Encrypted Comms - Part 2 - DIY Solar WisBlock with Meshtastic

[@natecus4926]

Awesome build! It may be a good idea to rough the lid up with some sandpaper to help the adhesive stick better.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Thank you! That is a good idea!

[@innercityprepper]

yeah and/or give it some crosshatch scarring with a dremel sanding bit so it can really bite in. On my build I'm using a solar panel that has a tripod screw mount built into it so I'm actually mechanically attaching it to the case as well as adhesive/sealant.

[@BobBob-il2ku]

$166 plus tax if you don’t need to buy any of the tools if your building more than one it will be cheaper cause the $166 price has a couple items with extras

[@The_Comms_Channel]

What is $166?

[@BobBob-il2ku]

@@The_Comms_Channel that was building a single unit off the links you provided figured someone else might want to know

[@ngpeters]

Your channel is amazing… this will take off! Amazing vid!

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Glad you're enjoying the channel! Thank you!

[@FalconWing1813]

Well done and thanks for showing how to do this. Seems like a fun project to do this winter.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Sure thing! I'm glad you found it helpful. Meshtastic has been a lot of fun to use. More projects coming soon too!

[@user-ly5yn9ly8r]

Thanks!

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Thank you so much for the support!

[@LoneWolf0648]

This is a much better design than just about every other lora box, most of those are a clear box with a T beam and solar battery bank tossed in. I wonder how hard would it be to make a lora handheld with something like a little bluetooth keyboard and basic display. a fully enclosed system in something the size of a walkie talkie.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Thanks! I've been really happy with this setup for the past 3-4 months I've been using it. This "Meshenger" device looks pretty cool and similar type setup to what you're mentioning. www.etsy.com/listing/1390142667/meshenger-standalone-device-for?show_sold_out_detail=1

[@The_Comms_Channel]

I just realized some links were missing! Here they are in case you're planning on building this: Enclosure: amzn.to/44usDKK RAK Wireless Solar Connector Cables: store.rokland.com/collections/rakwireless-products/products/rak-wireless-solar-connector-cables-solar-wires-5pcs-pid-910116 RAK Wireless Battery Connector Cables Battery Wires: store.rokland.com/collections/rakwireless-products/products/rak-wireless-battery-connector-cables-battery-wires-5pcs-for-pid-910115

[@philandsarahc.2306]

would recommend heat shrinkable solder splices for putting together USB solar power cable.

[@aGunpilot]

The two pack Lora antenna is no longer available on amazon.. do you have a recommendation on a replacement? Great job on Video !!!!

[@MontieOutside]

Thanks so much for doing this video

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Sure thing! I'm glad you're finding the videos helpful!

[@ozonepat]

Nice video! I understand you are happy with current solar output. Just a suggestion, but if you do a version with an inclined mount for a solar panel, so the panel is positioned at maybe 30 degrees from horizontal rather than vertical, you would likely be able to use a much smaller panel and still get the same output as the larger vertically oriented panel. It would also be able to produce a bit more on overcast days since it will be better positioned to absorb more of the sun's energy.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Thank you! Check out my latest video where I've done this. It's still the same panel though

[@ozonepat]

Thanks much for the reply! One thing I forgot to add was my motivation for using a smaller panel. I live in an area that can be fairly windy, especially in the fall and winter. Using a smaller panel will reduce the size of the flat-plate/sail area exposed to the wind, so a breezy day will not be able to exert as much force on the panel and the box it is attached to.@@The_Comms_Channel

[@km4lkx497]

One thing to note, type N connectors have a built in gasket to seal the male and female pins from the elements. Albeit, not permanently. But with SMA this is not present as SMA is designed to be used indoors. A proper weather seal should be applied to the connector, IMO.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Fair point. N is definitely preferred, but not super budget friendly which is why I provide links to both options. SO-239 isn't waterproof like N connectors and is widely used outdoors but steps can be taken for both of course to help waterproof them like Coax-Seal.

[@masondawson4061]

Thanks for all of your videos in general. They are really helpful, and easy to understand. I built a node similar to yours, and am confused about something. I see on the datasheet it says it supports solar charging. I saw in a discussion a solar panel will act as a power supply when there is enough electricity being supplied. So I got from that the panel won't actually charge your batteries. I put my node up yesterday, and the charge has only gone down a little. I am only using a 2W panel. Are the batteries supposed to be able to charge from the panel, or does a panel just extend the time between charges by running the node when it can?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

The panel will charge the batteries. We have a number of them running for over a year without having to touch them.

