When Bitcoin went everywhere: using NES since 1985 dig Bitcoin

Let's say you want to mine Bitcoin. Your first choice is probably going to the store and looking to buy some brand new and expensive hardware, as people often do. But you still have another option, which is to reuse the gaming console you used to love as a child.

That's what the guy with the nickname on Twitter 'gbg' (short for 'garbage') did. As a way to challenge myself, gbg has been revamping Nintendo's NES console since 1985 with some modern components and software so that it can run the necessary calculations and mine Bitcoin. With an super-efficient 8-bit chip, what this device does is admirable.

When Bitcoin went everywhere: using NES since 1985 dig Bitcoin Picture 1

Even though mining Bitcoin with a NES is almost fun and unprofitable, it is still very noticeable. Basically, Bitcoin mining is a race of powerful computers around the world to solve a complex math problem.

Even 4 years ago, when gbg started to dismantle this old machine, digging Bitcoin was still a difficult challenge when there were long lines of people pouring money to strengthen their rig. A NES machine created to play Tetris games certainly does not have the opportunity to compete with those opponents.

So, why does gbg do this? ' Just to see if I can do it or not ,' is gbg's answer via email. For him, that is more than enough.

This whole project took a week of gbg effort, but it was a ' cheap entertainment project ' because he already had most of the necessary parts around. But how did he turn from an outdated gaming console into a device that ran today's most sophisticated applications?

Handling SHA256 algorithm and internet connection: The two biggest challenges for a long-standing NES

According to his blog, gbg's setup treats the NES as a computer for Bitcoin's hashing algorithm: SHA256. According to gbg's blog, the problem is that the SHA256 algorithm requires 32-bit processors, but the NES only has an 8-bit processor.

To solve this challenge, gbg used a Raspberry Pi to retrieve bitcoin data from the network and compile it into a ROM with the SHA256 algorithm - essentially turning it into a game file. This file is sent to the NES device via another accessory, and the console can do the math.

Next, the console needs to be able to communicate with the network when it successfully performs a calculation to receive the valuable Bitcoin reward. To do this, gbg sets the NES so that when a calculation is successful, the screen will display green. When it fails, the screen will turn red.

Gbg points the PlayStation camera to the screen and uses some open source computer vision software so that it can recognize the green of the screen. When the screen shows this color, the network will be notified that the mining operation has been successful.

When Bitcoin went everywhere: using NES since 1985 dig Bitcoin Picture 2

Surprisingly, the combination of an old gaming machine with some new technology works. But how much money does gbg make from this great project? 'Nothing,' gbg said in the email. ' The ability of this machine to solve a block is very, very small with the current hashrate that the NES is operating. Too, too small. '

From the success of his old NES machine, gbg has now moved to run a blog, where he performed 'hardware dissection' of Bitcoin wallets and their software. He successfully reversed the design of the famous Trezor bitcoin wallet, and he even created an open source version of himself, called ' Dinosaur Hiphop .'

Not only that, he also cherished the intention to create a Bitcoin miner from another classic console: the Sega Dreamcast. But in the end, he had to give up the project after sketching out the original designs for it. Why is that?

' Time .' He said. ' I want to go back and do it, but it will take too many hours in a day .'

Refer to Motherboard