Small compact USB miners are a good choice if you want to get cryptocurrency just for fun. It is difficult to call USB ASIC Miner a powerful cryptocurrency mining equipment, but there are some advantages in buying a miniature miner. You can experiment with mining forks. They do not bring substantial profit, however, thanks to such devices you will learn how mining works.
USB miners are available for purchase: we are not talking about thousands of dollars. Their cost varies from 30 to 400 $. They function silently. Consume a small amount of energy. In this article, we consider the 8 best miners of this type.
Futurebit Moonlander
Created by jstefanop asik-miner based on a single chip, designed for mining Lightcoin. Powered by Scrypt algorithm. The hashrate is small – 0.4-1.2 MH / s. For overclocking, you can change the voltage at a variable resistance (on the Ashik board) and adjust the frequency of the type in the device software. To start using FutureBit MoonLander, you need to connect it to the USB connector 3.0W. The performance will be about 1MH / s. For more overclocking use an active USB hub. It increases energy consumption. But in this case, it will be necessary to apply active cooling of the chip.
USB miner features FutureBit MoonLander:
- Productivity – 04, -1,2 MH / s
- Power consumption – 5 W
- Scrypt algorithm
- Number of chips – 1 (Alcheminer Alchemist Scrypt ASIC)
- Energy efficiency – 95%
- Operating voltage – 0.7-1.1B
- The default chip operating frequency is 144 MHz.
- Price – $ 39 (excluding shipping)
Works USB ASIC with all operating systems. The LTC mining process is controlled by the newest version of Bfgminer 5.4. You can order the device from jstefanop or resellers: HolyBitcoin, Asicpuppy, Bitshopper.
FutureBit MoonLander is able to function in a wide range of speeds and energy efficiency. This makes it possible to overclock the device to the maximum and make fine adjustments.
Hashing speed in the range of 0.4-1.2 MH / s, of course, will not bring a lot of coins. You can search for other more accessible altcoins on the Scrypt-algorithm and start their mining. By the way, in the period of becoming Lightcoin, the situation was quite different. That is, the performance of this ASIC is equal to the total hashrate of 2 powerful cards of that time. At the same time, the power consumption of FutureBit MoonLAnder is much less than the power consumption of those video cards, but still a very long payback period due to the low hashrate.
As for the operating temperature of Ashik at a frequency of 144 MHz, the chip heats up to 56 ° C, and the radiator to 44 ° C. With continuous operation of the device, such indicators are not a problem. Installation of additional cooling is not necessary.
And now the fun part. By default, the device can operate at a frequency of 144 MHz. How to make it function at 264 MHz? Very simple. It is enough to connect USB Asik Miner to USB 3.0 connector, which will provide 0.9 A to 5V. This port will not give out more frequency and power. A hashrate with this installation is expected to be approximately 800 KH / s.
To overclock FutureBit MoonLander to 1-1,2 MH / s, you should use a USB hub with additional power. But in this case, we don’t forget about the installation of active cooling for the chip, since due to the transition from the USB port the temperature rises dramatically.
FutureBit MoonLander is a small interesting gadget. Thanks to him, you can get acquainted with the process of mining cryptocurrency. It is worth buying a device not for the purpose of earning money, but to understand how mining works.
FutureBit MoonLander 2
This is an advanced model of FutureBit MoonLander, which deserves attention. For orders became available recently. Now offered at a price of $ 109-144 apiece. Performance – 3-5 MH / s (depending on settings) for Scrypt. This is probably the most powerful USB miner for Litecoin mining. The core voltage and the clock frequency of the chips are adjustable.
The latest version of Bfgminer 5.4 is also used for management. Power consumption is 1.5 W per megahash. The operating core frequency is almost 1 GHz. The voltage is 0.6-1B. FutureBit MoonLander 2 works with computers based on Windows, Linux, Mac and RPi.
Bitmain Antminer U1 USB Miner
Portable BitMax Antminer USB model U1 from the company Bitmain is designed for the extraction of Bitcoin. This is a fairly affordable device with a fairly high performance. With a power of 1.6 GH / s consumes 0, 4A. Accelerates thanks to special mining software commands up to a record 4 GH / s with resistor replacement. True, only German virtuosos have managed to do this.
