Ember One
Open-source Bitcoin mining hashboard reference design
Ember One is a fully open-source hardware reference design for a Bitcoin mining hashboard. It provides the foundational blueprint that individual miners, researchers, and companies can build upon — breaking the dependency on proprietary designs.
Why This Is a Core Grant
The 256 Foundation identified the absence of any open-source Bitcoin mining hashboard design as a critical gap in the ecosystem. Without an open hardware foundation, every other layer of the mining stack remains dependent on closed, proprietary hardware. Ember One fills this gap by creating a reference design that is freely available under an open hardware license.
Why It's Necessary
A single hardware company has maintained near-total control over Bitcoin mining hashboard designs for years, blocking innovation and preventing the development of a competitive, diverse hardware ecosystem. Ember One disrupts this by providing a fully documented, CERN-OHL-S-2.0 licensed reference design that anyone can manufacture, modify, or build upon — democratizing access to mining hardware at the most fundamental level.
Technical Details
Ember One 00 is built around the Bitmain BM1362 ASIC, with an open PCB layout, full bill of materials, and firmware interface specification published under the CERN-OHL-S-2.0 open hardware license. The board draws approximately 100W at 12–24V DC input, communicates via USB-C, and integrates onboard temperature sensors for thermal management. Its standardized 125×125mm form factor and 6-month release cadence make it a stable, iterative foundation for the open mining stack. Natively compatible with Libre Board and Mujina firmware.
Key Specifications
Features & Compatibility
Current Hardware
- →Bitmain BM1362 ASIC
- →USB-C data interface
- →Integrated temperature sensors
- →PiAxe/Pyminer firmware (initial)
Upcoming ASIC Support
- →Intel BZM2
- →Auradine
- →Proto Mining
Stack Integration
- →Mujina firmware (native)
- →Libre Board control board
- →Standard mining control interfaces
- →Open PCB design files
Update README with ASIC chip details
skot · 7mo ago
Merge pull request #42 from benjamin-wilson/master
skot · 10mo ago
Merge pull request #41 from cyberjunky/patch-1
skot · 10mo ago
fixed wrong part number
Ben · 11mo ago
missed a few
Ben · 11mo ago
Added Mfg to BOM
Ben · 11mo ago
Skot
@skot9000
Lead Engineer
Electrical engineer with years of embedded systems experience, Skot instigated the Bitaxe project — the first open-source Bitcoin ASIC miner — and brings that same hands-on hardware conviction to Ember One. He is one of the most prolific forces in open-source Bitcoin mining hardware.
Econoalchemist
@econoalchemist
Project Manager
Bitcoin educator, technical writer, and co-host of the POD256 podcast. Co-founder of the 256 Foundation and project manager across all four pillar grants.