[@JD-ub3sk]

I'm going to do this project but am hoping someone can answer a question I have. I currently have a Lora antenna for Helium. If I install a second lora antenna for use with Meshtastic will they interfere with each other. I'm assuming Meshtastic uses a different area of the 915 spectrum but not positive? Also thanks for the great detailed video will be buying some coffee for you when I get it going, your channel is awesome.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

The default Meshtastic frequency is 906.875 and the closest Helium frequency is 905.3 CH15). I think they're far enough apart, but CH8 is even further away (903.9) if you can change the channel you're on (I'm not familiar with Helium) I have a new version of the solar build coming soon so stay tuned for that!

[@ClarenceDeMars3]

given its in a remote enclosed box adding a supported temp/humidity sensor would be a good idea if nothing else then to gauge how harsh it is on your batteries in the summer/winter. make sure it is compatible. the wis ones are pricey so i will be soldering a BME680 on the solder pads for sensor1 one the top of the board

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Did you purchase the battery holder separate? It doesn’t look like it comes with the wisebase mount.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Mine came with the WisBase mount. Did you order from Rokland? if so, I would let them know. The page on their site says the following: Package Inclusion: Enclosure Battery holder Assembly screws and standoffs

[@BobBob-il2ku]

@@The_Comms_Channel thanks I see now it just didn’t show it in the pictures

[@BobBob-il2ku]

How are you addressing charging below 32 degrees Fahrenheit? Lithium’s will be damaged if it charges below that tempature

[@The_Comms_Channel]

The average temp here is upper 30s in the winter. This is a good concern though, thank you for bringing it up.

[@UntelevisedRevolution]

Wondering if some sort of insulation inside the enclosure could aid in keeping the battery warmer?

[@AGeekNamedRoss]

Great set of videos. Do you know if the USB-C port will charge the battery? I'm thinking that it may be easier to come off of the solar panel into the USB-C since the panel is already USB. Just use some adapters (unless there's an electronic reason not to).

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Thanks! You can use the USB port on the WisBlock to charge the battery. As far as charging via USB with the solar panel, it will stop charging as soon as there's not enough light (clouds, night time, ect.) and won't resume charging until it's unplugged and plugged back in. Phones charging with most solar panels via USB have this issue as well. The solution to this is to use the solar port on the device. The WisBlocks have a built-in solar charge controller that handles these changes in voltage.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Be sure to only use 5v panels on these WisBlock devices as well. 12v will fry the device unless you use a board they make called the Green Power Module that converts 2v-36v to 5v

[@Hambone556]

I have a weird issue going on. Followed step by step but when I connect the battery I get 1 bright green led flash then the rest are super dim, no red light either

[@Hambone556]

Never mind me lol... even though it doesn't look like the normal bright green led, it connected to the app just fine. Not sure why it's doing this though? Fully charged battery

[@RyanFurnish]

Would this be possible with the T-echo?

[@KiLLaDaTa]

Tested swr on the Amazon antennae listed, 4 of them all had good swr until you bend them, which was expected

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Good to know! Definitely hard to find antennas that are good when bent.

[@kg4gav]

I have a basic Meshtastic question. Are all Meshtastic networks independent, or do they automatically join and extend other networks? For example, if Bob across town has a network of nodes with sensors and repeaters monitoring his farm land, and I install some nodes of my own, will my equipment automatically utilize his network to expand the footprint for both of us without either having to know the other network even exists? I won't see his sensors, and he won't see mine, but the network overall will grow? Is that how this is designed to work?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Great question! This will be covered more in-depth in a later video. They start off with a default channel number and LoRa preset when you set it up. If you make no changes and Bob is also on the defaults, then you will link up with his network. If you want your own private network, you can change from the defaults to whatever you like on your nodes and set up your own encryption. If you set up a repeater node with the same LoRa preset/Channel number as your nodes and Bobs nodes, then you both can use the repeater, even if you both have your own encrypted channels. Repeaters will repeat anyone's encrypted traffic as long as they're on the same LoRa preset & channel number.

[@kg4gav]

@@The_Comms_Channel Thanks for taking time to explain this, it makes perfect sense. I's binge watching your videos and look forward to your future ones. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

@@kg4gav Sure thing! More to come soon!