With a nominal hash rate of 1.6 GH / s Antminer U1 USB Miner, the power consumption is 1.2 watts. Dimensions of the device: 60x25x20 mm. As for the service life, it is assumed 10 years (!) Of Asik’s flawless work.
This miner has 5 significant advantages:
- High hash rate with low power consumption
- Long service life
- Supports all Bitcoin coin algorithms
- Compact size
- Easy to use
Miner uses one Bitmain chip. It can work on USB 2, USB 3 and on a USB hub. USB 3 will give a current of only 0, 9A. To accelerate Asik to 2.6 gigabytes per second or a record 4 GH / s, you need to use an external USB hub with a high quality power supply (2A).
To start the device at an increased frequency, you also need to raise the voltage that is applied to the chip: the process is described in the instructions for the USB ASIC miner. As a result, it will be necessary to replace two resistors in the power supply network of the chip with resistors in the SMD package (by 4.99 and 10K). As a cooling system, you can then use radiators from the processors.
Remember that before connecting Antmeiner to a computer, you must first download and save the CGminer mining program, as well as the program for installing the USB drivers.
USB Miner Sapphire Block Erupter
This is the very first Bitcoin miner USB. It has a good performance in 333 MG / s and low power consumption. The first Block Erupters could be purchased for only $ 10. Then the price rose sharply to $ 100. Among the advantages of the device: quiet operation, compact size.
333 MG / s is the nominal hash rate. Using an external USB hub hub with a quality power supply, you can accelerate Asik to 1.7 GH / s. Of course, this performance is not too high. But for exploring the Block Erupter mining is a great option.
GekkoScience Compac USB Stick Bitcoin Miner
Another micro ASIC for mining Bitcoin, but with higher performance than Block Erupter. Electricity consumption is minimal. A big plus is the work of this YUSB Asik Miner absolutely silently. Differs in the compact sizes. Thanks to these advantages, it is very popular with new miners.
Main features of GekkoScience Compac:
- Nominal hashrate – 8 GH / s
- Algorithm SHA-256
- Number of chips 2
- Chip type Bitmain BM1384
- Power consumption – 31 – 35 W
The price of GekkoScience Compac is now $ 94 and 97 cents. The device is reliable and easy to operate. When using an external USB hub, it will be possible to overclock Asik to 15 GH / s.
Avalon Nano 3
A device for mining Bitcoin. But it allows mining not only BTC, but also other cryptocurrencies on the SHA-256 algorithm. Performance – 3.6 GH / s. Power consumption – 3 watts. If you adjust the miner correctly, the payback will not take long to wait.
For normal operation, Ashiku does not need a cooling system. Simply connect the device to USB, and make the settings. Price Avalon Nano 3 at the moment – $ 36.
Bitmain Antrouter R1
This Asik is slightly different from the above miners in that it looks like a USB drive, but is not. The device works as a router. Wi-Fi – standard (802.11 g / n). Wi-Fi transfer speed is 150 megabits. Hashrate – 5, 5 GH / s.
Run miner in ergonomic design. Differs in the compact sizes: 84,5х56,5х29 mm. Since Bitmain Antrouter R1 is able to function as a wireless router, you can connect a computer / phone to the Internet through it. The price of such pleasure is $ 110.
21 Bitcoin Computer
This is an unusual mini “earner” Bitcoin. But nevertheless it is ASIC Miner USB for which connection the USB port is necessary. It can be called a hybrid that combines a micro PC, a miner and related software. Ashik’s hashrate – 50-125 GH / s. Energy efficiency 0.17 j / gh. Supports OS: Windows, Linux and Mac.
Bitcoin OS Platform 21 is based on Linux OS. There is an integrated payment system, thanks to which ASIC will allow you to create, for example, an online store with BTC payment. The device can work both connected to a PC and autonomously.
Conclusion
USB miners are interesting gadgets, thanks to which you can experiment with innovative technologies. But they won’t make you a rich man. All because of low ROI. The maximum yield of such devices is $ 1 per month.
Yes, once USB miners brought profit. Not for the games they did. But they were beneficial only in the period of the formation of Bitcoin and Lightcoin. If you want to really make money, then buy serious equipment.
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