Commodore 64 can now be used as a cryptocurrency miner after a software developer wrote a code and shared it publicly.
The widely successful 8-bit home computer, which was launched in 1982, is powered by a 1 MHz processor and 64 KB RAM.
Mining Cryptocurrency using Commodore 64
According to Decrypt’s Apr. 13 report, the software developer who wrote the code to make the Commodore 64 a dedicated cryptocurrency miner made it accessible on developer file-sharing platform GitHub.
Maciej Witkowiak, the software developer who wrote the code, said that the cryptocurrency miner software can make the Commodore 64 mine using low power, with low memory footprint, and does not take over the GPU.
Called the C64 Bitcoin miner, it has a hash rate of 0.2 hashes per second, which means it would need 337 years and 10 months to get a block.
(Photo : Maciej Witkowiak/GitHub)
Witkowiak assures that the C64 Bitcoin miner is not a joke, as it could receive and process block data the same way as every miner does.
The C64 Bitcoin miner could be good news for Commodore 64 fans who want to see their beloved personal computer running again for fun.
The software is inspired by another mod that showed how to mine Bitcoin on a Game Boy.
Also Read: Commodore Is Back As $300-Smartphone: Mediatek Chip, 13MP Camera, Customized Emulators
Using Nintendo’s Game Boy as a Crypto Miner
The Verge published a report on Mar. 29 after YouTuber Stacksmashing showed a demo on how to use a Game Boy as a cryptocurrency miner.
According to the report, the system uses a Game Boy, a $4 Raspberry Pi Pico for wireless connectivity, and a PC, and was able to mine with a hash rate of approximately 0.8 hashes per second.
Crypto Mining Effects on the Environment
The demos showing old-school gadgets to mine cryptocurrencies coincidentally surfaced after reports of its damaging effects on the environment.
The effects were reportedly devasting, that even Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that mining cryptocurrency consumes electricity more than most countries in the world.
On Apr. 23, Vice reported that a former fossil-fuel plant in New York was converted into a massive cryptocurrency hub using excess natural gas. The Greenidge Power Plant houses 7,000 cryptocurrency miners, but was recently granted permission to expand its operations by 10,000 machines.
The move revived a long-standing debate that questions the value of cryptocurrencies versus their environmental impact
“These obsolete fossil fuel sources become an easy prey for Bitcoin miners who could then use it to get really cheap and constant energy,” said Digiconomist founder Alex de Vries.
Founded in 1937, Greenidge was written off in 2011 after coal power became unprofitable. It was then turned into a natural gas plant in 2017 when one of its investors decided to run an experimental cryptocurrency mining facility using a portion of its cheap power in 2019.
The move proved to be a success as the plant was able to mine 1,186 Bitcoin for only $2,869 for each one, and saving the financially struggling energy plant.
Greenidge is looking to double its mining capacity to 41 megawatts by June 30, and reach 500 megawatts by 2025.
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Written by Leigh Mercer
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