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Firmware · 6 min read

AxeOS Firmware Tracker: What Changed in April 2026

AxeOS has shipped three significant releases this quarter. Here's what's new, what's broken, and which updates are worth flashing to your Bitaxe right now. Bookmarkable — we update this post every release.

#firmware#axeos#bitaxe#esp-miner
A Bitaxe's AxeOS dashboard displaying a version number and changelog entries, with firmware binary files floating around it.

AxeOS is the open-source firmware that runs on Bitaxe and compatible ESP32-S3 miners (including NerdQaxe variants when flashed with the AxeOS branch). It’s maintained by Skot and the ESP-Miner community, shipping roughly every 4–6 weeks.

This is our running tracker. We update it every time a new stable release lands. Grab the RSS feed to catch revisions.

Latest stable: v2.7.4 (released 2026-04-12)

Compatibility: Bitaxe Ultra, Gamma, Supra, Max, Touch, Touch Turbo · NerdQaxe++ · NerdOctaxe · Bitaxe Gamma Duo 650

What’s new

  • New pool-failover logic — if the primary stratum connection fails 3 consecutive times, AxeOS now automatically switches to the configured fallback pool. This was a long-requested feature; previously failover required a reboot.
  • Improved TWAI efficiency reporting — the dashboard now displays a rolling 24-hour average efficiency (J/TH) alongside the instantaneous number. More representative of real-world performance.
  • Stratum V2 experimental support — hidden behind a config flag. Not yet spec-compatible with Braiins Pool’s V2 endpoints (which require the pool’s public key wired in for MITM protection; AxeOS V2 does not authenticate pool public keys today). Treat it as a connectivity experiment, not a security upgrade. Braiins’ own V2 deployment requires Braiins OS firmware.
  • Finer-grained overclocking controls — frequency and voltage can now be set independently at 0.5 MHz / 5 mV resolution. Previously was 5 MHz / 25 mV.
  • Dark mode UI: full redesign of the web dashboard with an actual dark theme. The previous “dark mode” was cosmetic; this one is proper.

What’s fixed

  • Resolved the share-stale issue on Gamma Duo 650 units at frequencies above 700 MHz (ESP-Miner #1249).
  • Fixed a memory leak that caused uptime to degrade after ~30 days (ESP-Miner #1272).
  • Corrected the hashrate display when connected to pools that use $$ share notation.

What’s broken

  • Known issue: on Bitaxe Touch models, the touchscreen occasionally freezes when switching wifi networks mid-operation. Workaround: reboot after network changes. Fix queued for v2.7.5.
  • The new Stratum V2 mode does not gracefully fall back to V1 if V2 negotiation fails — the miner will hang until manually reset.

Should you flash?

Yes, for Bitaxe Ultra/Gamma/Supra/Max: the failover logic alone is worth it. The overclocking precision is a nice bonus for tinkerers.

Wait, for Bitaxe Touch: the touchscreen regression is minor but annoying if you use the screen daily. Hold until v2.7.5 ships (ETA: ~3 weeks).

Cautious yes, for NerdQaxe++: AxeOS support for NerdQaxe is technically a port; this release was tested but edge cases exist. Back up your config before flashing.

Prior releases

v2.7.3 (2026-03-15)

  • Added support for Bitaxe Gamma Duo 650 (dual-ASIC desktop unit)
  • New idle-mode drawing ~4 W when stratum is down
  • Fix: ASIC temperature sensor sometimes reported 0°C after reboot on Gamma v2.5+

Known regressions: caused the share-stale issue at high frequencies on Gamma Duo 650 that was patched in v2.7.4.

v2.7.2 (2026-02-20)

  • First release with ESP-IDF 5.3.2 (previously on 5.1.4)
  • Substantial memory footprint reduction — an extra ~40 KB available for future features
  • Added a “Work Restart” button to the UI for forcing a new mining job
  • Fix: DHCP renewal timeouts on some consumer routers causing disconnects every 24h

Known regressions: memory leak reported in uptime >30d, patched in v2.7.4.

v2.7.1 (2026-01-28)

  • Support for Bitaxe Touch Turbo (2.15 TH/s, 8-screen variant)
  • New LCD driver for monochrome OLED displays (improves refresh rate by ~3x)
  • Fix: WPA3 enterprise network support (used in some corporate/uni labs)

How to update safely

Three paths, in order of safety:

  1. Download both esp-miner.bin and www.bin from the ESP-Miner releases page.
  2. AxeOS → System → Update Firmware.
  3. Upload esp-miner.bin first, wait for reboot (~30 s).
  4. Upload www.bin next, wait for reboot.
  5. Verify the version on the dashboard.

Never unplug during a flash. The ESP32-S3 can survive a bad flash but only via USB recovery.

2. AxeOS OTA from GitHub

AxeOS v2.7+ supports direct OTA from GitHub releases — set the OTA URL in System → Settings, and the device polls for new releases. Useful for fleets. Disabled by default; enable at your own risk.

3. USB recovery (emergency)

If you brick a Bitaxe:

# Install esptool
pip install esptool

# Erase flash
esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port /dev/ttyACM0 erase_flash

# Flash bootloader + full firmware
esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port /dev/ttyACM0 write_flash \
    0x0 bootloader.bin \
    0x8000 partition-table.bin \
    0x10000 esp-miner.bin \
    0x410000 www.bin

The factory bins for each Bitaxe model live in the model-specific GitHub repo under bin/.

Before you flash a new release

Three things to always do:

  1. Screenshot or export your current config (System → Export JSON). Restores in 30 seconds if the new release eats your settings.
  2. Note your current hashrate at baseline — some releases shift the numbers, and you want a reference.
  3. Read the release notes on GitHub — known issues are always listed, and the pinned comments on the release announcement thread often flag regressions within hours of release.

This tracker updates on every stable AxeOS release. Queued for next edit: v2.7.5 (expected late April 2026).

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I flash every new AxeOS release?

No. Wait 1–2 weeks per release for the community to find regressions. Stable releases (no 'pre-release' label on GitHub) are generally safe. Developer builds should only be run if you're comfortable unbricking a Bitaxe.

How do I update AxeOS without bricking my Bitaxe?

Use the AxeOS web UI: System → Update Firmware. Upload both the bin and the www.bin file (they're paired). Never unplug the device during a flash. Full guide in the Bitaxe docs.

What if I brick my Bitaxe?

Use esptool.py over USB to flash the bootloader + full firmware. Requires the original factory bins, which are on the Bitaxe GitHub releases page. Allow 30–60 minutes for the recovery flash.

Published 16 April 2026
By Shop Bitcoin Australia
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