2025-02-22 –, Event Room
MOD: Schnitzel
Firmware is the logic layer of hashrate heating, dictating how miners operate and respond to changing conditions. This Socratic-style discussion will dive into the current firmware options, their strengths and limitations, and what features are still missing. From temperature-based control to offline functionality and dynamic power adjustments, what innovations could make bitcoin miners more effective as heating appliances?
Michael Schmidt (Schnitzel) is the creator of the HashTub, a Bitcoin-heated hot tub, and the founder of Nakamoto Heating Solutions. With a background in software engineering and deep expertise in Bitcoin mining, he developed HASS Miner—a software integration that enables seamless remote control of ASIC miners through Home Assistant, the leading smart home IoT automation platform.
David Urlacher is a firmware developer at Luxor, a leading Bitcoin mining company specializing in mining pool services, aftermarket firmware, and data-driven optimization tools for industrial and home miners. He plays a key role in developing LuxOS, firmware designed to enhance efficiency, thermal performance, and power optimization for a variety of Bitcoin mining hardware. David is also the instigator of the “Urlacher Kit”, a retrofit for Bitmain S19 and S21 series miners that allows them to operate efficiently on 110V residential outlets, making home mining more accessible by reducing power constraints, noise, and heat output.
Brett Rowan is a software engineer at Upstream Data, a company specializing in Bitcoin mining solutions for stranded and excess energy. He is the creator of PyASIC, an open-source Python library that serves as the data collection and communication layer for Bitcoin miners across different manufacturers, models, and firmware types. His deep technical expertise in the software layer of Bitcoin mining has been instrumental in advancing Bitcoin heat reuse, enabling greater control, efficiency, and interoperability for miners repurposing waste heat.
Adam Ortolf, a Colorado native, serves as a Founding Partner at Stranded Energy Investments, focusing on harnessing stranded and wasted natural gas for bitcoin mining. Additionally, he holds the role of U.S./International Business Development Manager at Upstream Data Inc., where he designs projects and supplies engines and infrastructure to help oil and gas producers monetize their stranded or waste natural gas through bitcoin mining.