Topic: Running a node and mining in a campervan. (Read 380 times)

Once again, I'm US based so I don't know what you have there but just about every restaurant be it a grab & go or fast food or a decent sit down place has free and usually decent Wi-Fi so long as you are not there during the Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner rush.

I see this a lot when I am out and about. Go to a Panera Bread around dinner time and use the Wi-Fi it feels like you are on dial up. Go there at 2:30 in the afternoon and you are getting decent (for free) speeds.

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Also for miner power, how is the EV charging situation where you are?

I know you don't have the J1772 standard there IIRC it's the 62196-2 on your side of the Atlantic but here in the US you can convert an EV charging cord to a 220V socket using something like this:

https://evseadapters.com/products/j1772-ev-adapter-for-ebike/

Don't know what would work for you or if there is anything that might work.

-Dave


 

Here is an update on leaving the network traffic screen running in a supermarket cafe. A couple of days ago I was in the Sainsbury's cafe, and I left the screen running on the Notebook while I did some stuff on the Netbook. I ignored it for over an hour, and when I looked at it, I noticed that there had been no traffic for about 20 minutes, so it looks as if O2 ( their WiFi  supplier) monitors activity, and block what it considers toi be excessive use. I really don't like O2, as they block some of my domains. Kat1.com for example. Now, you tell me why that page could be considered not to be family friendly. The stupid part is that I can tether my 'phone, and display the page for all to see if I want to. Gambling sites like my Free Bitcoin Bets are not restricted, and I would have thought it better to stop kids looking at gambling sites.

Yesterday I decided to replace Bodhi on the Netbook as I was having problems with the Bluetooth. It's an old HP netbook with limited resources, so I need a light version of Linux. I installed a few flavours of Linux, and they all had problems, so I decided to revert to Bodhi. I'd overwritten the iso files, so I tried to re-download the latest version. O2 kept killing the download, so I wasted a lot of time as I thought it was a source forge problem. Last night I did a bit of dog sitting for a friend while he went toi a rehearsal for his rock band. Bodhi installed without any problems over his WiFi, and I managed to tune up the installation. The only difficulty was his dog, as he wanted to sit on my lap whilst I was working. He is a rottweiler/staffie cross, so he is a bit big for a lap dog.

I guess the message here is that, if you are a vanlifer, you need to think about ways to manage intensive Internet activity. 10 minutes or so of node synchronisation seems to be OK, but good luck if you want to download the whole blockchain. Next time I want to experiment with OS installs, I'll probably go to a public library.

Today's update ( Saturday ).
I'm in the Sainsbury's cafe this morning. I arrived at opening time ( 8am ) to ensure that I got one of the optimum tables. I love these as there are 4 of them, and they are like mini-cubicles with two bench seats and two 13 amp mains sockets, and two USB sockets. There is room on the table for both computers and breakfast.

I started my node, which was 3 days behind, and it is sync'ing at 4k/bps on the notebook. The notebook is fairly low spec by modern standards. It is a Huawei Matebook with a Core 15 processor, and limited memory. I upgraded the hard drive to a 2Tb ssd, and this made quite a difference to sync'ing speed. Another useful feature is that the power source is via an USB-C connection, and this means I can recharge it in the van through the "cigar lighter" socket whilst I am driving.

I'm a bit miffed at the moment, as there is a guy on one of the premium tables that has been here for a couple of hours, and he hasn't bought anything. I always buy a coffee at least to pay the "rent". £2.30 for an Americano ( if you bring your own mug ) is pretty cheap. Especially as I am re-charging two computers, my'phone, headphones, and the battery for my angle grinder. The staff and some of the customers are quite friendly, so I get some good social interaction. I also get some interest in Bitcoin if I leave the network traffic screen in core running.

You seem to have lots of work to do left, but I salute your efforts and what you already achieved, both BTC-mining related and overall.
Do you think it's viable to get the rig popularized on Youtube? I would watch a series about your venture and updates about it on Youtube of course, but, it would need a refined marketing to get the users rolling to it to be profitable.

Sorry to be late in updating this thread, but I've got quite a lot to sort out, and I don't really have any Bitcoin news.
I put a rip saw blade on my angle grinder ( basttery powered), and it makes a brilliant chop saw. I need to be careful, as it quite a lethal device.
The node in my laptop is running well after I installed a 2Tb  SSD. It's brand new, so the wallet is empty. I've got some coins on the drive in an old laptop that has died, so I need to extract the hard drive, and add those coins into the new wallet. I have tried this, so I need to do a bit of research. Maybe that is worth a new thread.

I agree that I need some solar panels. The Maxus I bought was previously owned by a canoeist, so the roof bars are at the extremities of the roof. I'll probably need to add a third bar in the middle. I bought to van for about £2,000 less than the market price, as it has a bunch of minor problems. The central locking doesn't work, and the driver's window doesn't open for example.

I'm running the node intermittently by using supermarket cafe WiFi. That seems to be really effective, but I'll need to change things if I start spending Bitcoin. I'm using Bodhi Linux, and that seems to be secure and trouble free.

The mining project is probably a good few months into the future. I'm not sure where I would create a comms centre. At the moment I've got a large spare wheel mounted inside the van, and I need to find a carrier to mount it under the van. I don't understand why this wasn't a standard fitment, but the Maxus was created to be a reliable but cheap working van.

I suspect that the only way to make money from a small mining rig is to post YouTube videos about it.

Yup, Jet! I'm interested in your post and updates about that experience of yours. It seems that the van life is growing vastly globally and this trend is what it's like to be living freely and while going on with the adventures. I think you're all prepared for that and the power source going out with a solar panel board at the top of your van will help you a lot. I've watched van life videos and not all of them have it and that will help you go on with a power source for running a node and mining. Just don't forget to do what makes you happy and what you think will be worth it as you go on with your van life.

