LWC Meshtastic "BEACON" rugged, waterproof** GPS outdoor node
Description
PDFUPFRONT!
I created a Discord channel for my Thermal vision builds but will add a #meshtastic channel there as well in case you have questions or problems. Please remain to the meshtastic channel for all sort of questions as all the other channels are ONLY for my thermal builds!
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The “Beacon” is an extremely robust rugged outdoor node that can take quite the beating.
It is powered by a single 18650 lithium Ion cell , A TP4056 Charging Board (including a BMS). a waterproof Magnetic Pogo pin connector for charging, a Heltec T114 system board, AGM336H GPS module, a self designed waterproof magnetic Reed contact switch ( so you can turn GPS on and off even under water if you want too!
It was specific designed to hold a gizont antenna for max stability and being waterproof**! (but it can take any other SMA antenna with the same size in diameter)
The inside cage holding the battery, GPS module, Main power on/off switch and the T114 is removable.
For it to be 100% waterproof you have to use some fluid able silicone / epoxy or similar pourable mold in the top cap after mounting the SMA connector, GPS antenna, Reed switch and magnetic pogo pin connector inside. ( check pictures) You also need to print some parts in TPU, like all the sealings.
**It is (can be) waterproof to the depth of 1 feet (tested for 45 Minutes) but my designs follows no ISO norms/ certification etc. so I will give no guarantee there! It really depends about the print quality, and how you mold the top cap!! It of course could be fine in even deeper water but I did not test that. The “Beacon” does NOT float, if you want it to you have to connect it to some floating device!
The used capsule model is an actual “TANK” it can take a lot of abuse! Printed with 1.6mm outer wall diameter and 50% infill this thing is almost unbreakable! I did not drive over it yet with an actual tank, but it should do very nice in a rough environment.
The magnetic Reed switch I am very proud of! with it you can deactivate GPS even under water as it is completely isolated from an actual mechanical switch that would need another hole in the housing. When you mount the Reed switch on the inside with some epoxy make sure that both magnet positions work as intended! I used a multimeter to do some continuity test to check when the reed switch turns on/off and move it gently in the correcting position as long the epoxy is still soft!
To give me all the needed space I could get, I removed the GPS JST connector socket from the T114s PCB with hotair, I also removed the USB C socket on the TP4056 PCB which I then mounted on the T114s underside with double sided foam tape, that way I Isolated it from the T114s PCB in terms of thermal and electric! fits perfectly.
The ATGM 336H GPS board I then directly soldered to the pins on the T114s PCB GPS connector.
Use the hex Key to tighten the SMA connector from the inside, also dont forget to use of of the sealing rings printend in TPU on the SMA connector before you lead it through the hole, on the other side use one of the hex sealings before you screw the nut on!
Once you fixed all the parts into position in the top cap with a bit of epoxy ( Pogo pin, gps antenna, reed switch, SMA connector, pour in the silicone, epoxy. DONT fill in to much or you wont be able to slide the cage holding the T114, battery , gps board etc. all the way in. If you overfill it you wont be able to close the capsule up as intended!!
Once you place the cage in the top part check for clearance once the capsule is closed up, if there is some space left between the end of the battery and the case, use some double sided foam tape to close the gap, we dont want the cage to have movement. ( check pictures) Also leave the peel on the double sided tape facing the capsule so it can slide along when the capsule is closed.
For charging over the magnetic Pogo Pin connectors I simply used a 5 volt power supply and connected the two wires to the 2 most outer pins. Make sure you dont mix it up, you dont want connect minus to plus and vise versa!!
To improve on shock resistance you can place a thin layer of foam sheet on the outer wall of the capsule, same goes for the bottom side ( if you havent already applied some double sided foam sticky tape to the back of the battery like already mentioned).
Parts needed:
Power supply: (5volts, Plug type Region dependent, 1Amp):
SMA Ipex cable: SMA Female 5CM ( middle par can be unscrewed use some screw glue to make it water tight)
GIZONT antenna: (868MHZ/915MHZ)
GPS Module:
Epoxy sculpt: (or any other suitable epoxy)
ApoxieSculpt 1 Lb. Schwarz, 2 Produkt in 2 Teilen (A & B): Amazon.de: Küche, Haushalt & Wohnen
Reed Switch:
Neodymium Magnet:
Magnetic Pogo pin connector: 5 pin straight
TP4056 with BMS:
Heltec T114 REV2!!:
Epoxy fluid able:
Main Power switch:
10pcs ss12f15 ss12f15vg4 Kippschalter 3pin 1 p2t Schiebe schalter Griff hoch 4mm - AliExpress 13
Tags
Model origin
The author remixed this model.
Differences of the remix compared to the original
I modified the capsule so I can fit all the needed components inside, including changing size scaling.
