I have deployed a new remote solar node that uses the Wisblock Unify outdoor enclosure:
I describe the design in detail in the following posts:
Here is a newly-released Wisblock enclosure that can be used to create a solar-powered, autonomous Meshtastic node:
I recommend that you order it from AliExpress instead. Shipping from the RAK wireless store is slow, unreliable, and expensive.
One possible solar charge controller to use with the solar panel is:
However, there are better alternatives. That controller uses the TP4054 charge-controller chip, which has two major disadvantages:
First, it has an inadequate power rating. The…
This enclosure has two recommended ways of mounting on a vertical mast: either vertically or horizontally. These options are highly suboptimal in most applications. You can collect more energy by mounting the box at an orientation that is determined by geophysical location.
One possible exception is when the box is deployed in a location with heavy shade, like in a tree. A vertical mounting might actually be best in this case. But out in full sun, mounting at an acute angle is likely to b…
Lithium batteries have a commonly-specified discharge ambient temperature range of -30°C to 80°C (-22°F to 176°F), and an optimal discharge temperature range of -10°C to 50°C (14°F to 122°F). However, lithium batteries should not be charged with ambient temperatures below 0°C / 32°F. Charging a lithium battery when it is below freezing can damage the battery, and reduce its lifetime.
There are lithium battery models that are designed to operate at lower temperatures, but unfortunately, the low…
The WisBlock Unify Outdoor Enclosure can come with pre-mounted M8 5-Pin and RP-SMA antenna IP-Rated connectors. You may not want to employ these connectors.
You will likely want to use an external antenna, and route an antenna cable to inside the WisBlock Unify Outdoor Enclosure. However, instead of using a connector on the box, you should consider using feed-through cable gland instead. Connectors are notoriously unreliable and lossy, so minimizing the number of connectors is helpful.
You …
I purchased a Wisblock Unify Outdoor Enclosure (Unify Enclosure IP67 150x100x45mm with pre-mounted M8 5 Pin and RP-SMA ) which I plan to deploy as a stand-alone, solar-powered unit on a vertical mast. But first, I did some unit testing on a product sample.
The PV panel provided with the enclosure is the HX-140X90. At 25°C, the specified open-circuit voltage (Voc) of this model at 1000 W/m^2 irradiance is 6.1V. I measured the Voc myself on a product sample in bright sun at 25°C, and I measured…
MPPT (Maximum Power-Point Tracking) is a process that provides the maximum-possible energy transfer from the PV panel to the battery. (See Maximum power point tracking - Wikipedia ) You can think of MPPT as being an impedance-matching process. MPPT adjusts the load to match the output impedance of the PV panel. The output impedance of a PV panel is higher at low irradiance than at high irradiance, so the load impedance is increased at low irradiance by MPPT to compensate.
The CN3165 charge…
Super design. Does it re-start when battery goes flat?
What is the component shown below?
That is the XB8089D0 battery-protection device.
If you allow the supply voltage to the nRF52840 to drop below 1.7V, it will lock up. Even if you then raise the supply voltage above 1.7V, it will not recover. You will have to physically reset the device.
By adding this protection device, you should never need to open the box to reset the processor. Even if the battery is completely drained.
I consider this in more detail here:
Lithium batteries have a commonly-specified discharge ambient temperature range of -30°C to 80°C (-22°F to 176°F), and an optimal discharge temperature range of -10°C to 50°C (14°F to 122°F). However, lithium batteries should not be charged with ambient temperatures below 0°C / 32°F. Charging a lithium battery when it is below freezing can damage the battery, and reduce its lifetime.
There are lithium battery models that are designed to operate at lower temperatures, but unfortunately, the low…
