5panel.dance

I've got a few nodes set up here and there to serve different purposes, and I'll be talking about the hardware a little bit here! None of it is anything super fancy, but I think it's neat!

Only a couple of my nodes have location information set, and they're all specific coordinates entered by hand with accuracy turned wayyyyy down for privacy reasons. Any maps my nodes may show up in do not reflect anywhere near their actual location, and are for extremely-vague-range-test-reference-number reasons only!

My primary EDC node is a super low-cost nRF52 fakeTec node, based on a clone nice!nano MCU coupled with an SX1262 HT-RA62 module. It's got a GY-GPS6MV2 module for location and a rotary encoder for quickly firing off canned messages, all house in Timurey's modification of slabua's Heltec LoRa32 V3 case. With the GPS disabled, it'll run roughly a week on battery power alone, using an 1100mAh battery from MakerFocus.

This node tends to stay in my pocket or bag most of the time! While I'm at work I'll have it up high on a shelf for better reception.

The antenna installed on this thing is weird. It's a REALLY good antenna, and I get far better reception with it than any other antenna I've bought, but I don't know where it's from! A friend of mine has an undle who was getting rid of a big ol' box of LoRa-spec antennas, and there were a few small articulating omnidirectional antennas in there that seemed like good fits. They were all unlabelled, but in good shape, and I figured it would be worth testing them out. After picking up a dozen new nodes I couldn't see before, as well as a handful of unexpected messages, I think it's fair to say they're pretty solid!

At home, I keep a Heltec V3 running, hooked up to my PC at all times, connected to SpudGunMan's "MeshingAround" bot/BBS script. This node serves a fully functional bulletin board where local users can submit and retrieve messages, play some basic text-based games, perform signal strength tests, check the weather, and more! Most of the script's original features are enabled, save for US-specific alert systems, and any AI functionality. Personally, not a fan, lol. It also provides data to the global MeshSense map!

This node is hooked up to the same kind of antenna my EDC node uses.

Willem DaFit is my car node - another Heltec V3 that currently lives inside my Honda Fit as a mobile base station. I have plans to install a solar panel and a proper antenna outside of the vehicle, but right now, it's just plugged into my head unit over USB and sits in one of those suction cup phone stands. It helps a ton when I'm on the go or at work, especially if I park higher up in a parkade or something where there's better reception.

This node is currently hooked up to the same kind of antenna my EDC node uses.

I've been slowly but steadily putting together a solar node setup, with the most affordable parts I can find. It's still a major work in progress, so if you're reading this paragraph as-is, it's probably not totally accurate anymore! What I can say for certain won't change, though, is that the radio hardware is extremely similar to my EDC node. It runs on an nRF52 fakeTec and SX1262 HT-RA62 module combo again, with a BME280 temperature/humidity sensor, and this particular cheap 5v regulated solar panel from AliExpress. To keep it weatherproof, I used an SMA pigtail connector I had laying around which I previously bought by mistake for a portable node. The base was way too large to fit the shell, but that's because it has a rubber o-ring built in! Perfect for drilling into the side of a plastic box. However, for the next revision I'm moving to an N-female connector instead, which is a bit more fit for outdoor use.

The antenna I plan to use with the new N-female connector is an ALFA AOA-915-5ACM, which I'm still waiting on as of writing this. However, it's currently using this particular articulating antenna I found on AliExpress. It's not amazing, and if you want a cheap antenna from AliExpress you're probably better off with a GIZONT whip antenna, but I made the (regrettable) decision to mount the SMA connector on the side of the box, forcing me to bend it up at a 90 degree angle.