original art by @stellabelle
I’ve been interested in learning about mining cryptocoins for some time now, but I haven’t done it myself…….yet. I recently met Zascha in the Dash Slack and she was awesome enough to answer all my questions about mining.
Here’s part of Zascha’s crypto journey that started with the following conversation:
“Do you know anything about mining?” KB asked.
I said, “Mining? For what?”
"Well, that is all it took.
KB went on and on and deep, very deep… and I was hooked. I know you might be wondering why I got hooked? No, it is not what you are thinking.
Well if you know me, you know I enjoy building things, I enjoy touring at home depot, I am an artsy person and I love to see and touch things, yes I am that kind of person (smile)."
Zascha answers 10 questions about her cryptocurrency mining journey:
How did you get into mining cryptocurrency?
Z: My friend, KB introduced me to his mining rigs and the rest is history.
How long have you been mining?
Z: 1 Month. I built a mining rig which I named “LOL”, and that was my first mining rig.
Can you tells us something interesting/strange about mining coins?
Z: For me, it is fascinating. It’s a nice hobby. There are many aspects to take into consideration from hardware, algorithms, hash rate, power, cost, difficulty and obviously deciding what coin to mine.
How much did your mining rig cost?
Z: My latest mining rig was a present. A big surprise and I love him.
Can you tell us more details about your mining rigs?
Z: So I call one of my mining rigs “5” and he is made by Baikal. He’s known as Baikal X11. “5” is an ASIC miner which can mine DASH as well as other coins using this algorithm.
X11 ASIC Baikal Mini Miner Specifications:
– Hash Rate: 150 MHS (±10%)
– Power: 40 W (±5%) @ 0.27 J/MH (at the wall, with 25 C ambient temperature)
– Power supply: DC 12V 5A Power Adapter with 2.5 DC Plug (Not included)
– Interface: Ethernet
– Operating Temperature: 0 ~ 40 C
– Dimension: 140mm (L) x 100mm (W) x 95mm (H)
– Weight: 475 grams
How much DASH do you mine per week?
Z: .35 per week. 18 DASH per year.
Do you mine other coins?
Z: Yes, I do. My other mining rig named “LOL” has mined ETH, ETC, and ZCL. I still need to learn more about the different coins in order to be able to make more sound decisions.
Are your mining rigs loud or hot?
Z: No, "5" is sexy, adorable, and cute. “5” is not loud or hot at all. And the best part, he does not consume that much electricity. “5” is very friendly, easy to set up and low maintenance (Thank you God!!). If my calculations are right I will pay @ $2.88 per month for his power consumption. He is great.
What are your thoughts about DASH so far?
Z: I think it has a lot of potential. There are many technical aspects that I still need to understand to be able to form a sound opinion, especially in terms of privacy. DASH places a great deal of effort on the end user experience and its simplicity, this makes it very attractive. There seems to be a big networking community for Dash and growing. Their governance model is definitely a differentiating factor.
Will you get more rigs?
Z: ABSOLUTELY! I plan to add 2 more GPU cards to “LOL”. And I’m definitely thinking about adding more sexy miners like “5”.
Anything else you want to share about mining cryptocurrency?
Z: At this moment, I have more questions than answers when it comes to mining. I want to support the network and the technology and if I can profit or break even that will be a plus. Mining is definitely helping me expand my crypto world knowledge and especially the computer world.
The process is definitely intriguing and complex. But I did not want to wait to be more knowledgable in the subject to start mining……I just went for it and I’m really glad I did.
This article originally was published in Dash For Newbies, a Medium publication I started about one week ago as part of my Dash proposal that was recently passed.
I'll be giving half of the Steem earnings from this post to Zascha.
Very cool artwork and article. The X11 ASIC Baikal sounds a fun bit of kit. I'm glad you focused on talking about mining and the equipment, and in an accessible way.
thanks! It was really fun and I'm interested in mining with this Baikal boy now too!