[@millbean13]

Question: I half watched/listened while driving so I may have missed it but did you only drill one hole for the regular antenna? Do you not need another hole to route the BLE antenna outside of the enclosure? I know it’s meant to be a base station but don’t you still want to be able to walk up to the pole while it’s mounted however far above you and connected to be phone to it to change settings if needed? Will you still be able to connect to the Bluetooth with the antenna inside the box?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

For my setup, I just drill the one hole for the LoRa antenna. For Bluetooth, I use the stock antenna and keep it inside the enclosure. The Bluetooth range on the WisBlock is awesome and I'm able to pick it up throughout my house. If you do have trouble picking it up, you can drill another hole for an external Bluetooth antenna if needed, but I suspect you'll be able to get by with the stock antenna.

[@millbean13]

@@The_Comms_Channel ok perfect, thanks. One more quick thing. I bought the starter kit you suggested from Rokland but I couldn’t tell if it came with a Bluetooth antenna or not. Did one come with it when you got yours?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

@@millbean13 Yep, they should all come with a basic LoRa and Bluetooth antenna.

[@mediocreman2]

I still can't find one person on youtube or the web that explains how the different components connect together. Do I need to solder an OLED, or a temp sensor? How do I connect the core to the base board? These are ground zero concepts, but instead people are skipping ahead to solar installs, etc. This hobby will have a hard time becoming more popular at this point.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

I did a whole video on this

[@HouseholdDog]

Do you think you could reduce the size of the solar panel?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

This is the only decent inexpensive one I've been able to find. It's important that the solar panel doesn't output more than 5.5v or else it will fry the board and this one has been a favorite of the community

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Have you seen the newpowa 5 watt panel it’s about double the price of the panel you used but it looks very high quality

[@The_Comms_Channel]

I have one, but have not messed with it yet. Definitely a solid panel from what I can tell so far though!

[@KlineFilms]

On your V2 of the solar build, are you saying there is no or not enough performance value to spring for the TAOGLAS antenna and attendant connector, vs just using the amazon antenna? As such don't spring for the TAOGLAS?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

The TAOGLAS is great, but I found a good similar sized antenna for cheaper that V2 will use. The problem with most N-Connector antennas is they're usually too large mount to the enclosure.

[@KlineFilms]

@@The_Comms_Channel So there are no performance benefits in using the TAOGLAS? The specs say it is a 1.54dBi gain @ 915MHz while the Amazon one claims a 5dBi gain on the sticker. Per your antenna video... will the cheaper one reach farther... but if it is up higher (say 450ft up a tower) would the there be a large dead zone directly under the tower? Or is there really not much difference between 1.5 and 5? (If those are the only differences). Someone on the Meshtastic Discord seemed to think a lower dBi antenna (like ~2dBi) would be better on a tower than a high dBi antenna. I don't know enough to say one way or the other... Sorry still learning. : )

[@The_Comms_Channel]

I would recommend lower for an antenna tower. Now when you mentioned V2, I thought you were referring to my upcoming version I'll be posting about this week. The Amazon antenna says 5 dBi but a lot of times that number is inflated. It's hard to test for without proper equipment though. The antenna on the upcoming version is similar to the Taoglas, but cheaper

[@ivan_grimm]

Is it possible to build this emp proof ? I’m a newbie but planing on building a couple of them. 😊

[@The_Comms_Channel]

This would be difficult to build emp proof. The best thing would be to put the radios themselves in a DIY emp proof ammo-can and put them in there for safe-keeping in the event they're needed. There's a number of videos showing how to make one and is what I plan on doing. Here's a link to one of the videos kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKSbdKOBa6tqi68si=ciIXU9ZkBJ4O9KT3

[@MichaelBurko]

Do you think this solar panel will be able to handle the T-Beam? I have a few extras lying around and would like to use them as routers.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

ESP32 devices aren't good for solar setups. They last about 1 day on an 18650 battery and the WisBlock which is NRF52 based lasts about a week and a half on an 18650. If you get a couple of cloudy days, you'll run out of battery using a T-Beam

[@Liberty4Ever]

Any idea what kind of range you're getting with the 5 dBi SMA antenna? I'm designing an off grid comms solution for my family and my brother is 3 miles west and my sister is 3 miles east, relatively flat suburban environment. I'd like to 3D print a custom enclosure with the indoor antenna inside a 0.9 mm thick plastic radome on top of the enclosure.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

That sounds doable. I'm in the mountains, so my range will be very different. I've gotten 30+ miles with it, but from a device at high elevation.

[@Liberty4Ever]

@@The_Comms_Channel - I ordered 8.5 dBi antennas from Rokland yesterday and they shipped today. Barring Meshtastic practical experience and having a lot of general experience that I should have used more antenna, I maxed out on antenna. I'm an amateur radio operator and I'm feeling techno-guilt over spending $154 instead of building my own nearly free antennas.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

@@Liberty4Ever Nothing wrong with building your own! I may do a video on it at some point as a number of people have requested it. I made a turnstile satcom antenna a while back and it was a lot of fun. With the price of a nanovna, it's totally in the realm of possibility to make and test your own.

