Mining in the Desert #

It Started in May of 2017 #

As a member of a three-man startup that mined Ethereum and Bitcoin for four years, I have to say that it was a challenging and exciting experience. Our journey started with the realization that we could earn a significant amount of money through mining cryptocurrency. So, we decided to invest in building our own mining rigs.

The makings of an Ethereum mining rig, named Atlas. — The makings of our first rig, named Atlas.

We started small, with just one rig and six graphics cards. Our initial rig consisted of RX 580s graphics cards, and after some time, we invested in two more rigs, each with six graphics cards. The second rig was equipped with RX 480s, while the third one had RX 570s. We were using these rigs to mine Ethereum, and we were quite successful at it.

Our rigs were set up in a communal area upstairs, which we had converted into a “mining facility”. It was a bit hot and noisy, but we managed to keep things under control. The GPUs were running at full capacity 24/7 (with some exceptions), and we had to be vigilant about temperature regulation and ventilation. It was a steep learning curve, but we eventually got the hang of it. Hint: turn them off during the Vegas summer heat.

Atlas and our second rig, Shambhala. Do you see the hidden Johnny?

In addition to Ethereum, we also decided to mine Bitcoin. For this purpose, we invested in an S3 Antminer dedicated miner. It was quite an impressive machine, and we were amazed at how much hash power it could generate.

Our operation was profitable, but it wasn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. It required a lot of time, effort, and money. We had to constantly monitor the rigs, update firmware, and deal with various technical issues. Nevertheless, we persevered, and our hard work paid off.

After three years of mining, we decided to call it quits when we moved from Las Vegas. It was a bittersweet moment for us. We had invested so much time and energy into our mining operation, and it was hard to let it go. But at the same time, we knew that it was time to move on. This was also at the height of the new crypto heights in May of 2021. We sold our graphics cards for as much as we bought them for, and that was a steal for the buyer!

All-told, we netted $45,000 from our mining operation. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was still a significant return on our investment. Looking back, I have to say that I’m proud of what we accomplished. We took a chance on something new and challenging, and we succeeded. It was an experience that taught us a lot, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything.