BTCB2 is not a way to make an SC miner mine today’s Bitcoin mainnet. It is the practical ticker used by several pools and markets for a separate Bitcoin-derived chain that changed its proof of work to BLAKE2b. That distinction determines which ASICs can connect, which wallet must receive payouts, and which market data belongs in an earnings estimate.
This guide follows the complete operating path: identify the chain, confirm the exact miner, choose PPLNS or SOLO, test accepted shares, calculate expected coin output, create a dedicated wallet, and verify a payout on the correct explorer.
Four answers before you connect a miner
- BTCB2 and BTC are separate operating records. Do not use BTC price, difficulty, block subsidy or wallet support as a fallback for BTCB2.
- Some Sia-oriented BLAKE2b ASICs can receive BTCB2 work. The project documents Antminer A3, Goldshell SC5 Pro and Goldshell SC Lite, but its gateway is still described as public beta.
- SC and BTCB2 are different networks. One machine cannot count the same hour of hashrate as full production on both chains.
- Accepted shares are the first useful proof, not the final payout. A pool balance, mature reward, wallet transaction and executable sale are later steps.
What BTCB2 means in this guide
The network covered here shares earlier Bitcoin history, then applies BLAKE2b/header-v2 work from block 961,640. The project website calls it Bitcoin; pools and the NonKYC market also use BTCB2 to distinguish the fork asset. LeedMiner uses “Bitcoin BLAKE2b (BTCB2)” so readers do not confuse its operating data with BTC mainnet.
The original BIP-110 described a temporary reduced-data soft fork. It did not itself replace SHA-256d with BLAKE2b. The later proof-of-work change is documented separately in the project’s developer guide. An Antminer S19 or S21 therefore does not become compatible by changing a pool URL; those machines calculate SHA-256d.
Why an SC miner may work on BTCB2
Many Sia miners calculate BLAKE2b-Sia work. BTCB2 uses a new header format, so the ASIC does not simply connect to an ordinary SC job and magically mine another chain. A compatible gateway or pool converts the chain’s header-v2 work into the Sia-style work format the ASIC understands, then validates the returned shares against the BTCB2 chain.
The project’s miners and DATUM page explicitly names Antminer A3, Goldshell SC5 Pro and SC Lite. That is project-level compatibility documentation, not a Goldshell or Bitmain endorsement and not proof for every SC-family model. Multi-algorithm units must operate in Sia mode; their Handshake or other mode hashrate cannot be used in a BTCB2 calculation.
The final test is pool-side evidence. A green network light shows only that the controller has a connection. Look for fresh jobs, accepted shares, a stable pool-side effective hashrate and a reasonable reject rate over a meaningful window.
First connection: five concrete steps
- Create a dedicated BTCB2 wallet. Use a new wallet and new seed phrase. Do not import a seed that protects BTC holdings.
- Choose PPLNS or SOLO. Confirm that the pool page is for the BLAKE2b main network, not a test network or an ordinary Siacoin pool.
- Read the live pool page. Obtain the current server, port, worker format, fee, maturity rule and payout threshold from the operator. Do not copy an old port from a blog screenshot.
- Connect a small amount of hashrate. Use one miner or a short test period. Confirm work updates and accepted shares before expanding.
- Cross-check the result. Compare the worker record with the BTCB2 block explorer, pool credit, payout transaction and receiving wallet.
Public starting points include the project’s SOLO setup and health checks, the AlphaPool PPLNS page, XorPool SOLO service, and the mempool.guide explorer. Connection details can change, so verify them again at the time of setup.
PPLNS or SOLO: what actually changes
| Item | PPLNS pool | SOLO |
|---|---|---|
| How rewards appear | Pool finds a block and distributes it according to its PPLNS share window | Your worker or SOLO pool must find a valid block |
| Small-hashrate experience | Usually smoother, but payment still depends on pool blocks and the share window | Can show no reward for a long time even when shares are valid |
| Records to inspect | Accepted shares, PPLNS window, pool blocks, maturity and threshold | Node or pool health, submitted block, coinbase allocation and maturity |
| What is not guaranteed | A fixed daily payout | A block within a chosen schedule |
Both routes mine the same BTCB2 chain. The difference is how block-finding variance and accounting are handled. SOLO is not automatically more profitable; PPLNS is not a fixed-interest product.