[@user-RADIO-BADGER]

Great info.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Glad it was helpful!

[@503Nick]

Great video

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@The_Comms_Channel]

I just realized some links were missing! Here they are in case you're planning on building this: Enclosure: amzn.to/44usDKK RAK Wireless Solar Connector Cables: store.rokland.com/collections/rakwireless-products/products/rak-wireless-solar-connector-cables-solar-wires-5pcs-pid-910116 RAK Wireless Battery Connector Cables Battery Wires: store.rokland.com/collections/rakwireless-products/products/rak-wireless-battery-connector-cables-battery-wires-5pcs-for-pid-910115

[@503Nick]

@@The_Comms_Channel I do plan on building several to go up on ham radio towers around the area. But it will be a few months before I can

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Awesome! Let me know how it goes!

[@icepoof]

Need antennas. looking for something with the same small form factor. The others I've seen are all massive if not sold on Amazon.

[@CREWorxMedia]

Once again, great video! So I got the wisblock kit 2 that comes with same board, housing box and little solar panel that goes on the box. However, looks like the battery connected on the board (looks exactly like yours) had polarity reversed so I had to reverse +/- on battery leads to get it to power… however does not look like board directs solar connection (battery not charging). Could it be that flashing board with meshtastic firmware is having effect on how wisblock is operating/behaving…? Wonder if you came across this issue?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

I've not come across this issue. Is the polarity on the solar cable correct?

[@monkeysausageclub]

Is the solar enough to power this in the deepest darkest of winters?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

We've had good luck with them. A single 2600mAh 18650 battery should get you around a week and a half. You can add more if you need more time.

[@catalinalb1722]

Hi, this hardware can be used as a TTN Gateway?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Not sure if WisBlock can be used as a gateway. I'm not super familiar with TTN. These are running Meshtastic.

[@joelgobeh7343]

Hi! Is it possible to have an energy meter sensor as the input and have that information transmitted in mesh network to a centralized hub where it gets uploaded to a cloud?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Meshtastic sends battery level telemetry over the mesh network. Monitoring the solar stuff could probably be done with a sensor connected to a Raspberry Pi and using MQTT, but that may make things overly complicated to make it worth it.

[@joelgobeh7343]

My bad. I am speaking about using sensors to obtain customer energy consumption information from a distributed network, which will be send to the utility platform. I am from Liberia and we have a serious problem with electricity theft, which leads to commercial losses. I intend to use sensors and LoRa technology to monitor and track consumers consumption

[@MontieOutside]

Are you going to do a video showing how to setup the software as a repeater?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Yep! I'll be doing a whole series on Meshtastic and the various configuration options.

[@jordanjsell]

How do you know you need to worry about battery polarity? 😆Ask me how I know not to turn on 120V to a circuit with a wire tracer still connected. But seriously, thank you for this video. I was wondering what the second antenna was for with these Rak devices before I went ahead and ordered antennas. Don't know how I missed that it's the Bluetooth antenna

[@The_Comms_Channel]

I bet that fried it up pretty good 😂 I'm glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@dockertonfpv]

Stupid question maybe.. but if you had a T beam, or a t echo, would they be able to use (work with) these as repeaters in the mesh?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Not a stupid question at all! Yes, my thought for these is to use them as mesh repeaters.

[@justinhillpac]

I guess it depends on line of sight and antenna gain, but could I theoretically put this between two houses 10 miles from each other and use two other WisBlock units at each house to communicate? Sorry I’m a newb 😂 I don’t know the practical range

[@The_Comms_Channel]

They are line of sight. Hard for me to say without knowing your location. You can use this map here to check the line of sight between the two locations and see. www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/rf-line-of-sight/ We're able to get 30+ miles, but this is from a mountain. It all depends on your terrain.

[@justinhillpac]

@@The_Comms_Channel awesome thanks!

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Sure thing! Stay tuned for the next version of this build. Video out this week!

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Sure thing! Stay tuned for the next version of this build. Video out this week!

