Girino Vey! on Nostr: New blog post: How to revive a Sapphire Block Erupter USB and get it mining on Linux ...

New blog post: How to revive a Sapphire Block Erupter USB and get it mining on Linux in 2025. Check out the step-by-step guide and see if it's still worth it! 🔗

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Recently, I found an old Sapphire Block Erupter USB at home that I used for Bitcoin mining back in 2013. Out of curiosity and nostalgia, I decided to try getting it to work again. I spent an entire afternoon configuring the device and, after much trial and error, discovered that I needed an older version of CGMiner to make it work.

The Sapphire Block Erupter USB was one of the first ASIC devices designed for Bitcoin mining. Although obsolete for competitive mining, it can still be used for learning, nostalgia, or experimentation. In this post, I’ll show you how to run a Block Erupter USB on Linux today.

1. Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

• A Sapphire Block Erupter USB
• A powered USB hub (optional but recommended)
• A computer running Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, or another compatible distribution)
• A mining pool account (e.g., Slush Pool, KanoPool, etc.)

2. Installing Dependencies

Before running the miner, install some dependencies:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git build-essential autoconf automake libtool pkg-config libusb-1.0-0-dev

3. Determining the Compatible Version of CGMiner

To find the correct CGMiner version that still supports Block Erupter USB, I performed a binary search across different versions, testing each one until I found the last one that properly recognized the device. The result was that version 3.4.3 is the most recent one that still supports Block Erupters. However, different versions of these devices may require different CGMiner versions.

4. Downloading and Compiling CGMiner

CGMiner is one of the software options compatible with Block Erupters. You can download the correct version from two trusted sources:

• From the official repository: CGMiner v3.4.3 on GitHub
• Alternatively, from this mirror: CGMiner v3.4.3 on Haven

To ensure file integrity, verify the SHA-256 hash:

3b44da12e5f24f603eeeefdaa2c573bd566c5c50c9d62946f198e611cd55876b

Now, download and extract it:

wget https://github.com/ckolivas/cgminer/archive/refs/tags/v3.4.3.tar.gz
# Or, alternatively:
wget https://haven.girino.org/3b44da12e5f24f603eeeefdaa2c573bd566c5c50c9d62946f198e611cd55876b.tgz

sha256sum v3.4.3.tar.gz  # Confirm that the hash matches

# Extract the file
tar -xvf v3.4.3.tar.gz
cd cgminer-3.4.3

# Compile CGMiner
./autogen.sh --enable-icarus
make -j$(nproc)

# Install on the system (optional)
sudo make install

5. Connecting the Block Erupter USB

Plug the device into a USB port and check if it is recognized:

dmesg | grep USB
lsusb

You should see something like:

Bus 003 Device 004: ID 10c4:ea60 Cygnal Integrated Products, Inc. CP2102 USB to UART Bridge Controller

If needed, adjust the USB device permissions:

sudo chmod 666 /dev/ttyUSB0

6. Configuring and Running CGMiner

Now, run CGMiner, pointing it to your mining pool:

./cgminer -o stratum+tcp://your.pool.com:3333 -u yourUsername -p yourPassword

If the miner detects the Block Erupter correctly, you should see something like:

 [2025-03-08 22:26:45] Started cgminer 3.4.3
 [2025-03-08 22:26:45] No devices detected!
 [2025-03-08 22:26:45] Waiting for USB hotplug devices or press q to quit
 [2025-03-08 22:26:45] Probing for an alive pool
 [2025-03-08 22:26:46] Pool 0 difficulty changed to 65536
 [2025-03-08 22:26:46] Network diff set to 111T
 [2025-03-08 22:26:46] Stratum from pool 0 detected new block
 [2025-03-08 22:27:02] Hotplug: Icarus added AMU 0

Conclusion

Although no longer viable for real mining, the Sapphire Block Erupter USB is still great for learning about ASICs, testing mining pools, and understanding Bitcoin mining. If you enjoy working with old hardware and have one lying around, it’s worth experimenting with!

If you have any questions or want to share your experience, leave a comment below!

#Bitcoin #Mining #Linux #ASIC