The Ultimate Solar Meshtastic Node Build

I am nearly finished building the ultimate off-grid LoRa Solar Mesh Node. The next step will installation, taking in consideration solar exposure and antenna placement. Check out my new YouTube Channel that focuses on Emergency Communication Solutions @EmCommSolutions

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[The_Comms_Channel]

Thanks for the shout-out! Great build and good ideas on the modifications!

[jaredharvey]

Plan for water getting into your enclosure. Drill small hole in the bottom. Also your wires entering the enclosure are also pipes. Water will follow the wire jacket and into your enclosure right past your strain reliefs. Inside your enclosure put some kind of water break. Don't run wire jacket direct to the PCB instead make sure water can get out of the jacket and down the drain hole before getting to sensitive electronics.

I'm planning to avoid most weather issues by using a clear lid enclosure then put the solar panel inside the enclosure. The panel doesn't need to be that large. I'm trying to find a battery which is less prone to catching fire. I'm tempted to think ultra capacitors.

[evanatkins]

The battery holder is in series, does this matter ?

[brandons]

Hi, could I get build instructions please? Not sure where to plug the solar in, etc. thank you!

[miltoneduardososa]

Cool node! Love it. I suppose it is configured to be a repeater only, right?
Have measured the power consumption?
Does that RAK kit also include UVLO and OVLO to protect the accumulator?

[jdan]

Where did you find the waterproof panel mount entrance fittings for the power and coaxial cabling? I didn't see it in the list of items.

[MichaelBurko]

@RavenwoodAcres, have you encountered any issues with the built-in RAK solar charge controller? @austinmesh mentioned in his recent livestream that he experienced some issues with it, such as it shutting off the RAK or putting it in a "fault" state, requiring a manual reset by pressing the button on the board. He ended up using Voltaic battery.

[spueli]

what is the maximum current the 5V solar input can tolerate?