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Solo bitcoin miner makes $200,000 using $150 equipment
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- DeepHorus
A solo Bitcoin miner turned a $150 investment into a $200,000 windfall by mining block 957,382 using a low-power Bitaxe device. The miner, operating through Public Pool, earned 3.1382 BTC despite hashing at roughly 1 terahash per second, a fraction of industrial rigs. This improbable success highlights the lottery-like nature of solo mining, where odds are estimated at once in 18,000 years.
The Bitaxe is an open-source, credit-card-sized ASIC miner that uses the same BM1370 chip as Bitmain's Antminer S21. It delivers 1 to 1.3 terahashes per second while consuming only 15-21 watts, and costs between $60 and $150. Dubbed the mining equivalent of a scratch-off lottery ticket, it enables hobbyists to participate in Bitcoin mining with minimal investment.
Solo mining has seen a surge in activity, with 24 blocks found in the past 12 months, a 41% increase year over year. In 2026 alone, solo miners have already found 12 blocks. On June 29, a Solo CKPool miner earned 3.16 BTC, and on May 31, a small cluster of Canaan Nano devices (157 TH/s) hit a block on Braiins Solo. Total payouts to solo miners over the past year amount to 75.44 BTC.
This success occurs amid a challenging environment for the broader Bitcoin mining industry. With margins squeezed, major mining companies are pivoting to artificial intelligence data centers and infrastructure. Bitcoin mining difficulty dropped 5% to 127.17 trillion on July 12, following a 10% plunge in mid-June before partially recovering.
Public Pool, the mining pool that facilitated the block, posted the win on X, marking the second time a single Bitaxe has solo-mined a block on their platform. The miner ran the rig for just eight hours, underscoring the role of luck in such endeavors. Analysts note that while solo mining remains highly speculative, it democratizes access to block rewards.
Looking ahead, the rise of efficient low-cost miners like Bitaxe could sustain interest in solo mining despite industrial consolidation. However, the industry's pivot to AI may reduce investment in Bitcoin-specific hardware. For now, each solo block found reinforces the enduring appeal of individual participation in the network's security.
