POD256 | Bitcoin Mining, Freedom Tech, and Awesome Tangents

In this episode, the 256 Foundation crew and developer d++ go deep on HydraPool, our open‑source Bitcoin mining pool stack, and the new HashDash and upcoming TeleDash dashboards powering the Telehash fundraiser stream. We unpack how HydraPool fits into the broader plan to open‑source the entire mining stack (hashboard, control board, firmware, and pool), its Rust-based design inspired by CKPool and P2Pool v2, and flexible payout models (solo, PPLNS, and multi-address coinbase). We also talk user experience tweaks for Telehash, like smoothing hash rate visualization, displaying best shares, units for difficulty, leaderboard ideas, and integrating Nostr npubs for social profiles. D++ walks through the HashDash visualizer and plans for TeleDash: real-time overlays for stream viewers and a separate jumbotron view showing total hash rate, active workers, funds raised (on-chain and Lightning), block height, BTC price, donation messages, odds, leaderboards, and instructions to point hash rate. We discuss stress-testing the pool to 10,000 workers, Prometheus data, and potential features like miner-type fingerprinting via user agents. We also touch on industry rumors around Bitmain’s S23 air-cooled units, shifting manufacturer focus to hydro/data-center gear, hand‑me‑down hardware implications, and why open source is crucial as proprietary vendors change course. Finally, we preview Telehash (join at pool.256foundation.org:33303 with a valid BTC address), celebrate contributions to Samourai dev families, and tease hardware progress on Ember One, Mujina firmware, water-cooled blocks, Heat Punk Summit plans, and more; all with an open-source-first ethos to dismantle the closed mining monopoly.

In our 100th episode, we celebrate three years of POD256 and almost two years of building the open-source Bitcoin mining stack. We share behind‑the‑scenes stories from our first Telehash block find and chart what’s coming for 2026. We walk through how the 256 Foundation allocated over $400k in grants across Ember One (open hashboard design), Libre Board (open control board), Mujina (open miner firmware), and Hydra Pool (self‑hosted pool), and how these projects are already flipping the closed “black box” mining model on its head. We dive into progress updates: Mujina running on Bitaxe Gamma, early Ember One integrations and cooling, Hydra Pool one‑command spin‑ups, plus community contributions like Stratum v2 support and Home Assistant control; and preview our plan to run Telehash #3 on a fully open stack live. We also invite miners and devs to point hashrate, contribute code, and join us at Telehash and NEMS as we turn this momentum into a product-style demo of open mining in action.We revisit the wild Telehash night when an Apollo-powered solo pool briefly wrangled an exahash and struck block 881423 (shout-out to Megawatt!), reflect on building the 256 Foundation and this pod from the early “Hash Cast” days, and outline how anyone from heatpunks to large farms can plug into the stack. Finally, we highlight community calls to action: spin up Hydra Pool, hack on Mujina, help us evangelize at meetups and campuses, and support free and open-source mining. Last but certainly not least: Code is not crime, support the Samourai devs’ families and sign the pardon petition here: https://billandkeonne.org

In today’s POD256, we opened with a timely update on the Change.org petition to pardon Samourai Wallet developers Bill and Keonne. We dug into confusing verification flows, the low conversion rate from views to valid signatures, why pseudonyms and disposable emails are allowed, and why donations on Change.org don’t reach the families; direct support should go to GiveSendGo. We also covered the growing media push, the reported acknowledgment from President Trump, and counter-narratives forming in the broader media. From there, we pivoted into mining: BitCrane and Addit boards for S19/Whatsminer control, Mujina support, 120V PSU unlocks, and heat-reuse projects. We previewed our Telehash fundraiser and HydraPool setup for NEMS, discussed pool trust and verification (including scam pools and coinbase-checking tools), OCEAN’s decentralization claims, and why share-chain style P2Pool v2 matters. We wrapped with open hardware manufacturing updates (pick-and-place triumphs and solder paste woes), Heatbit’s new radiant “Canvas” miner, and practical self-hosting lessons; closing with a call to action to sign the Samourai petition and keep the pressure on while the window remains open.