[@wm6697]

Nice job! Do you have a link to the enclosure you used?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Forgot to add that in the description. Thanks for the heads up! Enclosure: amzn.to/44usDKK

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Forgot the cables as well 🤦‍♂️ Those are here if needed: RAK Wireless Solar Connector Cables: store.rokland.com/collections/rakwireless-products/products/rak-wireless-solar-connector-cables-solar-wires-5pcs-pid-910116 RAK Wireless Battery Connector Cables Battery Wires: store.rokland.com/collections/rakwireless-products/products/rak-wireless-battery-connector-cables-battery-wires-5pcs-for-pid-910115

[@Lets-follow-HIM]

Super good video

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Thanks! More to come!

[@IanUnslaved]

This is good 👍

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Look up the rak 19004 green power module (buck boost converter) it has a stable 5V output from a varying input voltage of 2V-36V

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Thanks! Very cool module! I could see this being useful at our remote digipeater site that has a solar panel feeding a 12v battery.

[@BobBob-il2ku]

@@The_Comms_Channel I think it would be helpful on your build you showed here because it will give 5v for more hours of the day & also I believe it’s possible if the battery is more volts than your panel it could drain your battery

[@matutep1]

What is the maximum voltage accepted by the wisblock solar charge controller from a solar panel?

[@The_Comms_Channel]

5V - Here is the datasheet for the RAK19007 docs.rakwireless.com/Product-Categories/WisBlock/RAK19007/Datasheet/#wisblock-base-board-2nd-gen-overview Solar panels that have a USB charge port will generally be 5V at the USB charge port (I would still test with a volt meter to be safe though) and is why I use the Soshine Solar Panel.

[@matutep1]

Thanks!!! The info in the datasheet is clear. And regarding the 2 pins connectors for the battery and the solar panel, they are almost the same shape but different size. One is JST 1.25mm and the bigger one PH 2.0mm? I couldn´t find this info in the datasheet. Sorry I am asking to much questions, I need to be sure what is the part list to purchase. Many thanks in advance!!! @@The_Comms_Channel

[@The_Comms_Channel]

@@matutep1 Sure thing! No worries, feel free to ask as many questions as you need! If you can get the cables from RAK Wireless, that is best as the polarity on the WisBlock is usually different from most alternative cables, so be careful with that if you get one from someone else. Just make sure you look at the polority printed on the board and match. Battery: JST-PH 2.0mm Solar: JST-ZH 1.5mm

[@brianmikus6023]

I'm just exploring this idea for comms on my off grid property that has horrible cell service. When I hunt my wife and I have no way to communicate with each other. This is normally peaceful, but in the event of an emergency, I need something. My property goes over a mountain top. If I want to communicate back to the cabin, would having 3 devices be necessary? The property is about 40 acres. I think I understand that I'd need one at the cabin to connect to my wife's phone, one at the top of the mountain, and one with me to connect with my phone. One hop? If this is correct, I think I'd make up 3 portable and just leave one at the top on my way over the mountain.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

If the mountain is between you, then you'd want one up there to reach you on the other side. That is correct, one hop.

[@huntinfit]

I'm having trouble finding the Wireless WisBlock Meshtastic Starter Kit US915. Do you have any links where they are available? Thanks.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Pretty much the only place is going to be direct from RAK Wireless at the moment store.rakwireless.com/products/wisblock-meshtastic-starter-kit?variant=41433735725254 they ship direct from overseas though so it will take 2+ weeks. If you do order direct from them, you can use my code TC2 for 3% off. I imagine Rokland will get some more in soon as well though.

[@huntinfit]

@@The_Comms_Channel Thank you 👊

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Sure thing! Here's an update from Rokland: More of the RAK Meshtastic starter kits came in on January 18th, and sold out on 18th. Everyone who signed up for an in-stock notification had an eight-hour window to complete the purchase. We ordered as many as could be produced and demand is as high as we have ever seen. Good news is, we have over 3x as may coming in at the end of January.

[@kvacken1]

You sound exactly like Birdperson!

[@The_Comms_Channel]

My secret is out

[@andrewscharbarth2099]

I did this a little different on mine and used an N to ipex to skip a step.

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Nice! What antenna are you using?

[@andrewscharbarth2099]

@@The_Comms_Channel Bingfu Lora Antenna 915mhz B09D7K986W

[@andrewscharbarth2099]

@@The_Comms_Channel KZbin apparently removed the link again. TO answer the question I used one of the big high gain 915 mhz antennas off amazon that claims 8dbi

[@MontieOutside]

fyi - I can't save this video to a playlist

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Hmm.. I'm not sure what's up with that. I have no restrictions on the video from what I can tell.

[@TonyLing]

It's such a shame that you are wedded to imperial measurements when discussing a metric product.

[@user-ly5yn9ly8r]

Thanks!

[@The_Comms_Channel]

Thank you so much for the support!