelling, and they're exactly the same. The actually meeting happened as someone else was name-dropping this guy in a conversation that I overheard late at night outside of a bar by some smokers. I said, "hey, that's my name too," and he took me into the bar to introduce me to this guy like one would bringing someone to a celebrity.
Anywho, we talked about our potential blood relationship, bitcoin, family life, and other fun stuff. He said, "when you get home, shoot me your address on Signal and I'll send you two s19s." He did this, only asking that I cover the shipping. One actually turned out to be an s19J Pro.
## Heatpunks
Do you know about the [heatpunks](https://www.tylerstevens.me/blog/a-heatpunks-manifesto/)? I've written about this concept in some of the above referenced posts, but the basic idea is, recycle bitcoin mining heat. Integrate bitcoin mining into any and everything that needs heat and bitcoin mining will be more decentralized than ever, carbon neutral, and more easily profitable.
So it was time to figure out how to hook up two s19s and recycle the heat. It was also January.
## Meanwhile
I'm working less these days as I've been pursuing bitcoin stuff. January through May is already my slow season. One of my kids is struggling with behavior and anxiety issues. Also, I'm feeling very alienated and from many old friends as they live farther away and I am currently having a hard time making social connections in my current church and general community. Also, I'm all in on bitcoin, and the USD exchange rate doesn't make beautiful moves during this time. I'm still positive in my savings, but not so much with my recent work. :/
## When life gives you lemons, and then some lemons, and a few more lemons
So I ask the heatpunks (via telegram) what I need to safely power these guys. I end up going to home depot, buying a 50 AMP breaker, and all of the appropriate romex, conduit, plug, box, etc that go with it. I order a PDU from heatpunk [Dane O](https://www.hashratehouse.com/) and set up a meeting for my electrician buddy to come over.
Well, I wait a week for the PDU to come, and UPS broke it. I wait another week for him to send another. My electrician buddy helps me build the conduit and leaves me a HUGE drill to cut holes into the foundation of my house. Significant solo fun ensues. Then we just can't seem to schedule this last time to finish the project. In the meantime, I do [all this](https://stacker.news/items/902849).
Then I finally get around to switching from Braiins to Ocean. I install Datum Gateway on my StartOS. I still can't get that to work right, so I don't have my own templates, but am at least using an even better pool than Braiins. I do some more prep to the HVAC.
I'm getting antsy, and all that life stuff mentioned above is weighing on me. Finally the PDU arrives, and I can't lock in a time with my electrician friend. I'm pulling my hair out. It's especially frustrating as we host events at our house all the time, and in recent years, those have become more female dominated as men in my community just seem to be disappearing as social creatures. Why is this relevant. Well, I can't schedule even this practical thing with my friend (who I was going to pay) as he's just too overwhelmed with his young family and the world we live in.
## Almost Victory
Finally, Wednesday of this week, we do it. I get to stick my head in a soffit and pull cable. We cut the power to the house and put in the breaker. I even plug in the PDU. In the process though, I break the power supply to my modem. No joke. It takes forever to get the internet working again, but many hours later, by bedtime that night, we are ready to hash!
I give a speech for the two older kids. I tell them how bitcoin is far from the most important thing in our life, but it's a big deal. It is a tool unlike humanity has ever had to protect people's freedom peacefully. You can go which way you like, but mom and dad are on team bitcoin, and are ready to work at it!
Anyway, this is when I discover that s19 fans go the opposite direction of s9 fans and I have to take the whole thing apart and reassemble.
Wrong
Right
I start the hashing with Braiins so I can keep an eye on things. Only two of the hash boards in each unit seem to be working...
But they're working! I go to bed.
## The part in which I literally cry
Yesterday morning, we intended to take a day off and go hiking as a family. One of the most beautiful places on earth is about an hour and a half away from where I live. It's a park near Yellow Springs, Ohio (where Dave Chappelle lives and talks about all the time). I check and see that one of the s19s has stopped hashing. I immediately assume the modem and wifi are finicky and start messing with that, and break the modem again. The kids are now all loaded in the car and I'm spending a good half hour at this. I pray for help. I do the same steps expecting different results. The whole home internet is just DOWN. My wife comes downstairs to ask if we can go and I cry, mostly in anger.
We just decide to leave. I pull it together. We go hiking, eat ice cream at the [world's greatest ice cream place](https://youngsdairy.com/), have pizza, and find out along the way that the internet just needed a minute of someone not spastically messing with it to get back up and running.
## Just in time
But...that one miner still isn't working. So after all of that, between two s19s, I have two functioning hashboards. Could be worse, but could be better. Later that night, I notice that one of the fans on the broken unit isn't spinning. I kick right into gear and harvest a fan from one of my s9s. At this point, I'm so excited that I don't even fully remove the broken fan.
When I fire it back up...BOOM...90 Th/s right out the gate! I then underclock it for the time being for a little more efficiency. I now have five beefy hashboards and they are currently busy securing the world's largest computer network. They are confirming peer to peer transactions in Gaza, Israel, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, USA, Venezuela, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, Germany, China, and every place on the God's green earth. These machines are confirming for refugees that they're done what no refugee of any previous generation could do: they have maintained, in their new home, all of the rewards for the energy they contributed to their home land.
Alas, it is March 14th, partly cloudy with a high of 74. Sure, they're be a handful of good days left this season, but it's almost time for these guys to go into hibernation for a few months, unless I go immersion, which still seems daunting right now.
I'll run them as long as we can bear this spring. Nevertheless...they now stand ready, prepared to serve again in the fall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmuVrbaTtbA
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/913252