I am interested to hear about running a node that you said, if you can do it, it will bring in a huge income. At this time if you are good at running a cryptocurrency node then we will be paid, in my opinion running a node is almost the same as mining Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. We will live happily if we are good at running a node because we only monitor the node that we run via a computer or via a cellphone while enjoying entertainment abroad.

That's one hell of a experience to enjoy the life like you do. I do wonder how am I gonna spend my life and definitely I have exploring new places on the list. Now talking about sharing about experience sure let us know if you hit the jackpot. There's 291 solo miner blocks up until now (correct me if I am wrong), so you may have the odds which is even lower than hitting the lottery when we do the math. Anyway let's enjoy the life in the way you want to meanwhile contributing to the Bitcoin network in anyway possible.

How about going only paying via Bitcoin for every expense, possible?

I love it when I find hidden gems like this post. OP you are free and the world is your oyster my friend. I love that feeling being out there in the world in your "spot" and one that changes from time to time with your hot coffee in your cup and that chair you sit in just outside of your van those views on your horizon are surely sweet when taking them in with fresh air and you feel as if you can do anything you wish when you sit there and ponder and plan your future! It sounds like you have no ties to anything, ah such a wonderful place to be if that is true. It sounds like it has been a real journey for you as your sort your life out. I wish you the best of luck & hope you find everything you're looking for and set out to achieve.

Who wouldn't be interested in following the experiences of the oldest member of the forum who travels in his new van in which he also has his small mining farm

I don't know how you are doing with money, but have you perhaps thought about investing in satellite internet? Not that I'm advertising anything, but a mini version of the Starlink appeared, and it's not too expensive in Europe.

By the way, happy 82nd birthday (if my memory serves me well)

Living in a motorhome and running a Bitcoin node kinda mixes your lifestyle with crypto. The idea of treating solo as a form of entertainment is even without high hopes. Though, it's interesting. Really like the lottery!

I'm certain many will want to hear of your stories. Maybe sharing the experience might inspire many people to take different paths, or perhaps give insight into some of the hard-to-cover pleasures of cycling with the crypto industry. Ever wondered how you could save or share that content?



It is actually really true. The chance is very low, namely hitting the block. Mainly, especially with complexity and congestion such as in the ASIC miners, if only for entertainment purposes. Not that unimportant yet; it is even more important to have realistic expectations.

Your putting your few coins into memecoins or even trying your luck at the lottery is an interesting option. At least with those options. It is possible to be happy without the same kind of materialism. In the end, it is all about finding fun in whatever you want to do. Whether it's mining or other routes.

Would be interesting to see how well this works.
Only thing I would check to be sure that you can actually connect to the pools stratum server with your phone.
There is at least 1 provider here in the US that is doing some oddball cgnat / port filtering on their hotspots that kills stratum connections.

-Dave

This bots have made there way to Bitcoin Discussion board.. Lol

Solo mining with USB sticks as you said, is absolutely meaningless. USB miners are very, very weak compared to ASIC miners, so chance of you hitting a block is enormously low in an environment where difficulty increases all the time and brand new miners with higher hashrates are released. You'll only waste electricity without any profit. If you want to do it for fun, then do it. If I were you, I would do a lotto or invest a tiny amount of my money in memecoins just for fun only.

Just forget it, really. What's the hashrate of your USB miners? Have you tried to put those numbers in Bitcoin mining calculators? They are never going to bring profit.

Then you are going to need solar setup on your van, with battery, why not invest on jackery like all in one solar solution? You will put the solar panel on the roof of your fan, I've seen  someone do this in the US, Texas to be precise.

Raspberry is the best solution to running Bitcoin nodes because they use less energy, and yes USB miners will be good for solo mining, it is like using free energy because those USB takes almost zero power.

Good luck with your adventure lifestyle of living, I've seen those living in a truck to be more happier than many US citizens living in a block home, there is a good feeling about this that many don't know.

Treating it like a lottery is a good mindset unlike when you expect a reward from mining. To be honest, when I started to join this forum is I always read your posts like your experience and experiments to see if it work out and just like this one, I hope we can read your experience and the results. You can say that I am one of those people who are interested in what your experience would be in the future. Tethering internet using phone will work but I don't know about the speed though.

I love the fact that you cherish real time experience.

Since wining the reward isn't your goal your experience will be one of a kind, I will try to check out what you find out of the experiment.

Enjoy your time out there in your well adored van.

I guess he already mentioned that he's not sure of wining, plus his aged so all he cares about is knowing what it means to be mining at his age. (Experience) nothing more.

intermittent mining via true solo via usb mining, you will never win, especially at your age. you wont get to see any block reward

I understand that you mentioned you'd be doing it for fun, similarly to hitting the lottery, but I'm not sure if USB miners are capable of doing that nowadays, difficulty has risen quite a lot since such minera were remotely useful. I personally like the idea of a camper van, seems like a neat idea to travel and be sustainable yourself, a remote hotel on wheels. If I were you, I'd look into attaching a few solar panels on the roof that you could use for extra electricity, with which you could potentially run a small ASICs miner, increasing your chances if mining a block.

It's definitely going to be an interesting journey, keep us updated with the restoration process.

The possibility of this happening is really just exciting to me and I cannot wait to read about your experience as you're progressing this new journey that you have decided. I think as we grow older we need to look for ways to stay excited and for someone like you this is something nice that I would add to the bucket list of things I would like to do, which is stay in a camper van off-grid for a very short time even if I'm not able to do it for a long time or try mining from it.
@Jet Cash, I look forward to it.