In this episode, eco & Tyler welcome back Skot who was at the African Bitcoin Conference, this year hosted in Mauritius, where he spoke on open-source Bitcoin mining. We swap travel tales (including Scott’s chaotic Paris layover) and impressions of Mauritius, the conference venue, and side events focused on Bitcoin education. We dig into mining headlines: Bitdeer’s missed ASIC roadmap and investor lawsuit, Bitmain’s history (Antbleed) and why open-source mining matters, and MicroBT’s M70-series lineup pushing industrial-scale, three-phase miners. Skot explains the theory behind Bitdeer’s hyped “adiabatic charge recovery logic,” why it’s hard to scale, and how thermal and power density realities define miner design. We go deep on open hardware and firmware progress: Braiins’ open control board, Secure Boot obstacles, and Mujina’s modular path to safe, customizable, dev-fee-free mining; plus Skot’s BitCrain control board concept for USB‑controlled fleets. We share shop-floor lessons building AddIt boards and Ember One prototypes (solder paste, tombstoning, reflow profiles) and celebrate practical innovation like Gridless’s open-source JuaKali direct-DC solar mining kit. On home-mining UX, Tyler demos new Home Assistant integrations for Canaan Avalons and WhatsMiner, and we preview Hydra Pool deployments (Grafana/Prometheus dashboards) for the upcoming Telehash. Finally, we update the community on the Samourai Wallet case: Keonne’s facility designation, the continuing push for a presidential pardon, and how to support via petition and donations. #PardonSamourai.

In this episode of POD256, Tyler and eco catch up on winter in Colorado, project trucks, and then dive deep into the latest in Bitcoin mining and freedom tech. We recap last week’s conversation with Keonne Rodriguez of Samourai Wallet, the urgent push for signatures on the pardon petition, and practical ways to support; while clarifying privacy-friendly ways to sign. We also discuss GrapheneOS stepping back from France amid regulatory pressure, the broader trend of governments targeting toolmakers, and why freedom tech from Bitcoin mining to open hardware matters now more than ever.On the mining front, we showcase Hydra Pool, our open-source non-custodial pool software, now running in our lab and soon to be public for Telehash #3 and beyond. We walk through the Grafana dashboard, PPLNS accounting for up to 100 addresses per coinbase, and our goal to migrate community hash over for solo mining support. We also update on Ember One and Libre Board: open-source hashboard and controller hardware moving through v5 prototyping on our pick-and-place, aiming for developer kits before fully assembled plug‑and‑play units. We hit Bitmain’s reported federal probe, solo block wins by small hashers, and the path to open hardware parity. We close with hasher shoutouts and a call to action: sign the Samourai petition and join Telehash to help fund open mining R&D.

In this urgent and heartfelt conversation, we sit down with Keonne Rodriguez, cofounder of Samourai Wallet, to unpack his prosecution and five-year federal sentence for building noncustodial Bitcoin privacy software. From the government’s shifting theory of “unlicensed money transmission” to conspiracy charges built on out-of-context tweets and slides, Keonne details how a noncustodial wallet was framed as a financial institution, even after FinCEN itself reportedly said it was not. We dig into Whirlpool’s design (no custody, blinded coordination), the difference between mixers and CoinJoin, and how broad prosecutorial language threatens developers, node operators, and even miners. Keonne walks us through the pretrial gauntlet, denied motions, the plea calculus that cut risk from 25 years to 5, and why truth often can’t reach a jury. He shares practical digital hygiene tips, why open source kept Samourai’s work alive (Ashigaru, RoninDojo), and how the community can help by amplifying the petition and supporting families. This episode is a call for builders and Bitcoiners to rally, defend open-source freedom tech, and stand against precedent that endangers everyone who values privacy. Resources and how to help: Sign and share the petition for clemency and support families at billandkeonne.org. If donating, use the non-crypto options listed until the dev's surrender date to avoid any bail-condition issues. Keep learning about CoinJoin, Dojo, and community forks like Ashigaru and advocate for legal defense infrastructure to protect open-source builders going forward.

In this episode, we go deep on the shifting landscape of Bitcoin mining hardware, open-source firmware, and why trustless stacks matter for miners big and small. Fresh off the local Bitcoin++ in Durham, we recap the vibe: a developer-heavy crowd, real collaboration between devs and miners, and our announcement of the Mujina developer preview—an open-source mining firmware now publicly accessible for hands-on testing. We discuss practical demo plans for the HeatPunk Summit, creative power ideas (from inverter gens to EVs like the F-150 Lightning/Cybertruck), and what it takes to stage quiet, controlled mining demos. From secure boot cat-and-mouse games to aftermarket control boards, we unpack why closed firmware is antithetical to Bitcoin’s trust-minimized ethos, the history from CGMiner and GPL violations, and how LibriBoard, Hydro Pool, and Start9 packaging can radically reduce friction for at-home and pro operators. We also cover Stratum v2 progress, open-source community wins (Home Assistant integrations, config-first setups), and tangible on-ramps for developers—including free Auradine chips from 256 Foundation for reverse engineering and Bitaxe-based Mujina dev workflows. We close with a candid segment on Freedom Tech, the chilling effects of targeting software developers, and why building and supporting open-source tools is essential for a free society. Resources and links mentioned (non-sponsor): - Mujina developer preview: github.com/256foundation/mujina - 256 Foundation chips request: 256foundation.org (contact form at page bottom) - Hydra Pool (self-hosted pool software) - LibriBoard (open control board initiative) - ESP-Miner and Bitaxe (dev-friendly hardware) - Start9 Office Hours (service packaging) and Hydra Pool packaging efforts - Exergy docs and forum: support.exergyheat.com - Bitcoin++ local edition (Durham), BitDevs communities - Stratum v2 discussions and implementations - Home Assistant miner integrations, Node-RED and shell-script config approaches

