Bitcoin Mining Heater Office Trial Experience

Recently, we introduced a new type of Bitcoin Mining heater, Trio, and conducted practical application tests in the office environment. We believe that with the extended lifespan and reduced production costs of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), combining mining with heating could become an important development direction for the Bitcoin industry in the future. Theoretically, if heating is already needed, this approach could achieve 100% energy efficiency for mining, resulting in zero operational energy costs.

However, there are still some challenges. The lifespan of ordinary heating equipment is usually 10-15 years, while the update speed of Bitcoin mining equipment is relatively fast. At the same time, the high production costs of ASICs require the equipment to operate around the clock to achieve a return on investment. However, with the physical limitations of Moore's Law, the efficiency improvement of ASICs may slow down, extending the economical usage cycle of the equipment. When this trend develops to a certain extent, integrating Bitcoin mining with various heating equipment (such as swimming pools, commercial boilers, household boilers, etc.) may become more meaningful.

The device we tested can mine at a maximum power of 400W. When more heat is needed, the power can be increased to 1,400W, with the additional 1,000W used solely for heating and not for mining.

First Impressions

This product essentially encloses an old Bitcoin mining machine in a beautiful round steel casing, and compared to traditional mining machines, its fan noise is smaller. Its design concept is more consumer-friendly rather than targeted at Bitcoin professionals.

One major drawback we found is that, although the device can be monitored remotely via the mobile app, it seems that remote control of the device through the app is not possible. Given that Mining equipment needs to be connected to the internet, the lack of remote control functionality is somewhat regrettable. Additionally, compared to high-end air purifiers in the same price range, the design of the display screen and control interface of this product has room for improvement.

Another noteworthy issue is that users seem unable to choose a mining pool on their own. While this aligns with the product's positioning for the average consumer, offering more customization options for advanced users might be more appealing.

Operating Metrics

In terms of noise, we conducted tests in an office environment with a background noise of approximately 48.5 decibels. After turning on the device, we measured a noise level of 56.5 decibels. After a simple calculation, we estimate that the device itself produces noise of about 55.8 decibels, which is higher than the officially claimed 40 decibels, but still much quieter than ordinary ASIC Mining machines (usually around 80 decibels).

In terms of power consumption, the typical power consumption of the device in pure mining mode is about 440W, slightly higher than the 400W reported by the application. The application shows a hash rate of about 10 TH/s, but we cannot verify this as we cannot directly view the mining pool data.

According to the data provided by the application, the mining efficiency is about 40 J/Th, comparable to the top ASIC devices launched at the beginning of 2020. Although purely from the perspective of mining efficiency, this device may not be as cost-effective as directly purchasing older mining machines, it has obvious advantages in noise control, appearance design, and ease of use, making it more suitable for use in regular office environments.

Conclusion

From a purely mining perspective, considering the cost of electricity for commercial use, this device may not be profitable. However, if it is primarily used as a heating device and only turned on when heating is needed, then the actual electricity cost can be considered zero, which makes mining potentially economically viable after deducting the equipment cost.

Compared to ordinary electric heaters, the initial investment cost of this device is higher. It may take several years to make up for the price difference through Mining profits. Compared to high-end air purifiers in the same price range, the latter may have advantages in appearance design, air quality control, and mobile applications. However, when compared to more expensive high-end heating equipment, the Mining function of this Mining heater may provide certain economic advantages.

For certain specific users, such as tech startups with offices in cold regions, this product may be more appealing. It not only meets heating needs but also provides a unique experience for Bitcoin enthusiasts. Although there is still room for improvement in terms of cost-effectiveness, with the development of technology and the increase in energy efficiency, this device that combines Mining and heating functions may have broader application prospects in the future.