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Cryptocurrency Mining on the Raspberry Pi

The document provides a comprehensive guide on cryptocurrency mining using a Raspberry Pi, highlighting its pros and cons, and suggesting CPU-mineable coins like Magi and Storj. It outlines the necessary hardware, software, and setup steps for mining Bitcoin, Monero, Bytecoin, and other cryptocurrencies. While not highly profitable, mining on a Raspberry Pi serves as an educational project for those interested in cryptocurrencies and technology.

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julia
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19 views

Cryptocurrency Mining on the Raspberry Pi

The document provides a comprehensive guide on cryptocurrency mining using a Raspberry Pi, highlighting its pros and cons, and suggesting CPU-mineable coins like Magi and Storj. It outlines the necessary hardware, software, and setup steps for mining Bitcoin, Monero, Bytecoin, and other cryptocurrencies. While not highly profitable, mining on a Raspberry Pi serves as an educational project for those interested in cryptocurrencies and technology.

Uploaded by

julia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cryptocurrency Mining on the

Raspberry Pi

By Moe Long / Tutorial / 20th January 2018

Cryptocurrency is incredibly popular, from Bitcoin to Litecoin,


Ethereum, and Monero. These digital assets are digital, decentralized
currencies. There are two main methods for obtaining cryptocurrency:
mining and purchasing. Learn all about cryptocurrency mining on the
Raspberry Pi!

Cryptocurrency Mining on the Raspberry Pi:


Before You Get Started
Before plunging into mining cryptocurrency on the Raspberry Pi, there
are several considerations. First, approach the project as a means of
learning more about cryptocurrency and a neat do-it-yourself (DIY)
endeavor. While the Raspberry Pi is a capable, low-power consumption
device, it’s not ideal for cryptocurrency mining. In its infancy, crypto
mining such as mining Bitcoin, on a home computer proved profitable.
Now, GPUs are best suited for mining, and the best rigs for mining
cryptocurrency like Ethereum or Bitcoin feature beefy GPUs that
outstrip Raspberry Pi hardware. Nevertheless, even phones can mine
cryptocurrency, such as the Sugar S11 Blockchain Creation Edition. As
such, a Raspberry Pi can totally serve as an inexpensive crypto miner.

However, the distinction is that the Raspberry Pi can mine, but doesn’t
necessarily do so profitably. Mostly, this depends on the specific
cryptocurrency, what it’s valued at and how much the Pi can generate
each day. Though the Raspberry Pi doesn’t pack a ton of computing
power, it’s incredibly energy efficient and there’s a low startup cost.
Plus, it’s simple to get set up, and an intuitive method for learning more
about cryptocurrency, as well as Raspberry Pi software and hardware.

Pros:

Energy-efficient hardware
Decent computing power
Low start-up cost
Easy to set up

Cons:

Not profitable

Picking Your Currency - Which Cryptocurrency


is Easiest to Mine on the Raspberry Pi?
The first step in cryptocurrency mining on a Raspberry Pi is selecting
your preferred currency. Because the Raspberry Pi can’t stack up
against ASIC devices or GPUs, it’s best to pick a coin that’s CPU-
mineable. If you seek a profit, for cryptocurrency mining on a Raspberry
Pi, look to alternate coins. Novaspirit reports solid performance with
Magicoin mining on a Pi. Although, it’s been about a coin a day, which is
somewhere from $0.20-0.25 USD. That’s not terrible, especially
considering that once you begin filling your digital wallet, it will stake,
the wallet will earn interest and generate coins for you. Plus, Magi uses
proof-of-state.

Storj is another option that can be mined on a Raspberry Pi. Since Storj
relies on storage, rather than paying cloud providers for file storage, it
makes the low-power Pi a viable piece of hardware. You may also
consider using ASIC miners plugged into the Raspberry Pi for obtaining
cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.

Magi
Storj
Bitcoin
Monero
Bytecoin

Choose Your Hardware

Next, pick your Raspberry Pi hardware. As the Pi is low-powered and


low-priced, I recommend sticking with a Raspberry Pi 4. That affords
the best computing power. The board itself retails for $35, but you can
snag a kit with power supply and heatsink for $50 or more.

