Cheapest node so far

Got shadow banned by github :frowning:
pushed it to gitlab:

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Weird!

With the PCB USB Type-A assume in intended for specific thickness of PCB? from memory 2.2mm.

Is that what you used? Uploading the Gerber to JLCPCB, selects 1.6, but dont know if that intentional or just their default.

the thickness of he PCB would technically be changing the length of the lora antenna. Or is it not that accurately tuned? Long term I guess would be trying to tune it with a nano-vna or similar (dont have one yet!)

Banned for what? itā€™s not a detonator :smiley:

Any PCB antenna needs tuning for max effect,
cut the trace to the MCU, solder on coax to SMA cable, plug into VNA.
Would need LCL pi for tuning components, but thatā€™s an advanced topic.

Looks good, do like the ability of being able to plug the board directly into a USB socket.

You may have PCB space between the WiFi PCB antenna and the 4 pin 0.1" I2C header for an I2C QWIIC connector.

Sparkfun do a large range of QWIIC boards and with that connector its easy to add GPSs, Sensors, displays etc.

https://www.sparkfun.com/qwiic

I got shadow banned by Reddit.

Took me ages to spot it, I could post messages and could see them, but no-one else could.

I never received a notification of the ā€˜banā€™ and when I raised it with Reddit support the autobot said the ban stood, but no reason was given.

Its designed for 1.6mm boards. I need to add that to the docu
The board is just roughly tuned. Dont know how consistent the pcbs will be.
To get the best antenna, an external should be used.

Thats a good idea for the next iteration

I only saw your design last night, but it looks really good, and definitely much better than anything I have come up with so far.

Just a quick note: the Gerber file in your downloads is actually just the Kicad files again. It wasnā€™t a problem - I could easily export them to check that they do indeed cost $3.20 lead-free from JLC - but others might struggle.

Anyway, I normally hang out on the Discord, but seeing this reminds me that I should come back here more often.

Thereā€™s a thread dedicated to DIY nodes on the Discord, and weā€™ve cooked up some interesting designs.

Iā€™ve also designed something along the lines youā€™re suggesting, and Iā€™ve managed to squeeze it into a small packageā€¦

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Just been trying the CN3163.

Been working on a node PCB for the HT-CT62.

Its designed for solar panel charging and it does that well enough.

Also accepts charge from a 5V input. Charge current can be set and you can if you want fit a thermistor to turn charge off when its too hot or cold. In an 8pin SOIC, seems ideal. Got 10 for about Ā£3.50 from Ali.

awesome, where can i find this DIY thread?

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Meshtastic discord - Discord

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Hi, sorry for coming in late to the topic, as far as I can see the 32k oscillator isnā€™t required, right?
I ordered too some HT CT62 but I was wondering if the external oscillator was required as on the reference design on heltec page I can see a 32 khz oscillator on pin 9 and 10.
Can you confirm it is working even without it? Do you know why they put it in the first place?

Another question, is the serial through native USB working? It would be amazing to use this chip without an external USB to serial converter
Thanks!

I have started working on Bluepill + HT-RA62 + buck converter, just as a repeater, a lot easier to debug/develop than ESP32s.
Can be a lot smaller if it works.

I couldnā€™t find cheaper SX1262 module for 868 :frowning:

About pcb antennas

Hello @paulhausk, thanks to share your design about HT-CT62 !

I checked your design and I guess I found the issue about USB.
Data+/Data- were inverted.
I made changes on schematics and PCB, the merge request is here :

I believe itā€™s only to get more precise RTC but optional. Not 100% sure for now, Iā€™ll receive my HT-CT62 arround 07/15. Also I hope I fixed the USB issue but my comment is hidden for the moment because it includes a link and is under manual verification.

Ebyte E78 (ASR6601) is likely the least expensive (5 USD) ARM Cortex-M33F + Semtech SX1262 Combo on the market.

Ebyte E77 (STM32WLE5) is also an inexpensive option to choose from. It is a combo of STM32L4 Cortex-M4F core with Semtech SX1262 sub-1GHz radio.

We use up to eight of these modules to implement a multiprotocol operation in the Octave Concept

@babydoll @Linar
Thanks to share these ideas.

For the Ebyte E78, Iā€™m not sure meshtastic can run with 16kB RAM & 128kB flashā€¦

STM32 are not officially supported to run meshtastic. Apparentlty there is a way to build a firmware without filesystem and itā€™s needed to edit source code according to your desired parameters. Did you already managed to run it this way as a repeater for example ?

Hey All,

I want to throw this new IC into the game:

Itā€™s a solar charge controller with some very nice features:

  • Super low BOM
  • 4-17V solar input voltage
  • Controlled charging for 1-Cell LiPos
  • Bunch of safety features.

And: Itā€™s cheap. Costs less than $2 if you buy 1pcs.

Combine that with a ultra low power LDO (NCP163ASN330T1G, XC6206P332MR-G) and the setup is complete.