Thanks for watching. Let me know - did I miss anything? Is there any better hardware out there for running a Bitcoin node on Lightning Network? I'd love to see links and pics to YOUR favorite node hardware in the comments below.
I'd recommend a UPS. Friend of mine had a power outage knocking their node offline. Tough lesson for him was he forgot to keep an up to date channel backup and lost some channels. Make sure you have a channel backup as a minimum people! I'm personally running mine on a home server virtual machine with a UPS! On it's own that would be insane for just the node but I run a bunch of VM's all on the same box.
At this rate you might as well buy a used Thinkpad w/ 2 TB SSD for $250. No need to build, comes with a screen and keyboard and also doesn't expose that you're running a node.
I just quickly skimmed the comments and thought it was already mentioned but it was not. You are recommending NVMe drives with the Argon case. Those will not work with a Raspberry Pi because it doesn't provide enough power. The mixup here is between M.2 SATA and M.2 NVMe. I suggest looking up the difference. If you read carefully the description of the Argon it also tells you this. You need to use M.2 SATA drives with RPI4.
@@Bitcoinftm I cannot recommend anything as I have not run a setup like this. But based on the reports of other people this one from WD should work: WDS100T3B0B, and just going by the numbers the Samsung MZ-N6E1T0BW, but here I have seen mixed reviews in terms of compatibility with the Argon case. Sadly the pricing can also be weird for these.
Thanks for the video! It was very insightful. Just an FYI, the M.2 that you have linked is an M-key drive while the Argon One only supports B and B+M Keys, so that will not fit into the Argon One M.2 Expansion board.
Great video. I have multiple raspberry PI's in my rack all running with POE HAT powered from my unifi 24 port 500watt switch. on the long run if you have multiple PI's, thats the cleanest way to go.
Thanks for breaking down node operation on Lightening. I’ve felt like mining is out of reach and didn’t realise there were other options to support decentralisation of bitcoin
there are some bad parts here: a plain 16GB SDcard won't last long, always use Endurance type cards from Sandisk or Samsung designed for constant writes in dashcams if you run the OS on the SDcard The Crucial MX500 SSD has a high power usage and leads to random freezes if you power it through the USBC of the RPI4. Can be used with the X825 board powered through the barrel connector. openoms, [26/07/2022 13:10] get a used desktop for a hundred bucks and slap in a new SSD, not some random miniPC for $1000 and used Thinkpads! They run linux and have a built in UPS.
Good advice. I would just wonder about the power consumption of a full desktop (perhaps an old Dell Optiplex) vs a Raspberry Pi. They both need to be on 24/7. Also you mention that a mechanical drive won't be fast enough yet we're running through USB 3.0 and SATA not plugged straight into pcie. There is a custom board for the raspberry pi 4 compute module that allows an nvme drive to be plugged straight into the pcie slot (Jeff Geerling did a review on it) but that solution is "out behind the pines" and is getting a little esoteric. I've got a 2TB WD Passport mechanical drive (usb 3.0 + sata) on order and will give it a shot. Just found this on Reddit: Put chainstate on the SSD, blocks on HDD. We'd be getting into NFS territory now or at least an old computer with multiple drives and not a pi.
Hello Jonathan, Let me give a tip. You can purchase a HP Prodesk I5 8400T mini with 8Gb ram and a 1Tb M2.ssd, for around €225. Way more powerfull then a RPI and no need for ssd casing etc.
I decided to do a pruned bitcoin core and kind of lost on what to do now. A video going over the pros and cons between pruned and full node for lightning would be super cool!
Thank you Jonathan for the information now I want to run my own node I like the mini PC but I have a question if I buy the mini PC I don’t need more parts? the mini pc is all in one correct thank you for your videos
I went with the argon one .. had to return the 2G ssd as it did not support NVMe... 😅 Had to pay $4 more for a non NVMe Wow, 😂 i think i have NEVER heard of any reported node thefts 😢
Please note: I ordered the Argon one case and it is Not compatible with the M.2 NVME Storage Drives! you need to order a "Timetec 2TB SSD 3D NAND QLC SATA III" drive instead. This is stated on page 8 of the manual for the Argon one.
