I had to try it. I bought a Bitaxe Gamma 601, set it up and started using it. And yes, this small miner runs surprisingly well.
The Bitaxe Gamma 601 is not a large industrial miner. It is a compact open-source Bitcoin ASIC miner for a desk, shelf or small DIY mining projects. It uses a BM1370 ASIC chip, known from the Antminer S21 Pro generation. Depending on the settings, the hashrate is usually around 1.0 to 1.2 TH/s. Power consumption is often listed at roughly 15 to 18 watts, depending on configuration and operating mode. So the Gamma 601 is more of a technical learning device than a traditional mining machine.
The setup was straightforward. Connect power, configure Wi-Fi, enter the mining settings and the miner starts working. For me, the interesting part is the combination of ASIC hardware, Wi-Fi, web interface, monitoring and the option to include the device in my own projects.
Of course, solo mining has to be viewed realistically. With a single Bitaxe Gamma 601, it is more of a technical lottery than a predictable way to earn Bitcoin. The chance of actually finding a Bitcoin block is extremely low. But that is also part of the appeal. You can see real mining hardware at work and understand hashrate, shares, pool connection, temperature, power consumption and what is happening in the background.
For me, the Bitaxe Gamma 601 is not a device that should only be judged by profit or loss. It is a learning and maker device for anyone who wants to understand Bitcoin mining from a technical point of view.
In the next posts, I will take a closer look at the setup, the values shown by the miner, hashrate, temperature, power usage and how small miners like this can be integrated into a custom dashboard.
The first step is done. The Bitaxe Gamma 601 is running.