POD256 | Bitcoin Mining, Freedom Tech, and Awesome Tangents

• 091. Hash, Heat, and Hardware: LibreBoard, Mujina, and the BitAxe Battle

  In this episode, we go deep on two fronts: protecting open-source projects from trademark hijacking and advancing real-world hash rate heating. We share the ongoing battle to oppose fraudulent USPTO filings on the BitAxe mark, why “TM” vs. registered matters, and how we’re navigating opposition, Madrid Protocol options, and the broader goal of keeping open hardware open without enabling scammers. We then switch to practical engineering: Tyler walks us through immersion mining powering radiant floor heat, dynamic performance scaling, control loops with Home Assistant, thermostats and dry coolers, and why tight software control beats expensive hardware band-aids. We unpack LibreBoard and Mujina plans, APIs, Stratum v1/v2 quirks, Intel vs. Bitmain chip behaviors, and how PyASIC/ASIC-RS standardize miner control. We also touch on FreeCAD pains, open-source CAD needs, educational content plans, and a wild idea: launching a BitAxe to low Earth orbit for space-mining experiments. The throughline: building a sustainable, open-source mining ecosystem where entrepreneurs can profit while dismantling proprietary roadblocks, especially for heat reuse at home and in buildings.Resources we discussed or referenced include: USPTO trademark process and oppositions, Madrid Protocol for international marks, Home Assistant integrations with open thermostats/APIs, LibreBoard and Mujina firmware architecture, BrainsOS and DPS/ATM concepts, PyASIC and ASIC-RS (standardizing miner APIs), FreeCAD/KiCad vs. proprietary CAD, and Dyson Labs’ BitAxe-in-space concept. We wrap with shout-outs to community hashers supporting 256 Foundation and an invitation to contribute, test, and build on these open platforms.

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  1:41:51

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  1:41:51
• 090. Make Every Meetup a Pool: Stratum v2, Hole Punching, and Open Mining

  In this episode of POD256, we go deep on open-source Bitcoin mining with live updates from TabConf. We kick off with some tax-day banter and quickly shift into the real meat: the imminent release of Mujina; an open-source, Rust-based, modular mining firmware designed for flexibility (think hot-swappable hashboards, per-chip capability-aware work assignment, and embedded Linux distro ambitions). We discuss the Ember One hashboard iterations, pragmatic scope control, and why a community-driven, iterative approach matters. Then we dive into HydraPool, our open-source, one-click, low-friction Stratum v1 pool initiative: why we moved from a CKPool fork to a fresh Rust stratum server, PPLNS design trade offs, verifiable share accounting via API streams, and breaking legacy limitations like coinbase output caps imposed by vendor firmware. From the floor at TabConf, Skot and AverageGary join to showcase Stratum v2 progress packaged for Start9, NAT traversal via hole-punching (Iroh), and the vision that every meetup can host its own pool. We explore encrypted, binary Stratum v2; coinbase privacy; integrating Rust tooling (BDK/LDK/ASIC-RS); and practical features like dummy work for heat reuse and load management. We compare payout mechanics (Ocean, Datum/TIDES, DMND SliceJD with job-declared fees), custody nuances, and eCash/eHash concepts for flexible, local pool accounting. We wrap with real-world updates: home-assistant-driven solar-aware mining control, shout-outs to our hasher community, Telehash plans, and why smaller, faster nodes and decentralized pools will birth more economic nodes. It’s a dense, nerdy, forward-looking tour of the open mining stack becoming reality.

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  1:22:16

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• 089. Copyleft and Cold Rooms: Open Hardware, Passive Heat, and Economic Nodes

  In this episode, I host a deep dive on open-source Bitcoin mining hardware and network policy. We kick off with updates on the Ember One v5 hashboard design: a modern, smarter voltage regulator with digital telemetry and over-temp safeguards, header breakouts for optional fan-control daughterboards, and the tradeoff of dropping 24V input in favor of better performance up to 17V. We talk real-world cooling scenarios from hardwired desk fans to immersion, water blocks, and the dream of a fully passive, fanless space-heater miner, and how firmware can target room temperature using external thermostats or Home Assistant, including hashing on dummy work for heat when the network’s down. We also cover system builds with S9 chassis reuse, USB hub scaling, and the open-source release on the 256 Foundation’s GitHub.Then we zoom out to software and network sovereignty: IPv6 support work on Bitaxe and why testing the full chain (ISP to router to device) matters; the merits of self-hosting vs cloud IoT, dynamic DNS, and why more economic nodes will matter as home mining grows. We wade into Bitcoin Core vs Knots relay/mempool policy drama, argue for keeping “the knobs” and user choice, and explore a BIP proposing a scriptable mempool policy. Finally, we unpack copyleft vs MIT licensing for hardware and software, what “preferred format for modification” means for open hardware (use real CAD source, e.g., KiCad), how legal enforcement has played out (Cisco/Linux precedent), and why open-source accelerates development, decentralizes control, and creates durable ecosystems using Bitaxe’s rapid growth as a case study.

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  1:09:02

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• 088. Freedom Tech in Action: Open Miners, Sovereign Homes, and the Post-ImagineIF Debrief

  In this episode, the crew reunites post-ImagineIF to debrief an energizing week across Bitcoin, AI, energy, and Freedom Tech. Rod thanks the team and presenters for delivering high-signal talks within tight constraints, and we reflect on why keeping events intimate translates into more action at the community level. We hit the State of the Network, discuss mining economics, and whether large public miners may pivot toward HPC/AI. Then we spotlight hands-on innovation: sovereign smart homes with at-home miners, open-source hardware and firmware progress (Libre Board prototypes, Ember One v5 updates, and Hydra Pool nearing public release), and what it means to prioritize energy-centric control over hashrate alone. We close by celebrating a showcase home miner build: an immaculate hydro-cooled array of BitAxes with battery integration, PLC control, and custom dashboards; ilustrating how open tooling unlocks real-world experimentation and efficiency gains.

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• 087. Heat, Hash, and Hardware Freedom: Live at Bitcoin Park

  Live from Bitcoin Park in Nashville during the Bitcoin Custody & Treasury Summit week, we sat down with Skot, Ryan, and Tyler for a deeply technical, candid, and fun conversation about open-source Bitcoin mining. We covered the buzz around the Park, the upcoming ImagineIF conference, and why decentralizing mining hardware, firmware, and pools matters for freedom tech and real-world heat-reuse applications. From hot-tub hash heaters and floor warming to tobacco curing with miner heat, we dug into the practical uses that demand configurability manufacturers don’t provide.We traced the journey from reverse‑engineering legacy Antminer chips to today’s open-source Ember One and Bitaxe platforms, discussed the new Mujina firmware architecture, PMBus power monitoring, safety protections, and how USB-connected hashboards (Proto’s approach) reshape maintenance and scalability. We also explored speeding up IBD on Raspberry Pi via hardware crypto acceleration, the pain of buying miners through gray channels, why fans, power supplies, and idle power states must be user-controlled, and the push for auditable pool share accounting via Hydra Pool, Datum/Ocean compatibility efforts, and P2Pool-style accountability. If you care about open, modular, repairable, and verifiable mining at home or in the field this one’s for you.

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  1:29:09

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