I'm very new to crypto and haven't really explored mining much except for a little dabble on Eobot......but for some reason when I look at #5 I want one... or five lol . Also do you need a dedicated internet line as well ?
I would suggest getting familiar with mining on your computer/laptop whatever as a very first step (extremely unlikely you will make profit doing that, but this is about learning). Once you've done that you'll understand a little more about the software, solo or pooled mining, different algorithms etc.
But with that in mind:
As mentioned "5" is a Baikal Mini Miner, you can find the details here
They also do the 'Quadruple miner' which is 4 of the mini miners stacked. if you do get one (or more) pay attention to the listing as you will need to provide your own power cables etc.
As for 'dedicated internet line' it is much easier and more reliable/efficient etc to have a dedicated line in my experience. The miner connects via an Ethernet cable, so you if you get one or multiple you will need to connect them to a router or a switch. you then need to connect that to 'The internet' whether that's mobile or a dedicated line.
Don't let all of the above dissuade you too much though. If it's something you want to do, there are lots of ways you can make this all work. If you go the Baikal route for X11 (Dash). Hit-up the Dashnation slack and go to the #mining channel. Lots of community members willing to guide you through the setup.
Much thanks for the info !!
I am starting with my laptop,not really trying to make money right now just learning.
Steemit seems to be my gateway drug into crypto, never paid much attention to it until I stumbled onto Steemit. Thanks again
yeah, me too! It is THE gateway drug to crypto! Maybe that should be STeemit's new identity!
That's seriously the best attitude to have getting in to all of this. Focus on the learning/exploring, fun/excitement of getting in to something new and a perhaps a bit challenging. The profit and 'optimisation' of it all will come in time. Best of luck in your crypto and mining journey
thanks for the great answer!
I'll believe the miners not being loud when I hear it, lol. If I'd happen to have some naturally cool place to place some miners, out of hearing range, I'd buy some but I don't so I am not going to have few vacuum cleaners buzzing around me.
It does depend a lot on the gpu itself and how hard you're pushing it though.
Baikal Miners are sick so much power in that little thing... for now i think are the best miners available, good post.
Nice artwork and interesting read! I always wanted to start mining but am afraid of the costs
So true
Nice posting, I know mining cryptocurrency will give us a special " funny" thing to do. Sadly I do not know much about hardware. I have join Indonesian mining club on facebook gruop, they are willing to share knowledge each other. Nice !:)
It's always cheaper to buy than to mine coin. Mining is expensive. Miners have advantage only in new coins. For example STEEM was only available to miners in first few weeks. But even than you'll find the miners who are willing to sell on Slack or Bitcointalk forum.
@stellabelle you are transferring lots of STEEM to Trex. Is that for mining equipment :)?
No, it's to buy Dash and some others. I'm diversifying.
Interesting text honestly :) I enjoy it .
I am into crypto mining also. Just reminded me to upgrade my rig :)))
Good read, keep them coming !
Take care
what coins do you mine?
Im into Zcash, Dash, ETH, BTC some LBTC and Steem mostly.
I also experiment with some others but in small quantities, experimenting a little ...
cool thanks
That Baikal Mini Miner is a revelation for me.
Does that mean she has a nick on Steemit?
For what period of time this equipment pays for itself and begins to make a profit?
The Baikal hardware is difficult (or expensive/above list price) to get ahold of currently. The major increase in popularity and price of Dash caused a sell out of the hardware from manufacturer and they have not provided a time frame for the next production run yet. To answer your question, typical ROI would be less than 6 months.
i like it.
cool @stellabelle
thank you!
you are welcome ^_^
Hi, want to get connected to have a relationship that will enable me know more about mining crytocurrency and get updated about new feeds.
Here is my mobile 2348134897002
hmmmm best thing is to join up in Dash slack...I don't do phone numbers, sorry
Good post) A lot of useful.
Good luck with this project @stellabelle, great work
thank you! It's so fun so far!
That's a great first image you made @stellabelle
thank you! I'm drawing again!
nice post
thanks