I'm pretty sure the power supply issue was because of a faulty board problem that was fixed in newer Raspberry Pis, you can see the difference physically on the board if you search up the reference online.
Can someone point me to somewhere that explains about setting up Umbrel on hardware other than Raspberry Pi. This sort of touches on it, but is mostly about Raspberry Pi. I have been using Raspberry Pi for a few years and now want to go with a small PC.
I guess the real question is, is where to get a Raspberry Pi that's not being scalped. They're originally like around $75 but they're sold out anywhere with that price. Amazon has them for like $180 is the cheapest I found
Great video! I am using the Argon One M.2 case for my Raspberry. The M.2 expansion board is needed to use SSD otherwise it is just a Raspberry case. Cooling is okay and adjustable but the fan is a bit loud. Just found a SUNON fan to replace it: MF30100V3.
Wait what, stealing a node presents the possibility of having funds stolen ??? That completely defeats the whole purpose, this needs to be expanded on and explained.
Hi Jonathan - I have the raspberry pi 4 setup on umbreal. Question - why is my bitcoin wallet on the Lightning node? Should't there be a seperate app for your bitcoin wallet ?
A lightning node has to have a Bitcoin core install, which by definition has a Bitcoin Wallet. You can't have a lightning node w/o a Bitcoin wallet to settle channels to :)
What old laptop(as my 4 are) can possibly have a 1-2 TB drive? Those didn’t exist then! I've got Ubuntu Linux running well on an "old" Dell laptop, but no Terrabytes there!
I mean, to be honest, the hardware is the easy part. Anyone can buy a Dell WYSE N07D 5060 Thin Client for $50 on eBay, a 1TB SSD Team Group T-FORCE for $60 on Newegg, or a 2TB for $100. That thin client is an AMD 2.4Ghz QuadCore with 8GB of RAM and whatever size hard drive you need. If you require more processing power, consider the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p i5-4570T 2.9GHz with 8GB RAM, which costs around $70 to $80. This thin client has a removable upgradeable CPU, so really, if an I3 doesn't work, grab an I7. They are 4th generation Intel processors, so they are older, but the processors are also cheaper; for less than $110.00 to $160, you could have a straight-up ripper. It's also cheaper than most Pi these days anyway. Bundle kits for the Pi are ridiculously priced right now anyway. They also don't cost any more to run than a laptop, which is just a few bucks a month. Ya pi is more eco-friendly, but nodes grow over time, either in storage or in the power it takes to run them
The problem with more powerful hardware is the power usage. When you're running a server 24/7 you want to make sure it's the most power frugal or the electricity costs over the year will eat away any profit you may make from node fees.
Thank you Jonathan, you've inspired me to run my own bitcoin node. After reviewing all your options a few times, the Argon One M.2 route for me is the go-to option. Even with your ready made kit, it still was kind of overwhelming seeing the very many different parts and versions Geekworm is offering/has offered. But also with Argon you need 1 component less compared to the Geekworm-route, being the fan that is integrated in the Argon case, and I loved how the metal case actually functions as a heat sink. I just assembled my Argon One M.2 with a WD Blue SATA SSD M.2 1TB (WDS100T2B0B). The case and assembly process is really solid. Would definitely recommend. I used the following video to help me with the assembly process ua-cam.com/video/Tgrka088ZFk/v-deo.html
more than 1 year runnung 2 LN (LTC and BTC) node on my pc, a Windows 10, i ruoting in background while working,no ssd, just a dedicate hdd of 2 TB , xeon CPU and memory from aliexpress, 99 % uptime, i reboot 1 time per month for updates, do not waste your money.
