--- title: "Open Source Bitcoin ASIC miner project that uses 2x BM1387 (Antminer S9)" url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/luca__________/projects/bitcoin-mining-using-w5500/" markdown_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/luca__________/projects/bitcoin-mining-using-w5500/md" type: "UCC: User Created Content" author: "NebulaMiner" author_url: "https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5400851.180" editor: "WIZnet" editor_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/" original_author: "NebulaMiner" original_url: "https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5400851.180" published: "2023-08-02" language: "en" hardware: ["Espressif ESP32-S3", "WIZnet W5500", "WIZnet W5500-EVB-Pico"] likes: 2 views: 2231 comments: 0 source: "WIZnet Makers (https://maker.wiznet.io/)" --- # Open Source Bitcoin ASIC miner project that uses 2x BM1387 (Antminer S9) > Bitcoin mining ASIC chip open-source project : can be using W5500 #Wiznet Original author: NebulaMiner (source: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5400851.180) ## Components - **Espressif ESP32-S3** x 1 - **WIZnet W5500** x 1 ([docs](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/Chip/Ethernet/W5500)) - **WIZnet W5500-EVB-Pico** x 1 ([docs](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/Chip/Ethernet/W5500/w5500-evb-pico)) WIZnet parts: W5500 ([Datasheet](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/Chip/Ethernet/W5500/datasheet?utm_source=maker&utm_medium=project&utm_campaign=w5500), [product hub](https://maker.wiznet.io/products/w5500/)) ## Article Hi, Everyone. It's Luca. Let me introduce one person's says in Bitcoin forum. Maybe I found a reason why W5500-EVB-PICO is a great product. I was ASIC designer before, so this project is very interesting to me. Let's start ! The Bitcoin ASIC miner forum link is here : **Related Git-hub links are here :** Embedded framework solution = Rust Embedded environment = Open source Bitcoin miner hardware using BM1397 ASICs : **https://github.com/skot/bitaxe** You need a basic firmware running on the ESP32 that will power up the ASIC ======================================================================== ======================================================================== ======================================================================== Rust FW for bitaxe is a big subject i am working on everyday. As I said in a previous post, it is better someone work on **a standard C FW** based on existing component (cgminer) instead of waiting for the Rust solution which will take longer time. There not such "cgminer porting **in Rust**", cgminer is heavyly dependant on C. The best I can do, is to use cgminer driver for BM1397 based HW, to understand the low level (undocumented) protocol. Then code a (Rust) driver for BM13xx (based on Rust Embedded-Hal abstraction). To update on my progress doing so, I received the broken T17 I brought on ebay (2 hashboard seems to be functional enough to be communicating) with stock FW, so I was able to log serial/i2c communication between ControlBoard and HashBoard using Saleae Logic2 (logic analyzer) and code a High Level Analyzer to parse the Serial Protocol (communication with BM13xx), it is available on . Basic communication protocol is covered, I am into understanting the registers and their fields now. For this I do cross comparaison with S9k log (BM1393) with stock FW I also have on hand. I will also try different custom FW for the T17 (including BraiinsOS+) to learn how these differents flavor handle the same HW. I would be also very interested to have more log from other miner (S17...). So a lot of work need to be done in this direction... For the **ESP32-S3 selection,** it is the most ESP32 capable chip, that's why I guess Skot selected it. Its exotic architecture (Xtensa) make it less compatible with existing