Any testing in HOT environments? I live in Florida and am wondering how hot it will get inside that enclosure with no way to release heat eventually frying components.
You can do it for far less if you buy the parts separately and put it together. 5 volt cell phone solar panels are dirt cheap. More power too. Use any cheap enclosure and your old 18650 cells every single one of us has.
Id like to see this build with Hydrophobic Vent added, voltaic enclosures Battery Protection Module, 18650 batteries with holder, Proxicast for weatherproofing the antenn, RAK or other buck boost for the solar panel.
I built this exact setup a few weeks ago. I used a 5200mah battery and it can go days without a charge and get back up to full with minimal direct sunlight. Easiest build to date. The case quality also made it much easier to convince a local university to let me install it on the roof of one of their highest buildings.
the best and cheapest flat lipol batteries are old new stock ipad 2 or 3 replacement batteries. they are about the same capacity as the highest spec 18650 and cost about 2$ each. only issue is you have to chop them up as they come in chains of 3 and that can get a little sparkey if you dont go fast. also the steel tabs on them is a bit too thin to spot weld on but i was able to solder to them easily enough with flux.
Angle is everything on these little panels. I imagine angling the panel about 45 degrees up and towards south would give more than 50 % better performance. It's really great that these are able to charge while not being angled properly at all.
Take NOTE!!! the RP SMA means Reverse polarity!! This means the center pin is opposite gender from a normal SMA and they are NOT interchangable. You must purchase RP SMA hardware/Antennas not regular SMA
The antenna at 2.50 is much too close to the mast. This will definitely affect the SWR and resonance frequency. Anyway you have some good ideas for offgrid node. I recommend strictly to measure the spectrum of the site before installing nodes to make sure the node is not affected because the frequency is already full or disturbed. Don't you use silica gel in the box to avoid condensation?
I've been running a diy enclosure and wisblok with 400mA 5v 2W panel stuck to the front and looks exactly like this new RAK box! However..whilst one of the units on the side of a mountain facing south is performing ok (ish), the other on a less favourable view is still slowly losing power. The strange thing is when I first installed it seemed to perform great with keeping charge even in cloudy days. I'm still dubious the panel size is big enough, even for those new RAK ones. I've a 2 x 18650 pack inside (around 6100mAh). I am pondering a more reliable option with a 4W panel but this will mean separating panel fix/box fix instead of all i one. To note...I have been directly attaching the panel to the board but may try the intermediate RAK geen power module.
Have you looked at using and LFP/LiFePO4 battery for powering as they have many more cycles before replacing? That's a path I'm looking at. I guess I'd power the board via the USB and have my own charge controller.
@3:29 you say there’s a problem with the solar panel and the angle why not angle the solar panel to an optimum slant, and then put an angled adapter on the antenna so that it still remains upright?
thanks. I pretty much already built a kit using most of your stuff with a small harbor frieght clear pelican rip off but this is so much nicer. in for one. thanks!
has anyone tried swapping out the ungodly RP-SMA connector for a correct SMA lead? Mine will be here today and I only have SMA antenna. I have a bunch of sma adapter for my meshtastic I am hoping I will be able to swap it.
Hey man, i just wanted to say that for battery graphs, the iPhone app is really great. It logs battery percentage from all nodes and shows a nice graph. Id genuinely consider getting a cheap used iPhone just to log the battery percentage of solar nodes
@@The_Comms_Channel yeah same. I've only recently gotten my hands on a used broken iPhone that I fixed up and I have to say, the entire app is so much more fleshed out than the android one. I'm definitely going to stay on android for different reasons but the app on iOS is really great. It also logs channel utilisation and airtime in the same graph and it's so cool. You can delete them to start logging from a specific time point or export them even. It even shows which device the other nodes are with little pictures of the device. It's so cool and even the settings are more mature, you can even see the firmware of your node and if there is a new version out!!! No disrespect to the android developers of course, but I gotta say, the iOS app is incredible. You do have to have iOS 16 and up so at the lowest, an iPhone 8 and up should work
Hej Comms channel 😁... Just wanted to share an idea regarding the antenna (problem) you had. I also use the alpha antenna 's. And you can mount a cheap Vehicle CB Radio Antenna Mount on the case. Then the antenna can be set in all directions you want. Please keep up the good work 👊
I'm considering putting some on top of the ranges (peaks in New Zealand), how lightening resilient do you think this would this be.... looks like a fair reasonable amount of plastic between the components & the pole you stick it on - could even pack more insulation on the arrangement.... thoughts??