Cost: $35+ USD

Bitcoin Mining With a Raspberry Pi - Raspberry


Pi Bitcoin Mining
You can easily mine Bitcoin on the Raspberry Pi. For this, you’ll need
:
the Pi, a Raspbian image, pool account, Bitcoin wallet, and USB bitcoin
miner.

Raspberry Pi (RasPi 4 recommended)


Bitcoin wallet
Pool account
Raspbian installed
USB Bitcoin miner ($20-$400 USD)

Total cost: $55-$460 USD

For this method, you’ll need to begin by creating a pool account and
download a Bitcoin wallet. You can snag the Bitcoin client here. Once
you’ve installed your wallet, create a pool. Essentially, a pool is a
conglomeration of other miners who collaborate toward obtaining
Bitcoin. Solo mining simply isn’t profitable.

After creating your wallet and a pool, configure payment by entering


your wallet address. Then, set up a worker account for each one of your
Bitcoin miners. If you have one ASIC Bitcoin miner, you’ll need one
worker account. For two USB miners, you’ll need two accounts, and so
on.

To set up the Pi, install the proper libraries:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install autoconf autogen libtool uthash-dev


libjansson-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libusb-dev libncurses-dev
git-core –y

Then, install BFGMiner:


:
git clone https://github.com/luke-jr/bfgminer.git

cd bfgminer

./autogen.sh

./configure

make

Finally, begin mining! You’ll simply enter the proper commands, detailed
on the BFGMiner GitHub Readme.

Single pool mining:

bfgminer -o http://pool:port -u username -p password

Multi-pool mining:

bfgminer -o http://pool1:port -u pool1username -p pool1password


-o http://pool2:port -u pool2usernmae -p pool2password

Multi-blockchain mining:

bfgminer -o http://pool1:port -u pool1username -p pool1password


--pool-goal default -o http://pool2:port -u pool2usernmae -p
pool2password --pool-goal freicoin

Single pool standard http proxy mining:

bfgminer -o http://pool:port -x http://proxy:port -u username -


p password

Single pool socks5 proxy mining:


:
bfgminer -o http://pool:port -x socks5://proxy:port -u username
-p password

Bytecoin and Monero Mining With a Raspberry


Pi
You can easily get started with Monero and Bytecoin mining. These are
CPU-mined and feature proof-of-work.

Raspberry Pi ($35-60 USD)


Raspbian
CPUminer software
MinerGate account

Total Cost: $35-60 USD

Begin by registering with MinerGate. With Raspbian installed, install the


dependencies:

sudo apt-get install autoconf libcurl4-openssl-dev libjansson-


dev openssl libssl-dev gcc gawk

Then, clone the miner repository:

git clone https://github.com/lucasjones/cpuminer-multi.git

When that’s finished, navigate into the CPUminer directory and compile
the program:

cd cpuminer-multi

./autogen.sh
:
./configure

make

That’s it! You’re ready to start mining. Run the following help command
to view instructions for using CPUminer:

./minerd --help

To start mining Monero, run:

./minerd -a cryptonight -o
stratum+tcp://xmr.pool.minergate.com:45560 -u
youremail@address.com -p x -t 4

For Bytecoin mining, run:

./minerd -a cryptonight -o
stratum+tcp://bcn.pool.minergate.com:45550 -u
youremail@address.com -p x -t 4

Magi Mining With a Raspberry Pi


Since it’s an alt-coin, features POS, and is CPU-mineable, Magi is
another superb option for cryptocurrency mining on a Raspberry Pi.

Raspberry Pi ($35-60 USD)


Raspbian
CPUminer
Magicoin wallet

Total Cost: $35-60 USD


:
Like Bytecoin and Monero mining, this is a low-cost option that only
requires a Pi. We’ll use Novaspirit’s CPUminer.

