Dev fee of the AsicBoost firmware
Dev fee: how much, what for and how to check it
Custom firmware lives on a fee taken from hashrate. The rate depends on the series, so naming one number for all of them is wrong.
| Series | Algorithm | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Antminer S and T | SHA-256 | 2.8% of hashrate |
| Antminer L (L7, L9) | Scrypt | 1.8% of hashrate |
The mechanics are simple: part of the work goes to the developer pool from time to time. No payments, no subscriptions, no licence keys, the fee is taken right during mining. That money goes into development, support and releases for new models and new locks from Bitmain.
Statuses
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Online | Normal operation | Nothing |
| Offline | No link to the fee pool | Check the internet and DNS, update the firmware |
| Disabled | Switched off, where the build or the licence allows it | Nothing |
Connection error
Messages like "DEV FEE ERROR" and "Dev fee offline" almost always mean a network problem, not a breakdown. The order of work:
- Check that the ASIC is online at all and that the pools answer.
- Check DNS in the network section. Without working DNS neither the pools nor the fee address resolve.
- Use the built in connection recovery function.
- Update the firmware to the current version, part of these problems goes away with an update.
Honestly about the economics
The fee is counted against the gain, not against all of the income. If the firmware added 15% hashrate and the fee took 2.8%, the net gain is around 12%. If you install the firmware for power savings, the fee is counted against the saved kilowatts by the same logic.