The plastic on the enclosure is quite thick, but it will have an antenna on it so you'll have to take that into consideration. Not many radio systems can survive a direct strike.
For those of us in the North, I was wondering if you or one of your followers have come up with a way to utilize the BME680 Environmental Sensor with the RAK WisBkock to turn turn off the charge input from the solar panel when temperatures drop to near freezing? Or if using a small independent charge controller with temp sensor is a better way to go? Thank you kindly
I'm going to try cooking something up for this after storm chasing season when I have more time, but I'll definitely work on this way before winter time
What setting in the app are enabled to prevent app from disconnecting from phone bluetooth that is the issue I am having with all my radios. After sleep mode kicks in it will disconnect.
I'm still producing kits for the old build. I'm having problems with Etsy and their messaging. Their support is terrible so I'm working on moving to Amazon.
I thought the Wisblock had a solar charge controller integrated into the 4631 core module? Can you explain why you bought a battery with charge controller? Thanks.
The battery has a management system, not a solar charge controller. Most every lithium cell will come with a BMS. This prevents over charging and cuts off voltage when it gets too low. Without this you risk damage to the battery or worst case, a fire.
I am new to meshtastic. Got what is probably a stupid question: Ok so i understand i will need a phone and lora/mesh device paired up to talk to other meshtastic radios(devices) If i build a node like this does the node have to be connected to a phone at all times as well? Or can i build a Node and it be stand alone and then have a phone/pocket lora pair i can then drive down road to do a range test?
@The_Comms_Channel ok. Thank you for the response. I am understanding better now with your answer. So is it possible to run the range test as described in your other video if it is running as a repeater? I am assuming I would need a second phone/lora pair back home connected to repeater node to run that cool range test location to Google map overlay. Because now that you have mentioned the node can run in repeater mode it probably won't store the data from the mobile lora radio? Thanks again for the great videos and response. I am just starting the getting started play list and will probably watch all your videos on meshtastic.
Sorry for the confusion, when I say repeater I just mean it will repeat packets it sees. Be sure to keep it in client mode. Repeater and Router mode should only be used for nodes on top of mountains or very tall towers
Sorry for the confusion, when I say repeater I just mean it will repeat packets it sees. Be sure to keep it in client mode. Repeater and Router mode should only be used for nodes on top of mountains or very tall towers
@The_Comms_Channel ok. Cool deal. I will probably get the answers I have as I watch more of your videos. Apologies for asking stuff you probably covered already.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but at 2:46 that antenna is too close to the mast. An antenna that close to metal reflects half the power back into the radio even if it's SWR is perfect not mounted to anything.
Yes, the previous version is disappointing. The solar panel isn't big enough. Even with a 3000mAh battery, it flatlines, and the hardware crashes and refuses to start up again. I've brought this up in the Meshtastic Discourse, and the solar panel channel folks UTTERLY DENY that the problem is rak's. "Oh, it's the chip maker's problem." So effing what? Rak chose to use it.
Any testing in HOT environments? I live in Florida and am wondering how hot it will get inside that enclosure with no way to release heat eventually frying components.
I got RAKs new smaller one. It's staying charged for me in Arizona.
Total = $174 + tax & shipping if using the links he provided for this build 4/24/24
You can do it for far less if you buy the parts separately and put it together.
5 volt cell phone solar panels are dirt cheap. More power too. Use any cheap enclosure and your old 18650 cells every single one of us has.
This video is mostly meant to be an easy option for people who don't want to build/construct everything themselves.
@@kevinroberts781 how much?
Ooooooh this is 100% exactly what i needed in my life!
Id like to see this build with
Hydrophobic Vent added, voltaic enclosures Battery Protection Module, 18650 batteries with holder, Proxicast for weatherproofing the antenn, RAK or other buck boost for the solar panel.
Great idea adding a 18650, that's what I plan to do with this.
I built this exact setup a few weeks ago. I used a 5200mah battery and it can go days without a charge and get back up to full with minimal direct sunlight.
Easiest build to date. The case quality also made it much easier to convince a local university to let me install it on the roof of one of their highest buildings.
the best and cheapest flat lipol batteries are old new stock ipad 2 or 3 replacement batteries. they are about the same capacity as the highest spec 18650 and cost about 2$ each. only issue is you have to chop them up as they come in chains of 3 and that can get a little sparkey if you dont go fast. also the steel tabs on them is a bit too thin to spot weld on but i was able to solder to them easily enough with flux.