With Rapsbian installed, compile the CPUminer software and its


dependencies:

sudo apt-get install automake autoconf pkg-config libcurl4-


openssl-dev libjansson-dev libssl-dev libgmp-dev make g++ git
libgmp-dev

Next, clone the source code from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/novaspirit/wolf-m7m-cpuminer

Now, generate the required files for compiling the miner:

cd wolf-m7m-cpuminer

./autogen.sh

You’ll need to use compiler flags:

CFLAG="-O2 mfpu=neon-vfpv4" ./configure

Then, modify the makefiles to switch -march=native to -mcpu=acortex-


a53. These are located at:

nano Makefile

and

naon m7/MakeFile

Once that’s complete, compile the software using the make command:
:
make -j4

With that accomplished, direct the software to a pool:

./minerd -a m7mhash -o urlofpool:8080 -u worker.1 -p password

Storj Mining With a Raspberry Pi


Since it includes proof-of-retrievability, Storj is another fantastic
cryptocurrency mining with a Raspberry Pi choice. David Egts reports
earning about $16 from 50 GB farmed from a Raspberry Pi.

Raspberry Pi ($35-60 USD)


Raspbian
Storj software

Download Node Version Manager:

wget -qO-
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.3/instal
l.sh | bash

Then, in a new terminal, install the NVM Long Term Service (LTS)
variant:

nvm install --lts

With that complete, perform an update:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Then, install Python:

sudo apt-get install git python build-essential -y


:
After all of this, your Storj dependencies should be installed. To install
Storj Share, enter:

npm install --global storjshare-daemon

Now, create a Storj Share node:

storjshare create --storj=YOUR_STORJ_TOKEN_WALLET_ADRESS --


storage=/mnt/storjmerge/storj.io/

Finally, create a script to make Storj start everything simultaneously:

storjshare daemon

storjshare start --config /path/to/storjconfig/xxxx.json

If you like, you may configure Storj Share to start at boot. First, open a
command prompt and run:

env > ~/.env

Next, create a watchdog script in the home directory:

nano ~/watchdog.sh

In the watchdog.sh, add these lines:

#!/bin/bash

. $HOME/.bashrc

. $HOME/.profile

. $HOME/.env
:
APP=$(ps aux | grep -v grep | grep storjshare)

if [ -z "$APP" ];

then

echo "Restart storjshare-daemon"

storjshare daemon

fi

APP=$(ps aux | grep -v grep | grep 'farmer.js --config')

if [ -z "$APP" ];

then

echo "Restart farmers"

storjshare start --config


$HOME/.config/storjshare/configs/1f100594a6c1830b3d135f537575de
a05f41cbf1.json

fi

Make this executable with:

chmod +x ~/watchdog.sh

And create a Cron job using:

crontab -e

by these lines:
:
*/5 * * * * $HOME/watchdog.sh

@reboot $HOME/watchdog.sh

Cryptocurrency Mining on the Raspberry Pi:


Final Thoughts
Although cryptocurrency mining on the Raspberry Pi might not be
hugely profitable, it’s not an entirely expensive endeavor. Thus, it’s the
perfect project to learn more about cryptocurrencies, from how they
are mined to which coins exist. Notably, it’s a great means to explore
alt-coins like Bytecoin and Magi. Plus, mining crypto coins on a Pi is
another opportunity to probe Raspberry Pi hardware and software.

By beginning cryptocurrency mining, even purely for fun, not for a


substantial profit, you’re more invested in the crypto-coin space.
Moreover, opting for a Bitcoin alternative such as Magi does reap some
return, albeit a small one.

Did you know that you can turn your Raspberry Pi into a cryptocurrency
wallet? Check out our latest tutorial!

Your turn: Have you tried using a Raspberry Pi as a cryptocurrency


miner? Which currencies do you recommend?
:
Moe Long is an editor, writer, and tech buff with a particular
appreciation for Linux, Raspberry Pis, and retro gaming. Writing online
since 2013, Moe has bylines at MakeUseOf, TechBeacon, DZone,
SmartHomeBeginner, DEV.to, DVD Netflix, and Electropages. You can
read his writings on film and pop culture at Cup of Moe, check out his
tech reviews, guides, and tutorials at Tech Up Your Life, and hear his
thoughts on movies on the Celluloid Fiends podcast. Aside from writing
and editing, Moe has an online course, the Beginner's Guide to Affiliate
Blogging From Scratch. When he's not hammering away at his
keyboard, he enjoys running, reading, watching cinema, listening to
vinyl, and playing with his dog Sebastian.
:
:

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