Scrypt miners for Litecoin and Dogecoin – merged mining explained

Litecoin and Dogecoin use the same algorithm, Scrypt. A Scrypt miner can therefore serve both networks, and not in turns but at the same time.

How merged mining works

The miner computes for Litecoin. Since September 2014, Dogecoin has accepted proofs of work that were produced for another Scrypt chain. The method is called Auxiliary Proof of Work, AuxPoW for short. Litecoin is the parent chain here, Dogecoin the auxiliary chain.

The hashrate is not split. The same computing work counts in full in both networks. Power consumption stays the same, the revenue comes from two sources.

What you need to set up

Almost nothing. The pool handles the coordination.

1. Choose a pool that offers merged mining for Litecoin and Dogecoin.
2. Enter a Litecoin address and a Dogecoin address in your pool account.
3. Enter the pool address in the miner, as with any other unit.

The miner itself knows nothing about the second chain.

What the revenue consists of

The Litecoin reward and the Dogecoin reward. How the two relate to each other fluctuates with the prices. So always calculate with both coins together. A calculation with Litecoin alone underestimates the unit, one with today's Dogecoin price alone easily overestimates it.

The units

For Scrypt, hashrate is stated in MH/s or GH/s, efficiency in J/MH.

• Antminer L7: 8,800 or 9,050 MH/s at 0.36 J/MH
• Antminer L9: 16 GH/s at 0.21 J/MH according to Bitmain, also available from us as a bin with 15 GH/s
• Antminer U2 L9 (U2L9H at Bitmain): 27 GH/s at 0.21 J/MH, water-cooled
• ElphaPex DG Home 1: 2.1 GH/s, for the home

The L9 needs a good 40% less electricity per megahash than the L7. As with Bitcoin, this number decides up to which electricity price the unit stays in profit.

The difference from Bitcoin

The technology in operation is the same: power connection, cooling, noise, pool. The risk is different. The Scrypt network is much smaller than the Bitcoin network, and a new generation of units shifts the revenue per unit there faster and further. So buy a Scrypt unit based on what it is likely to earn at delivery, not on today's value.

Who it suits

Operators who do not want to tie their risk to Bitcoin alone, and anyone who wants to hold Litecoin or Dogecoin anyway. If you are only looking for the highest revenue today, first check how long that revenue has been this high.

Sources

• Dogecoin Core 1.8: release notes on the introduction of AuxPoW
• Dogecoin: mining and merged mining with Litecoin
• Bitmain, specifications: L7, L9, U2L9H in the Bitmain Shop

As of October 2026. Revenue from Litecoin and Dogecoin fluctuates widely; this article is not investment advice.