Wow, very impressive... though I think most people don't want to use their "main" computer for it, b/c they might want to shut that machine down, or take it with them when they travel, if it's a laptop. It must have taken a LONG time to validate all the blocks on a standard HDD...? More importantly, how the heck are you running LND on Windows? I didn't even know you could do that!
It does work but how much is the electricity bill of keeping your workstation on 24/7? This is why people choose a low power pc like rasp pi. Not because other computers can't do it.
ANY computer "WILL NOT" work. Some computers, on Linux, will have hardware issues making system keep-alive not work. Who wants a node that falls asleep? not me
Thanks for watching. Let me know - did I miss anything? Is there any better hardware out there for running a Bitcoin node on Lightning Network? I'd love to see links and pics to YOUR favorite node hardware in the comments below.
I am using a Deskmini a110 with 16gb Ram and an I3-6100 with the option to upgrade that cpu and 2x 2TB HDDs in Raid 1.
You really need to read my comment I would never pay 800 clams for a mini pc
I'd recommend a UPS. Friend of mine had a power outage knocking their node offline. Tough lesson for him was he forgot to keep an up to date channel backup and lost some channels. Make sure you have a channel backup as a minimum people! I'm personally running mine on a home server virtual machine with a UPS! On it's own that would be insane for just the node but I run a bunch of VM's all on the same box.
Good tip! I think my node auto-backs up but I need to check...
At this rate you might as well buy a used Thinkpad w/ 2 TB SSD for $250. No need to build, comes with a screen and keyboard and also doesn't expose that you're running a node.
😂 naah a lot of things run in the background. you can get a 1tb m.sdd for £50 with a hat top
I just quickly skimmed the comments and thought it was already mentioned but it was not. You are recommending NVMe drives with the Argon case. Those will not work with a Raspberry Pi because it doesn't provide enough power. The mixup here is between M.2 SATA and M.2 NVMe. I suggest looking up the difference. If you read carefully the description of the Argon it also tells you this. You need to use M.2 SATA drives with RPI4.
Yikes thanks for pointing that out. Can you link me to the right one you suggest? As I mentioned I didn’t go to Argon route so I didn’t know.
@@Bitcoinftm I cannot recommend anything as I have not run a setup like this. But based on the reports of other people this one from WD should work: WDS100T3B0B, and just going by the numbers the Samsung MZ-N6E1T0BW, but here I have seen mixed reviews in terms of compatibility with the Argon case. Sadly the pricing can also be weird for these.
i thought i recognized you from the 3D printing channel! well done on getting another one like this.
Jonathan, as you had promised, you delivered - THANK YOU!
My pleasure! Make sure you're subbed!
Thanks for the video! It was very insightful. Just an FYI, the M.2 that you have linked is an M-key drive while the Argon One only supports B and B+M Keys, so that will not fit into the Argon One M.2 Expansion board.
Can you recommend a fit for pi4 and argon case please?
Great video.
I have multiple raspberry PI's in my rack all running with POE HAT powered from my unifi 24 port 500watt switch. on the long run if you have multiple PI's, thats the cleanest way to go.
Thanks for breaking down node operation on Lightening. I’ve felt like mining is out of reach and didn’t realise there were other options to support decentralisation of bitcoin
Orange pi?
there are some bad parts here:
a plain 16GB SDcard won't last long, always use Endurance type cards from Sandisk or Samsung designed for constant writes in dashcams if you run the OS on the SDcard
The Crucial MX500 SSD has a high power usage and leads to random freezes if you power it through the USBC of the RPI4. Can be used with the X825 board powered through the barrel connector.
openoms, [26/07/2022 13:10]
get a used desktop for a hundred bucks and slap in a new SSD, not some random miniPC for $1000
and used Thinkpads! They run linux and have a built in UPS.
Thanks for the feedback, I'll update my Kit list to not include those parts :) Appreciate it.