project. Nevertheless, esp-rs, which is the Rust support for ESP32 family seems to have active community and good result. Basically, there is 2 flavors : - one based on IDF (the framework supplied by Espressif, based on FreeRTOS, so a low level OS in C, that can handle all wifi/network layers) where Rust application can be run on top (so kind of a mixed C/Rust embedded). To my personal point of view, considering this approach, it is better to have a full IDF FW with existing cgminer C cross compiled to it, no need for Rust here, this is the "standard C FW" I was refering to earlier. - one based on plain Rust, but no wifi/network is available yet. IMHO wifi is not reliable enought for 24/7 mining device, copper wire (Ethernet) is much more prefered here. That's why I have close look also into **W5500** SPI/Ethernet bridge from **Wiznet** (I used them a lot in many other project), that has a very good support in Rust Embedded enviroment (). **For the Rust embedded framework, there is mainly 2 solutions :** - **RTIC **: Real Time Interrupt-driven Concurrency which I am not yet fully documented. Community seems very active. Alex (from w5500-rs) has a project example with it (). - **Embassy** : EMBedded ASYnc, which I start to love more and more. It has great support for STM32 and RP2040 (RPi PICO chip) but no ESP32 yet. **w5500-embassy is not finish yet, **but Alex gave me access to its private repo where job is ongoing there. I will try to make progress on it. I think **a great HW** for this, is the **W5500-EVB-PICO, basically a RP2040 with a W5500 on a stick (brought 2 of them).** RP2040 is a dual core Cortex-M0+ at 133MHz. Having a dual core look promising to have one core for the Network (Ethernet/W5500/StratumV2), and the second one for the BM13xx serial handling. Embassy seems to be able to deal with these 2 differents contexts (not tried yet). Finally, why I think Rust is way to go for a embedded miner, it is mainly because Stratum V2 Reference Implementation is done in Rust (https://github.com/stratum-mining/stratum), I recently joined their weekly dev meeting and they seems to be interesting into a first embedded implementation. It can be done on the ESP32-S3 on top of IDF without the need to have actual BM13xx I think. ======================================================================== ======================================================================== ======================================================================== If you are Korean, visit this Korean website describing W5500-embassy: *https://inmile.tistory.com/m/63* Above says that **w5500-embassy is not finish yet, but I FOUND some repository about that.Let's see this repository.** I think is useful repo for Wiznet users. It's about embassy-net related to our product, w5500 ====== Let's study about W5500! ![](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/418544830%5F1691102914%2Epng) ``` WIZnet W5500은 연결 기능을 갖춘 내장 이더넷 컨트롤러입니다. 인터넷 또는 로컬 영역에 대한 단순화된 연결을 제공하는 TCP/IP SPI(Serial Peripheral Interface)를 사용하는 임베디드 시스템용 네트워크. W5500은 안정성이 필요한 경우에 가장 적합합니다. 단일 칩을 사용하여 인터넷 또는 로컬 네트워크에 연결 TCP/IP 스택, 10/100 이더넷 MAC 및 PHY를 구현합니다. TCP/IP 스택 TCP, UDP, IPv4, ICMP, ARP, IGMP 및 PPPoE 등을 지원합니다. 그것은 수년에 걸쳐 다양한 프로그램에서 입증되었습니다. W5500 사용 데이터 전송을 위한 메모리로 32KB의 내부 버퍼. W5500을 사용하여 이더넷 응용 프로그램을 구현할 수 있으며, 작업하는 대신 간단한 소프트웨어 소켓 기술을 사용하여 복잡한 알고리즘을 작성해야 하는 복잡한 이더넷 컨트롤러. 8개의 독립적인 하드웨어 소켓을 동시에 사용할 수 있습니다. SPI(Serial Peripheral Interface)는 외부와의 쉬운 통합을 제공합니다. 마이크로 컨트롤러. W5500 SPI는 최대 80의 데이터 속도를 지원합니다. 메가헤르츠 시스템 전력 소모를 줄여야 하는 경우 W5500 WOL(Wake on LAN) 및 전원 끄기 모드를 제공합니다. ``` ``` PLL은 여러개의 클럭을 생성하여 모듈에 제공합니다. ``` ``` To estimate the needed bps for running cgminer, I asked to Chat-GPT. ``` ``` the result is below. ``` ![](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/846171549%5F1691339709%2Epng) ``` Thank you a lot! ``` --- Source: https://maker.wiznet.io/luca__________/projects/bitcoin-mining-using-w5500/