FYI the 10ah(10000mah) battery from amazon will fit in this if you don't use the wisblock mounting hardware and angle the battery.
Whoa! Nice! Do you have a link to that one?
I like this a lot because of how clean it is. Thinking about throwing one of these in the back deck of my car.
Nice! Would make a nice mobile unit!
they had a ample amount instock other day but I believe since this video got released, the boxes are all gone
Angle is everything on these little panels. I imagine angling the panel about 45 degrees up and towards south would give more than 50 % better performance. It's really great that these are able to charge while not being angled properly at all.
Take NOTE!!! the RP SMA means Reverse polarity!! This means the center pin is opposite gender from a normal SMA and they are NOT interchangable. You must purchase RP SMA hardware/Antennas not regular SMA
Yeah, I just got this thing in the mail today and I am putting it together and 'waddya know!', my 915 lora antenna don't fit! Why did they do that?
So would a standard sma to ipex alleviate this problem or does it have anything to do with board circuitry?
@@firemanbif nothing to do with board circuitry. They just use RP sma connectors for a lot of wifi applications. so the adapter should be fine
Keep the videos coming.
Will do!
Nice job. That is one pricey box, but I can see how some people will choose it for ease of install.
It better come with the board too if I'm paying that price!
The antenna at 2.50 is much too close to the mast. This will definitely affect the SWR and resonance frequency. Anyway you have some good ideas for offgrid node. I recommend strictly to measure the spectrum of the site before installing nodes to make sure the node is not affected because the frequency is already full or disturbed.
Don't you use silica gel in the box to avoid condensation?
I've been running a diy enclosure and wisblok with 400mA 5v 2W panel stuck to the front and looks exactly like this new RAK box! However..whilst one of the units on the side of a mountain facing south is performing ok (ish), the other on a less favourable view is still slowly losing power. The strange thing is when I first installed it seemed to perform great with keeping charge even in cloudy days. I'm still dubious the panel size is big enough, even for those new RAK ones. I've a 2 x 18650 pack inside (around 6100mAh). I am pondering a more reliable option with a 4W panel but this will mean separating panel fix/box fix instead of all i one. To note...I have been directly attaching the panel to the board but may try the intermediate RAK geen power module.
Very cool! Excited to see the next video!
More to come!
Have you looked at using and LFP/LiFePO4 battery for powering as they have many more cycles before replacing? That's a path I'm looking at. I guess I'd power the board via the USB and have my own charge controller.
Antennas can be pointed down.
@3:29 you say there’s a problem with the solar panel and the angle
why not angle the solar panel to an optimum slant, and then put an angled adapter on the antenna so that it still remains upright?
Doesn't exist other than a 90° angle
thanks. I pretty much already built a kit using most of your stuff with a small harbor frieght clear pelican rip off but this is so much nicer. in for one. thanks!
has anyone tried swapping out the ungodly RP-SMA connector for a correct SMA lead? Mine will be here today and I only have SMA antenna. I have a bunch of sma adapter for my meshtastic I am hoping I will be able to swap it.
I ended up using a very similar sma adapter I had from a fpv video transmitter that worked fine
What's the panels parameters? Volts,amps,watts?
Nice list, thanks for sharing
Hey man, i just wanted to say that for battery graphs, the iPhone app is really great. It logs battery percentage from all nodes and shows a nice graph. Id genuinely consider getting a cheap used iPhone just to log the battery percentage of solar nodes
Yeah, I've seen the graphs and have been hoping they make their way to Android but no such luck lol.
@@The_Comms_Channel yeah same. I've only recently gotten my hands on a used broken iPhone that I fixed up and I have to say, the entire app is so much more fleshed out than the android one. I'm definitely going to stay on android for different reasons but the app on iOS is really great. It also logs channel utilisation and airtime in the same graph and it's so cool. You can delete them to start logging from a specific time point or export them even. It even shows which device the other nodes are with little pictures of the device. It's so cool and even the settings are more mature, you can even see the firmware of your node and if there is a new version out!!! No disrespect to the android developers of course, but I gotta say, the iOS app is incredible. You do have to have iOS 16 and up so at the lowest, an iPhone 8 and up should work
might wanna put some bird spikes on there to stop bird mess from messing up the panel
Always curious how it handles the cold. We get sub 32 degree days and lithium batterys don't like to be charged in that.