Good advice. I would just wonder about the power consumption of a full desktop (perhaps an old Dell Optiplex) vs a Raspberry Pi. They both need to be on 24/7.
Also you mention that a mechanical drive won't be fast enough yet we're running through USB 3.0 and SATA not plugged straight into pcie. There is a custom board for the raspberry pi 4 compute module that allows an nvme drive to be plugged straight into the pcie slot (Jeff Geerling did a review on it) but that solution is "out behind the pines" and is getting a little esoteric. I've got a 2TB WD Passport mechanical drive (usb 3.0 + sata) on order and will give it a shot. Just found this on Reddit: Put chainstate on the SSD, blocks on HDD. We'd be getting into NFS territory now or at least an old computer with multiple drives and not a pi.
Hello Jonathan,
Let me give a tip.
You can purchase a HP Prodesk I5 8400T mini with 8Gb ram and a 1Tb M2.ssd, for around €225.
Way more powerfull then a RPI and no need for ssd casing etc.
Great video. It's 2023 and I think now that with the Ordinals there is no choice than to buy a 2 TB drive.
I decided to do a pruned bitcoin core and kind of lost on what to do now. A video going over the pros and cons between pruned and full node for lightning would be super cool!
I honestly don’t know anything about pruned nodes. You need a full node to run Lightning
Is there a video of how to install the node in a mini pc?
Some of the recommended hardware come with there own power supply and I was wondering if I still need the original Raspberry 4 power supply?
Any video on how to migrate from umbrel to citadel or how to install from scrach on pi4 ???? Thank you
Thank you Jonathan for the information now I want to run my own node I like the mini PC but I have a question if I buy the mini PC I don’t need more parts? the mini pc is all in one correct thank you for your videos
I went with the argon one .. had to return the 2G ssd as it did not support NVMe... 😅 Had to pay $4 more for a non NVMe
Wow, 😂 i think i have NEVER heard of any reported node thefts 😢
I only have WiFi available. Will this work?
Please note: I ordered the Argon one case and it is Not compatible with the M.2 NVME Storage Drives! you need to order a "Timetec 2TB SSD 3D NAND QLC SATA III" drive instead. This is stated on page 8 of the manual for the Argon one.
I'm pretty sure the power supply issue was because of a faulty board problem that was fixed in newer Raspberry Pis, you can see the difference physically on the board if you search up the reference online.
Why risk it? You don't knwo how old the Pi you're getting is...
That is only part of the problem. The original PSU provides 5.1V whereas most other PSUs provide only 5V which might cause trouble...
Thanks for sharing.
A question, why a 16GB SSD card? Why not a partition of the 2TB M.2 ?
What happens if my home electricity goes out due to a storm etc.??
If I bought a used 2tb SSD laptop from eBay for cheap would that suffice? What other specs should I look at?
good stuff. helpful
Why not run it on a normal gamer PC? Did somenone use Bitcoin Core ?
can i use my old thinkpad which is have 8gb ram with very old cpu
Can someone point me to somewhere that explains about setting up Umbrel on hardware other than Raspberry Pi. This sort of touches on it, but is mostly about Raspberry Pi. I have been using Raspberry Pi for a few years and now want to go with a small PC.
I guess the real question is, is where to get a Raspberry Pi that's not being scalped. They're originally like around $75 but they're sold out anywhere with that price. Amazon has them for like $180 is the cheapest I found
AliExpress :)
@@Bitcoinftm they are expensive at aliexpress aswell.
Great video!
I am using the Argon One M.2 case for my Raspberry.
The M.2 expansion board is needed to use SSD otherwise it is just a Raspberry case.
Cooling is okay and adjustable but the fan is a bit loud. Just found a SUNON fan to replace it: MF30100V3.
Thanks for pointing this out, I didn't realize it needs an expansion board too! I'll add that to the Kit.
And... for windows 11 in my pc?
