Why it caught my attention
Whenever I look at new miner gear from TinyChipHub or anyone else, I try to ask myself one simple question: would I actually use this?
With WatchDog, I genuinely like the idea. It is cool looking, minimal, and different enough that I can actually picture it on my desk. It has that conversation-starter quality because it is different. It does not look like anything else on my desk, and it gives me something I can glance at without turning it into another screen I am going to sit there staring at for hours.
Floating prism display
The hardware itself is what makes it stand out. WatchDog uses a 30mm × 30mm × 30mm cube prism that creates a refracted transparent display effect where the stats appear floating inside the cube.
Based on the preview material from TinyChipHub, it looks more like a little floating desk object than another generic screen.
Hardware details
From the preview material, WatchDog uses a 30mm cube prism, an inclined TFT module, and a base stand, with USB power and a plug-and-play design.
- 30mm × 30mm × 30mm cube prism
- Inclined TFT module
- Base stand
- USB powered
- Plug and play
- DIY-friendly modular design
TFT-LCD display
The display itself is TFT-LCD instead of a tiny monochrome OLED, which gives it room for cleaner layouts, graphical elements, and multiple live data fields on screen at once.
WatchDog features
- Floating display effect
- Refracted transparent display
- 3D holographic-style appearance
- Plug and play setup
- USB powered operation
- DIY-friendly modular design
- Real-time monitoring
- Multiple miner data visualization
Displayed data
- hashrate
- power usage
- share count
- reject count
- best share
- block status
- multiple miner monitoring
Firmware and customization
Another interesting piece is the firmware. From what I have been told, the WatchDog firmware should be available through TinyChipHub’s GitHub and support wireless updates.
That should give people room to tweak layouts, customize screens, and build their own display setups over time if they want to mess with it.
Zyber Blanc connection
WatchDog is also designed to pair well with the upcoming Zyber Blanc since Blanc is screenless, but it is not limited to Blanc.
Pre-release note
At the time I am writing this, WatchDog is still pre-release, so specs, firmware, visuals, and supported features could change before launch.