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Best option for low cost reliable solar node (leaf.dance)
submitted 8 months ago by to c/meshtastic@mander.xyz
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I'm on a budget and i'm looking to mount a node on a pole in my back yard. I have access to a 3d printer, i have soldering skills, and i'm okay with buying individual components and assembling them myself. I'd like it to look nice but it doesn't have to if that keeps costs down.

The first goal is reliability, i won't be able to easily access it once it's up. The second goal is cheap, i'm on a fairly tight budget. It's possible the device might be in wifi range where it's mounted so that would be a nice bonus.

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[–] 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Some people buy a cheap solar-powered led-spotlight for the garden. I got one for arount 8€ from aliexpress. Already water-thight, with a solar module and a battery.

Then, add something similar to a heltec t114. It's a bit more expensive than a heltec v3, but can actually be driven with a puny solar module from the garden light.

You'll also need to drill a hole for the antenna into the enclosure and seal it with silicone.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago (1 child)

    Can you advise what region you live in and where you place the node? I would imagine a lot of places wouldn't be able to sustain a board on a garden lamp solar panel due to weather conditions and latitude.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

    I haven't tested it yet in the field, but according to my USB-measurement device, a heltec t114 used less than a milliwatt (about 50uA at 5V => 0.25mW).

    According to a web search I did, the worst you can expect for a cheap solar module is about 10W/m^2. For a small panel with 3cm x 5cm, that's 161mW.

    So, I think it should suffice. But maybe I should solder a bit and actually test my solar-node.

    Put I'm hardly the first one to try this.

    Edit: So, apparently, 50uA is a bit too optimisic. But some guy on youtube measured it at at 20mA worst case on 3.7V. That's still 74mW.

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