blog/a-major-solution-to-a-miner-problem/

[giscus[bot]]

blog/a-major-solution-to-a-miner-problem/

Breathe new life into abandoned LoRa crypto mining hardware by converting it into a powerful Meshtastic nodes

https://meshtastic.org/blog/a-major-solution-to-a-miner-problem/

[skydiveguy]

What about using Meshtastic to convey Bitcoin transactions?
This seems to be the next logical step to assist in decentralization and off-grid ability to conduct Bitcoin transactions.

[skydiveguy]

You keep referring to ₿itcoin as "crypto" which is part of the problem. It's like referring to Meshtastic as "wi-fi". Crypto is junk tokens and coins. ₿itcoin is sound money and is clearly not going away.
Alienating newcomers that would love to see this technology grow to utilize communications you havent even imagined yet is not good for anyone.
Not trying to push anything. Just trying to inspire people way smarter than me to see what can be done with this technology.

[rcarteraz]

Alright, buddy. If you say so. I promise though, you keep it up like that and you’re going to get nowhere. But again, good luck.

[dillweed]

@skydiveguy This is an excellent idea. Decentralized communication fits the Bitcoin ethos, and the amount of bandwidth used for transactions is negligible and well fit to the Meshtastic protocol. It improves financial privacy and avoids censorship. It’s hard to hear fellow meshers disparage specific use cases. Meshtastic is for everyone!

[esackbauer]

I also don't get it. Meshtastic is all about decentralized communication, and Bitcoin is decentralized money. They would certainly benefit from each other. And Bitcoin is not "crypto", it has evolved. For the most part critics just show ignorance, envy or simply lack up to date knowledge. It is not so easy to grasp like meshtastic, but it has the same underlying ideas that still work 17(!) years after its creation.

[bkumler]

There’s something called Crankk.io that’s interesting.

http://crankk.io/support/meshtastic/onboarding-a-meshtastic-device-to-crankk

Or the the BTC Mesh Relay github.com/eddieoz/btcmesh

just found both while searching

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

Has anyone tried this on a Syncro Bit Chameleon miner?

[thebentern]

Open it up and see if there is PI or other common compute module in there

[thebentern]

I'll just leave this here https://www.ebay.com/itm/205168616664

[cjmartin]

Is this the hardware that was modified in the post?

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

Sorry, the format/layout of this site confuses me. Was that message directed at @thebentern or at me? Either way, I'm not sure what the question meant either.

[cjmartin]

@whateverusernameisnottaken I was wondering about the item @thebentern linked to on eBay.

[rcarteraz]

@cjmartin Yes, that was the exact hardware in this post.

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

Thanks, but...I'm not sure how that will help me. What point were you trying to make?

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

Oh, yes. There definitely is, according to specs and web postings. I'm just wondering if I can install PI OS via the Micro-USB connector on the Chameleon' case, without having to remove the CM unit. Technically, the Lora chips wouldn't be on a HAT, they'd be on Syncro.Bit's main board.

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

With all this debate going on, I just want to make clear that I have zero interest in cryptocurrency. I would just like to get RPI OS running on my Syncro.bit Chameleon to set up Meshtastic.

[rcarteraz]

So, doing some googling and it seems that device has a RPi 4 Compute Module inside it. Should be relatively simple to put Rasbian on it. The difficult part will be whether it had the ability to remove the lorawan concentrator and replace it with something like the usb device used in this post. You’ll have to crack it open and see what’s inside.

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

Yes. I'd like to be able to flash it with RPI OS through the case USB port. Is that likely to be possible?

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

I took a whole lot of photos. Here are some shots of the whole inside, the RPI (off to one side) and the Lora module/chips.

It looks like the Lora module contains a Semtech SX1302 and two Semtech SX250 RF front end chips.

You can see a 4-pin UART interface near the fan connector. That might be useful for some folks.

If anyone wants me to upload the other photos, of the rear of the PCB, the heatsink, the case, connectors, LED strip and so on, just let me know. I'm hoping that other people will try to work with this unit too.

Thanks

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

Can anyone tell me if the slot in the last photo an SD card slot or eMMC?

[cjmartin]

@thebentern / @rcarteraz any pointers to specific compatible LoRa modules, particularly usb devices like the MeshToad mentioned in the post? I'm pretty new to Meshtastic and have a couple projects I would like to pursue with native linux (I'm eager to do this exact project, but have a few other ideas too), some of which could be done with Pi hats, but others I would like to use well-supported usb devices.

Is it possible to buy a finished MeshToad somewhere, or maybe the PineDio USB LoRa adapter is a good way to go? https://pine64.com/product/pinedio-usb-lora-adapter/

Or maybe one of these? https://shop.sb-components.co.uk/products/usb-type-c-to-lora-dongle?variant=41026476802131

I'm looking for something I can have pretty high confidence will work with meshtasticd without too much pain.

Thanks!

[deann85]

Well shoot, i just used the case when i found this deal on ebay, I have a 2 part series with this.

Part 1 Tear down
https://youtu.be/hJv9Xv6PUJ4
Part 2 Building a solar Node
https://youtu.be/OrHVr8An9Io

Wish i would have waited and found this later on :D Price been going up and down, at one point it was priced at $32.

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

Just so others are clear, the videos linked to directly above are about a Nebra model, not the Syncro Bit I posted in the above photos.

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

Does anyone know if the SD card slot on the Syncro Bit is disabled, or can you boot from it somehow?

[ryanteck]

Rather neat to see a reuse of at least some of the old hardware still in use. I might have to put one of mine to use like that.

[GauchoOriginal]

Thanks for sharing this. However I'm new to meshtastic. Will i be able to mine HNT or any other coin by converting my old unused IOT miners?

[2j1c48]

If you are one of the lucky few that recieved a Nebra with the GPS onboard here is a simple way to enable and use it on your Meshtastic buildout. https://github.com/2j1c48/Nebra-Meshtastic-GPSonboard-enable/tree/main

[GauchoOriginal]

Does it mine HNT or any other coin when enabling Meshtastic?

[matt555]

@GauchoOriginal No man, this post is about making use of your useless old HNT miner. Nothing to do with HNT mining. Read the first 2/3 paragraphs.

[GauchoOriginal]

@GauchoOriginal No man, this post is about making use of your useless old HNT miner. Nothing to do with HNT mining. Read the first 2/3 paragraphs.

I see, thank you.
Does it work with any other HNT miners than Nebras?
I still mine HNT with my old Rak V1, for example. Among others.

[whateverusernameisnottaken]

According to the AI I asked, the Rak V1 uses an SX1301 Concentrator chip. It also claimed that Meshtastic is not supported on that chip. You might want to check on a Meshtastic forum or user group somewhere to see if that's accurate.

[garthvh]

The 1301 is indeed not supported