How it worksLink to this section

TL;DRLink to this section

The device saves accepted wheel activity, then the records are checked and submitted to Ethereum.
Completed work can fund SQK rewards for eligible Miners.
Owners claim available rewards in a separate transaction; payments aren't automatic.

From wheel activity to a walletLink to this section

There are several steps between movement at the wheel and SQK arriving in an owner's wallet. Each step has a different job, so a live wheel reading is not yet an available reward.

Recording wheel activityLink to this section

A magnet on the wheel passes a sensor as it moves. The Hamster Miner checks the readings and saves accepted passages, counting each as one work unit. It groups work into ten-minute periods called rounds.

The device saves records before sending them. If the network is unavailable, it can keep counting while its sensor, clock, and storage remain healthy, then deliver the saved records later.

Recording work on EthereumLink to this section

Services check the signed records before submitting accepted work to Ethereum. Once the work has been recorded there, it is settled. Public chain views wait for confirmations before showing it.

Enough settled work completes a Squeek block. This is a measure of progress within Squeekchain, not an Ethereum block. Recording a Squeek block doesn't itself send SQK to anyone.

Making rewards availableLink to this section

The reward system processes settled rounds in an update called a checkpoint. It funds rewards for completed Squeek blocks and divides them among eligible Miners according to their active mining power.

Newly minted Miners and extra power from a merge start earning later, after their scheduled activation is processed. They don't share rewards assigned to earlier rounds. Not every checkpoint creates rewards.

Claiming to your walletLink to this section

If you own a Miner with available rewards, you can claim them. A claim moves already-funded SQK into your wallet; it doesn't process more work or create new rewards. It requires a network transaction and a fee.

You don't need to stake your NFT or give a spending approval to claim. Claiming rewards explains the ownership checks, fees, and what to expect from a payment.

Why updates take timeLink to this section

The wheel can be moving while records are still waiting for delivery, checks, an Ethereum transaction, confirmations, or a reward checkpoint. These are separate stages, not competing counts to add together.

There is no promised maximum delay. The device's ten-minute rounds and the submission schedule don't guarantee when work or rewards will appear. Why the numbers don't always match explains how to read each stage.

What the records can tell youLink to this section

The sensor records accepted magnet passages, not which animal moved the wheel or why. Video follows a separate path and can't fill gaps in the measurement record. Missing records mean that evidence is unavailable, not that the wheel was idle.

For the component-by-component explanation, see Components and responsibilities and How work reaches Ethereum. Exact contract behavior belongs in Reference.

Records verified work and tracks settled rounds and Squeek blocks on Ethereum. Calculates rewards from settled work, holds funded SQK, and pays eligible NFT owners. The Miner ERC-721 contract. Tracks NFT ownership and coordinates minting and merges with Mining. Applies Core or Mining upgrades authorized by its governing Timelock. Generates Miner NFT artwork from fixed onchain visual data. Queues governance operations and enforces a delay before they can be executed. The SQK ERC-20 contract. Enforces the lifetime supply cap; only Mining can mint SQK. Checks that visual data conforms to the required DotGrid format. When new mining power starts earning. Minting and merging schedule it for a later round, and a checkpoint must process the change. A reward update that processes settled work and scheduled mining-power changes. It can make rewards available but doesn't pay them to an owner's wallet. The Miner NFT permanently burned in a merge. Its unclaimed rewards move to the survivor, but its image is not combined or kept. SQK issued under the mining reward rules. You can direct a share of your Miner's rewards to fund SqueekFi projects. The physical mining device that records accepted wheel-magnet passages as work. It is separate from the virtual Miner NFTs. Squeekchain's record of accepted wheel-magnet passages. It doesn't prove animal identity and isn't how Ethereum reaches consensus. Combining two eligible same-level Miners you own into one higher-level Miner. One NFT is permanently burned; the survivor keeps both Miners' unclaimed rewards. The completed Squeek blocks a Miner must wait through before merging. It measures completed work, not elapsed time or Ethereum blocks; transfers don't reset it. The power used to calculate a Miner's share of rewards when eligible and active. A larger share of total power can mean a larger share of rewards. A ten-minute period used to group measured work. The device saves a completed round's work total when measurement remained uninterrupted. The transferable token used for mining rewards. It has a lifetime supply cap and is separate from the Miner NFT and the device's work count. A completed amount of settled work. Enough recorded work completes one Squeek block; it is not an Ethereum block. Squeek Miner NFTs earn SQK linked to recorded wheel activity. Owners can direct a share of those rewards to fund SqueekFi projects. Squeekchain's ecosystem for hamster-powered onchain finance. Miner owners can choose to fund projects with a share of their SQK rewards. The Miner NFT you keep in a merge. It gains a level, keeps its ID and image, and receives both Miners' unclaimed rewards. A Miner's recorded reward balance that hasn't been paid to a wallet. It stays with the NFT when ownership changes. One wheel-magnet passage that met the device's counting rules and was saved. It records work, not an amount of SQK.