Open Source Miners: who we are, what we build, what we give back
We sell Bitcoin miners with open firmware, run them at home ourselves, and pass a share of what we earn with them on to the people who develop these devices.
Why we exist
Open Source Miners was born out of frustration. For a long time, anyone who wanted to mine Bitcoin at home had only three bad options: loud industrial machines that fit in no home; closed black boxes that quietly phone home; or weeks-long imports from overseas with customs hassle, no warranty and support that never replies.
Yet something better has existed for a while: the Bitaxe project with its open firmware AxeOS, and the Nerdaxe family running NerdOS. Small, efficient, quiet miners whose blueprints and code are open. Hardware you understand, configure yourself and truly own. That is exactly what we back, without compromise: no vendor lock-in, no mandatory account, no black box.
“Hardware that belongs to you. Not to the manufacturer.”
We are miners ourselves. We know the questions during the first setup, the thrill of the block lottery and the difference between honest advice and sales talk. That is why we will also tell you when something is not worth it. We ship our stock within 24 hours from the EU, with no customs surprises. And if something goes wrong during setup, a human replies, usually within 24 hours.
How we support open-source development
Open hardware does not build itself. Behind every schematic, every firmware release and every enclosure design are individual developers who make their results available to everyone, including us. We earn money with that work, so we let those people share in it. In practice that means:
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We donate to developers
A share of our revenue goes to the developers whose code or design runs in our devices. We transfer it directly to the person, not via detours. Whoever buys from us helps fund the next firmware release.
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We pass prototypes on
New boards, samples and pre-series devices that arrive here move on to firmware, cooling and enclosure developers. They adapt their software and designs before the first customer unboxes the device. In return we get hardware that runs smoothly from day one.
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We keep developing ourselves
We write code ourselves and put it on GitHub: firmware builds for Bitaxe and Nerdaxe (OSM OS), NodeOS for running a fleet against your own node, tools for Lightning and Umbrel users. What support teaches us about the devices goes back out as a commit, a configuration or a guide.
Building firmware, cooling, enclosures or tools for Bitaxe and Nerdaxe and short of hardware to test on? Tell us what you are working on. We provide test devices and help your project get noticed.
[email protected]Our code on GitHub
github.com/opensourceminersEverything we build is publicly visible. There is no code a customer could not inspect. A selection:
Our build of the open AxeOS firmware (fork of bitaxeorg/ESP-Miner) with factory settings verified on our own devices, such as the Copperzilla factory image at 750 MHz, 1200 mV, automatic fan curve and a 60 °C target temperature.
Our build of the NerdOS firmware (fork of shufps/ESP-Miner-NerdQAxePlus) for Nerdaxe, NerdQaxe and NerdOctaxe: upstream code with our own defaults and automated releases.
Optimised NerdOS variant with dedicated update and network tabs, one-click updates straight from our GitHub (or from upstream, your choice) and a build workflow for several boards.
An operating layer for people who run Bitcoin themselves: discovers Bitaxe and Nerdaxe devices on the network automatically, manages the fleet and lets it solo-mine against your own node via the DATUM gateway. Bitcoin only, never touches private keys.
Dashboard and autopilot for a Lightning node on Umbrel (LND): health score, profit and loss accounting, fee and rebalancing automation. Read-only by default.
Our community app store for umbrelOS: install our apps with one click, source open, maintained on GitHub.
We also run our own solo pool based on ckpool. It carries the hashrate of our rental customers, who see live in their dashboard what their booked capacity is doing. Rent a Bitcoin miner →
What we stand for
Open source, not a marketing label
Open hardware, AxeOS and NerdOS firmware: every setting visible, every value adjustable, everything repairable.
Bitcoin only
No altcoins, no “cloud mining”. Just real mining on the Bitcoin network that belongs to you.
Honest advice
We also tell you when something is not worth it. Home mining is a hobby and learning, not a promise of riches.
24h premium shipping
Stock from the EU instead of overseas roulette: fast, no customs, with a 14-day right of withdrawal.
Verified seller on the Bitaxe Legit List
The Bitaxe Legit List is the official list of trusted Bitaxe sellers on bitaxe.org. In a niche full of clones and fake shops it is an important trust signal: it shows that a vendor sells genuine, open hardware and is vetted by the community. Open Source Miners is listed there as a verified vendor, so you are buying from an officially recognised source.
Our editorial team
Lukas Henning
Mining-Redakteur & Hardware-Experte
Lukas beschäftigt sich seit Jahren mit Bitcoin-Mining und betreibt mehrere Open-Source-Miner wie Bitaxe und NerdQaxe im eigenen Zuhause. Für Open Source Miners testet er Hardware, dokumentiert Setups und übersetzt Mining-Technik in verständliche Anleitungen: praxisnah, ehrlich und ohne Hype.
Focus areas: Bitcoin Mining · Open-Source-Hardware · Bitaxe · NerdQaxe · AxeOS · Solo-Mining · ASIC-Effizienz
Frequently asked questions about Open Source Miners
Who is behind Open Source Miners?
Open Source Miners is a sole proprietorship based in Berlin, run by Jan Becker. The devices we sell also run in our own homes. Whatever our guides say, we tried ourselves first.
Where do you ship from and how fast?
Stock ships within 24 hours from the EU. No customs, no import VAT surprise, 14-day right of withdrawal.
What does “open source” mean for your miners in practice?
Schematics, board layout and firmware (AxeOS on the Bitaxe, NerdOS on the Nerdaxe family) are public. You can see and change every setting, build and flash the firmware yourself and run the device without an account or cloud. That is exactly why we can publish our own firmware builds.
How do you support open-source development?
We transfer a share of our revenue to individual developers, pass prototypes and new boards on to developers, and publish our own work, such as firmware builds, NodeOS and Lightning Mate, on github.com/opensourceminers.
Why don't you donate to OSMU (Open Source Miners United)?
Unfortunately, OSMU has kept the use of its donations a secret for years. This lack of transparency has long been criticised in public, yet questions were ignored, critics were pushed out and discussions were locked. We only give our money where we know for sure what it is used for. As soon as OSMU discloses the use of its donations transparently, we will reconsider our decision.
As of September 2026 · Sources: bitcointalk.org, December 2024, GitHub bitaxeorg/legitlist #36, August 2026
What is OSM OS?
OSM OS is our build of the open firmware AxeOS (Bitaxe) and NerdOS (Nerdaxe family). It is not a closed system: the source is a fork on GitHub. The differences are factory settings we verified on our devices and the update source. You can switch to the upstream firmware at any time.
Are you an officially recognised Bitaxe seller?
Yes. Open Source Miners is on the Bitaxe Legit List, the seller list of the Bitaxe project on bitaxe.org. The list separates genuine open hardware from clones and fake shops.
Can I get test devices as a developer?
Yes. Write to [email protected] with what you are building and which hardware you are missing. We provide test devices and help your project get noticed.