In episode 94 of POD256, we cover a full slate of Bitcoin mining and freedom tech updates from Nashville to Denver. We recap the Bitcoin Veterans telehash fundraiser that briefly peaked near 98.5 PH, discuss PPLNS dynamics at Ocean and Slush/Brains, and explore Square’s new Lightning payments rollout. We share a field report from installing an immersion-based hashrate heating system on subsidized power in Buena Vista, the pros/cons of immersion (including an oil-leak mishap), and how recapturing heat favors small, distributed miners. We dive deep into 256 Foundation progress: Ember One hashboard prototyping on the pick-and-place, the Libre control board, Ant Hat and Edit boards, Hydra Pool’s PPLNS design with a public shares API, and the imminent open-sourcing of Mujina firmware. We also preview January’s Telehash at Bitcoin Park where we’ll “eat our own dog food” by running Ember One + Libre + Mujina against our self-hosted Hydra Pool instance. Finally, we break down the Samourai Wallet sentencing, why the “unlicensed money transmitter” framing is dangerous despite Samourai’s non-custodial design, the realities around “restricted markets,” and why broad community action (including a pardon push and better anonymity for devs) is critical. Plus: Start9 VPN tunneling in Alpha 12, packaging Hydra Pool for StartOS, and listener hash-rate shoutouts across Lincoin, Solo CK, Public Pool, and Ocean.

In this episode, we dive into Canaan’s surprising GitHub drop and what it could mean for open-source mining, license tangles and all. We unpack the inclusion of CGMiner, the BSD-3 vs GPLv3 conflict, and Canaan’s RISC-V K230 SDK. We also explore the Nano 3/Nano 3S design, home-mining momentum, and the practical realities of certification (FCC/UL/CE/RoHS) for miners and heater-integrations. From local vs remote control to insurance implications, we discuss the gauntlet that open hardware must run and why decentralization requires openness. We spotlight Intel BZM2 progress: Bitaxe Bonanza’s lessons, the new BIRDS dev board, nine-bit serial hurdles, and a call for builders to leverage upcoming chip availability. Hydra Pool hits a milestone with public Dockerized releases and coinbase payout flexibility, while we test live at test.hydropool.org (and note Bitmain firmware limits). We cover Pluto’s HRF grant for fleet management, ESPminer stewardship funding, and D++’s Lightning-powered gamification for community builds. We also discuss Support for the Samourai Wallet devs, including context around sentencing and broader implications for open-source freedom. We preview Bitcoin++ Durham on Nov 15, share updates on the Samurai Wallet developers’ impending sentencing, and talk product integrity, copying, and the push to re-shore manufacturing. Finally, we tee up HeatPunk Summit 2026; bringing HVAC pros and open-source miners together, and have fun with Lightning “thermo-zaps” for live heating control.

In this episode, we range from ice-cold mornings and sunny Colorado skies to a deep dive on home mining, heat reuse, open hardware, and sovereign home automation. We recap getting featured in Forbes on Heat Punk projects and how mainstream coverage is finally grokking mining-as-heat, Canon’s heating-first designs, and Bitmain’s market dominance risks. We share real-world progress: integrating Canaan home miners with Home Assistant via APIs and Node-RED, using Zigbee sensors for room-aware thermostatic control, solar and TOU-aware automations, and the vision for a sovereign “miner control hub” box built on Raspberry Pi 5. We get nerdy on RISC‑V vs ARM, open firmware, and the Libre Board + Mujina roadmap, with detours through customs-destroyed SMD parts, packaging HydroPool for Docker, and the power of public, self-hosted pools after a solo-Block win with a NerdQAX. We also cover privacy and the surveillance creep: doorbells, cars, app signing, and why self-hosted tools (Pi-hole, PFsense, Mullvad, Signal, Proton/Tutanota) matter. We discuss HPC pivots by large miners, grid vs. heat-reuse economics, Canaan’s momentum in home heating, and the imminent Telehash on HydroPool with StartOS packaging on deck. Plus, the Stealth Miner enclosure, Bitaxe-powered heat projects, and shoutouts to the open-source crew making sovereignty practical at home, one sensor, miner, and Docker container at a time.