The “Cheap Yellow Device”, also known as “CYD”, is an entry level USB Bitcoin Miner that has recently exploded in popularity. This article is your one stop shop for setup and troubleshooting this intuitive, and affordable, USB lottery miner.
Setting up:
1. After inserting the cable, the miner will automatically power on. Use your smartphone to scan the QR Code on the screen to directly connect to the miner’s WiFi. If you are using a computer, the miner will appear on your WIFI network as “nmap-2.4g”, simply select the network and enter password: 12345678 to connect.
2. As soon as you connect to “nmap-2.4g”, the configuration screen will appear on your smartphone. Click on “Configure WiFi”.
3. Select the desired WiFi network name (SSID) and enter the WiFi password in the “Password” field. (Device only works with 2.4 GHz WIFI frequency.)
4. The pool address is pre-populated, but you will need to paste your BTC wallet address in the “Your BTC Addresses” field. If you do not yet have a crypto wallet, you can get a free cryptocurrency wallet from Trust Wallet. Just click on Bitcoin in the asset list, and then copy/paste your “Receive” address (or scan the QR code).
5. Select your time zone, and then select your screen sleep time out. For example, if you enter “30”, the screen will go dark after 30 seconds to conserve energy. If you leave the screen sleep time out at “0”, the LCD screen will remain on all the time. Then press “Save.”
6. After saving, the device will flash “Config” for a few seconds, and then automatically start mining. You will know the device is mining when it displays your hash rate on the LCD display.
7. To view your mining stats from home, just type your miners IP address into the web browser on your phone or computer. When away from home, you can check your mining stats by visiting pool.nerdminer.de and typing your bitcoin receive address into the search bar. Bear in mind, stats on pool sites are often inaccurate; the most accurate stats will be shown on the device itself.
If you made a mistake during setup, just type your device IP into your web browser, scroll to the far right of your screen, and click “edit”. This will give you access to your configuration settings. (Your device IP is located on the LCD screen of your device directly underneath the block counter, and just to the left of your hash rate).
Here’s a 60-second video demonstration for the visual learners out there.
Troubleshooting:
Stuck on Loading Screen
If miner gets stuck at “70%” on loading screen, this may be an issue with your WIFI connection. Check that you are connected to WIFI, and that you’re on the 2.4 GHz channel (not 5 GHz). If you are certain you’re on the 2.4 GHz and it’s still not working, try unplugging the device from power for 60 seconds, and then plugging it back in. If none of this is working, it is also possible that your mining pool might have temporarily crashed. When pools crash, they are typically back up and running in just an hour or two. If the pool has crashed, see “device reset” below; it’s very easy to fix.
Screen Timeout
The screen goes dark at whatever interval you designated when you configured your device, but you can wake-up the device at any time by pressing the “boot” button underneath the device for 1 second. The blue status light underneath the device is the indicator that the device is still mining, even when the screen is dark. You can also check your mining stats by typing the IP address of your solo lottery miner into your web browser, or by visiting pool.nerdminer.de and typing your bitcoin receive address into the search bar. Bear in mind stats on pool sites are often inaccurate; the most accurate stats will be shown on the device itself.
Won’t Power On
Make sure you are using the USB cable that was included with your USB Bitcoin miner. The device can only be powered with a USB A to USB C cable, which is included. Other USB cable combinations will not work; for example a USB C to C connector cannot be used. If you have chosen to install the protective case that is included, make sure all the screws on the case are properly aligned and screwed in securely before attempting to power the unit on.
Pool Status
If you have followed all these instructions correctly and your USB Bitcoin miner is still not hashing, check the pool status at pool.nerdminer.de. The mining pool does crash occasionally and this is not anything that is wrong with your device. If the pool is crashed, simply wait until the pool is up and running again to continue mining, which is typically no more than just a few hours. If you have confirmed the pool is up and running again, but your device is still not hashing, you’ll need to reset your device.
Device Reset
To reset your device, press and hold the white “boot” button located underneath the device for 5 seconds to re-start device (see diagram below). Upon re-starting, your USB lottery miner will automatically re-connect to the mining pool and start hashing. You will not have to reconfigure your device.