Wait what, stealing a node presents the possibility of having funds stolen ??? That completely defeats the whole purpose, this needs to be expanded on and explained.
Hi Jonathan - I have the raspberry pi 4 setup on umbreal. Question - why is my bitcoin wallet on the Lightning node? Should't there be a seperate app for your bitcoin wallet ?
A lightning node has to have a Bitcoin core install, which by definition has a Bitcoin Wallet. You can't have a lightning node w/o a Bitcoin wallet to settle channels to :)
@@Bitcoinftm Oh I see! Learning every day, thanks :)
What old laptop(as my 4 are) can possibly have a 1-2 TB drive? Those didn’t exist then! I've got Ubuntu Linux running well on an "old" Dell laptop, but no Terrabytes there!
I guess it depends on your definition of Old. My old Macbook pro had 1TB, I got rid of it a year ago though.
I mean, to be honest, the hardware is the easy part. Anyone can buy a Dell WYSE N07D 5060 Thin Client for $50 on eBay, a 1TB SSD Team Group T-FORCE for $60 on Newegg, or a 2TB for $100. That thin client is an AMD 2.4Ghz QuadCore with 8GB of RAM and whatever size hard drive you need. If you require more processing power, consider the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p i5-4570T 2.9GHz with 8GB RAM, which costs around $70 to $80. This thin client has a removable upgradeable CPU, so really, if an I3 doesn't work, grab an I7. They are 4th generation Intel processors, so they are older, but the processors are also cheaper; for less than $110.00 to $160, you could have a straight-up ripper. It's also cheaper than most Pi these days anyway. Bundle kits for the Pi are ridiculously priced right now anyway. They also don't cost any more to run than a laptop, which is just a few bucks a month. Ya pi is more eco-friendly, but nodes grow over time, either in storage or in the power it takes to run them
The problem with more powerful hardware is the power usage. When you're running a server 24/7 you want to make sure it's the most power frugal or the electricity costs over the year will eat away any profit you may make from node fees.
Thank you Jonathan, you've inspired me to run my own bitcoin node. After reviewing all your options a few times, the Argon One M.2 route for me is the go-to option. Even with your ready made kit, it still was kind of overwhelming seeing the very many different parts and versions Geekworm is offering/has offered. But also with Argon you need 1 component less compared to the Geekworm-route, being the fan that is integrated in the Argon case, and I loved how the metal case actually functions as a heat sink. I just assembled my Argon One M.2 with a WD Blue SATA SSD M.2 1TB (WDS100T2B0B). The case and assembly process is really solid. Would definitely recommend. I used the following video to help me with the assembly process ua-cam.com/video/Tgrka088ZFk/v-deo.html
ah shit. i should have watched this last week. i have a raspberry pi3 i was getting ready to try for bitcoin full node
👍
more than 1 year runnung 2 LN (LTC and BTC) node on my pc, a Windows 10, i ruoting in background while working,no ssd, just a dedicate hdd of 2 TB , xeon CPU and memory from aliexpress, 99 % uptime, i reboot 1 time per month for updates, do not waste your money.
Wow, very impressive... though I think most people don't want to use their "main" computer for it, b/c they might want to shut that machine down, or take it with them when they travel, if it's a laptop. It must have taken a LONG time to validate all the blocks on a standard HDD...?
More importantly, how the heck are you running LND on Windows? I didn't even know you could do that!
@@Bitcoinftm Oracle virtualbox ?
It does work but how much is the electricity bill of keeping your workstation on 24/7? This is why people choose a low power pc like rasp pi. Not because other computers can't do it.
Ali express? Storage hard drive? Not sure I would buy it from there. Red flag.
ANY computer "WILL NOT" work. Some computers, on Linux, will have hardware issues making system keep-alive not work. Who wants a node that falls asleep? not me
What is with this guy? Just run it on your computer. This guy will thoroughly confuse most people. What a total waste of time.