Meshtastic Solar Station

The second version of the solar-powered Meshtastic station for ⌀34 mm and ⌀40 mm antenna brackets.
12h 19m
5× print file
0.20 mm
0.40 mm
161.00 g
16
12
0
283
updated November 6, 2024

Description

PDF

I released the first version of the Meshtastic router station in March 2024. Since then, I learned a lot, designed my own Meshtastic motherboard PCB, and completely changed my original design. The result is this second version.

Why another version? Because I wasn't satisfied with my first Meshtastic router. The previous solar panel I used had low power output, the firmware running on RAK19007+RAK4631 would "freeze" almost every other week and the only solution was a restart (which meant a trip to the roof), and the power supply/charging system wasn't well designed.

The RAK19007 board with the RAK4631 module, which I used in my first router, is supposed to be powered by a solar panel, but it lacks MPPT and is limited to a voltage of 5.5V or less. In practice, this means that some kind of solar MPPT charger for batteries must be added to this setup.

When I started gathering components for this second version of the Meshtastic station, I realized that it would be simpler and more practical to design my own electronics with integrated MPPT and a charger (text in Czech) for various types of batteries (Li-Ion, LiFePo, LTO, …). And that's how my new motherboard and this design for Meshtastic were created.

The new electronics allowed me to use a larger and more powerful solar panel, so I went for a complete redesign, and this is the result. Documentation and photos of the build are available on my website (text in Czech language).

The station is designed to fit on top of an antenna bracket with a diameter of ⌀34 mm or ⌀40 mm. Make sure you choose the correct files to print.

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The author marked this model as their own original creation.

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