BTCB2 output and revenue at today’s price
This snapshot was calculated on September 8, 2026 at 03:28 PDT. The LeedMiner live coin endpoint reported difficulty 1,141,943,013.52, a 3.125 BTCB2 block reward and about 14.78 PH/s of network hashrate. The NonKYC BTCB2/USDT market showed a 252.28 USDT best bid, 253.40 last trade and 255.36 best ask. The calculation deliberately values output at the lower executable bid.
Modeled daily coins = hashrate × 86,400 × 3.125 ÷ (difficulty × 232) × 95% uptime × 97% after a 3% pool fee.
| Model | Modeled BTCB2/day | Value at 252.28 USDT | Power cost at $0.07/kWh | Modeled net/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldshell SC5 Pro, 11 TH/s, 2820 W | 0.5580 | $140.78 | $4.74 | $136.04 |
| Goldshell SC Lite, 4.4 TH/s, 950 W | 0.2232 | $56.31 | $1.60 | $54.71 |
These are short-lived mathematical estimates, not promised income. BTCB2/USDT was down 55.77% over 24 hours and NonKYC reported BTCB2 deposits and withdrawals disabled because its wallet was stuck. Slippage, cooling, rejected shares, trading fees, downtime and network-difficulty changes are not included. A mined balance therefore may not be sellable at the displayed bid.
Accepted shares are not yet spendable income
The operating sequence is: the pool accepts work, a block is found, the reward matures, the pool credits and pays, the dedicated BTCB2 wallet receives it, and a matching market accepts the deposit. A failure at any later step can leave valid mining output without spendable cash income.
Which wallet should receive BTCB2?
The source workflow uses a BLAKE2b-capable Bitcoin Knots release. On September 8, 2026, the referenced official build was 29.4.1.knots20260508. Download software from the official Bitcoin Knots site or its verified release repository, create a completely new BTCB2 wallet, back it up, and let it synchronize the BLAKE2b chain before generating a receiving address.
Do not enter a normal BTC exchange deposit address. Similar-looking addresses do not prove network support. When sending to a service, confirm that it explicitly lists BTCB2, Bitcoin BLAKE2b or the matching fork network, then complete a small test transfer first.
Current BLAKE2b hardware reference
The following in-stock LeedMiner unit is a BLAKE2b Sia hardware reference for power and cooling planning. Its catalog listing is not an automatic BTCB2 compatibility result; test its exact firmware and pool behavior before production deployment.
Used Goldshell ARI31 15.8 TH/s Siacoin Miner
Air cooling · 3450 W · 218.35 J/TH · In stock
Direct mining and hashrate rental are not the same activity
When you mine BTCB2 directly, your worker points to a BTCB2 pool or SOLO route and the resulting coin belongs to your mining ledger. When you rent BLAKE2b hashrate, the renter chooses the destination and the machine owner receives the marketplace settlement. The rental payment asset may be BTC while the renter mines BTCB2. Never add direct-mining output and rental revenue for the same machine-hours.
For hardware, power or hosting planning, contact LeedMiner with the exact model, firmware, voltage and pool route you intend to test.
Frequently asked questions
Can an S19 or S21 mine BTCB2?
No. Those machines calculate SHA-256d, while the post-fork BTCB2 workload requires BLAKE2b/header-v2.
Can every Siacoin miner connect?
Not automatically. Confirm the exact model, operating mode, firmware, gateway or pool support, and accepted shares.
Can SC and BTCB2 output be added together?
Only when they come from different machine-hours. The same hashrate cannot earn full production on both chains at once.