We'll be doing a video on a build that uses LTO batteries soon!
can you do range test with different antenna and in general range test.
Hej Comms channel 😁... Just wanted to share an idea regarding the antenna (problem) you had. I also use the alpha antenna 's. And you can mount a cheap Vehicle CB Radio Antenna Mount on the case. Then the antenna can be set in all directions you want.
Please keep up the good work 👊
Good idea! Thanks for the tip!
Ordered this kit. Going to give it a try.
I'm considering putting some on top of the ranges (peaks in New Zealand), how lightening resilient do you think this would this be.... looks like a fair reasonable amount of plastic between the components & the pole you stick it on - could even pack more insulation on the arrangement.... thoughts??
The plastic on the enclosure is quite thick, but it will have an antenna on it so you'll have to take that into consideration. Not many radio systems can survive a direct strike.
For those of us in the North, I was wondering if you or one of your followers have come up with a way to utilize the BME680 Environmental Sensor with the RAK WisBkock to turn turn off the charge input from the solar panel when temperatures drop to near freezing?
Or if using a small independent charge controller with temp sensor is a better way to go?
Thank you kindly
I'm going to try cooking something up for this after storm chasing season when I have more time, but I'll definitely work on this way before winter time
What setting in the app are enabled to prevent app from disconnecting from phone bluetooth that is the issue I am having with all my radios. After sleep mode kicks in it will disconnect.
Would there be room for an 18650? Perhaps 2 of them?
Since there won't be any more kits for the old build can we get a parts list and .STL file for the mount? Thank you.
I'm still producing kits for the old build. I'm having problems with Etsy and their messaging. Their support is terrible so I'm working on moving to Amazon.
I thought the Wisblock had a solar charge controller integrated into the 4631 core module? Can you explain why you bought a battery with charge controller? Thanks.
The WisBlock will do overcharge protection but not over discharge
The battery has a management system, not a solar charge controller. Most every lithium cell will come with a BMS. This prevents over charging and cuts off voltage when it gets too low. Without this you risk damage to the battery or worst case, a fire.
I am new to meshtastic.
Got what is probably a stupid question:
Ok so i understand i will need a phone and lora/mesh device paired up to talk to other meshtastic radios(devices)
If i build a node like this does the node have to be connected to a phone at all times as well?
Or can i build a Node and it be stand alone and then have a phone/pocket lora pair i can then drive down road to do a range test?
Not a stupid question at all! No need to have a phone paired at all times. It'll just run and act as a repeater even with no phone paired to it.
@The_Comms_Channel ok. Thank you for the response. I am understanding better now with your answer. So is it possible to run the range test as described in your other video if it is running as a repeater? I am assuming I would need a second phone/lora pair back home connected to repeater node to run that cool range test location to Google map overlay. Because now that you have mentioned the node can run in repeater mode it probably won't store the data from the mobile lora radio?
Thanks again for the great videos and response. I am just starting the getting started play list and will probably watch all your videos on meshtastic.
Sorry for the confusion, when I say repeater I just mean it will repeat packets it sees. Be sure to keep it in client mode. Repeater and Router mode should only be used for nodes on top of mountains or very tall towers
Sorry for the confusion, when I say repeater I just mean it will repeat packets it sees. Be sure to keep it in client mode. Repeater and Router mode should only be used for nodes on top of mountains or very tall towers
@The_Comms_Channel ok. Cool deal. I will probably get the answers I have as I watch more of your videos. Apologies for asking stuff you probably covered already.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the support!
i keep getting dns error on the links
What latitude was this testing done at?
36
@@The_Comms_Channel Thanks. I’m at 60
I want to learn, and auto subscribe
You're in the right place!
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but at 2:46 that antenna is too close to the mast. An antenna that close to metal reflects half the power back into the radio even if it's SWR is perfect not mounted to anything.
Yes, the previous version is disappointing. The solar panel isn't big enough. Even with a 3000mAh battery, it flatlines, and the hardware crashes and refuses to start up again. I've brought this up in the Meshtastic Discourse, and the solar panel channel folks UTTERLY DENY that the problem is rak's. "Oh, it's the chip maker's problem." So effing what? Rak chose to use it.
~2Watts
I can't be bothered with Meshtastic anymore. No decent conversations.
?
Bye