Cheap Solar Led Hack

[olive citrus]

Also, does the panel have a foam gasket? It should have one that came with it!

If not, you need to grease it up with globs of silicone grease

[rapid canopy]

I didn’t remove the lamp yet. Was leaving it for now but might do that later. It does have the gasket though.

[halcyon violet]

Here are the updated .STLs for the solar node mounting brackets. I'll plan to stick them on Printables etc. in the next couple of days. Good luck and let me know if you run into any issues!

[rapid canopy]

fixed my enclosure and need to test the seal now, but what did you mean about the 'USB wire point'?

I do have one of those USB waterproof mounts that I considered trying to hook up, but. don't think there is enough room and I can just open it up if I need to flash it.

[olive citrus]

Yeah you can do that. You can flash nrf boards over bluetooth too!

[rapid canopy]

I need to look into that

[olive citrus]

I mounted mine on a 40ft steel pole.

If you have an Android, there's an app for it

[rapid canopy]

I don't use one, but I have an older android phone laying around I can use to try it out.

[olive citrus]

Flashing over Bluetooth takes like 5 minutes, and if it's interrupted, you have to open it up and flash manually

[rapid canopy]

I'll try to figure it out before I put it out of reach

looks like it's available for iOS https://meshtastic.org/docs/getting-started/flashing-firmware/nrf52/ota/

[olive citrus]

Test it before putting the node up! Some people have had bad experiences flashing the ota with different apps

[serene goblet]

I've had mixed results..

You have to be patient with it..

[tired rain]

Good thing I brought a screw driver onto the cruise ship

[serene goblet]

They didn't question the node ? or was it packed in luggage ?

[hybrid heath]

Have friends on the Harmony right now.

[tired rain]

@serene gobletdidn't bat an eye. I brought three nodes.

[serene goblet]

Does your solar node cover the entire ship ?

[open coral]

That would be a HUGE node .

[serene goblet]

Not really.. I mean that's what she said.. LOL

[rapid canopy]

which antenna is that?

[tired rain]

@rapid canopy it's the blade antenna from from somewhere. Rak I think

@serene goblet didn't do a bow to Stern test but really depends how much metal in between

[serene goblet]

Ah

[olive citrus]

What went wrong?

[tired rain]

just not enough sun into the window

[lament lodge]

@tired rain What's the max voltage from the solar panel in this model? I was thinking to just dump that power into the RAK B1 solar in, and let the RAK B1 manage the battery. The RAK B1 has a different charge circuit than the RAK19007, and also has low and high temp cutoffs.

[tired rain]

I think it's around 6v open circuit so at full charge the voltage will be pretty high.

[lament lodge]

Hmm... and the B1 says up to 5.5V.

But I assume the voltage from the built-in chip is not going over 4.2-ish volts, and certainly not over 5V... because otherwise it would fry the battery. I wonder if I could use that is RAK solar input and let the RAK manage the battery?

By the way, the current version from Lowes (or at least the one I picked up this week) has an improved gasket that has it's own channel and a plastic piece on the solar cover that impinges on it.

the screw holes still should be sealed up.

[lament lodge]

It's also apparent that they've changed the mounting hardware on my model, so the existing STLs people have created won't work directly.

[olive citrus]

Did you remove the current limiting resistors?

[tired rain]

no i didn't.

@lament lodgegood to know about the new mounting design.

[lament lodge]

I am working up a toothed adaptor for it now...

[halcyon violet]

I accidentally bought one of the spot lights at Lowe's a couple weeks ago (instead of the flood light generally recommended) and it had that style of toothed mounting hardware. Are you sure yours is the same model as the OP?

[hybrid heath]

Those are 60Ls. Not 60 LMs.

I did the same thing.

[halcyon violet]

Yeah pretty sure this is the spot light. It has a different switch and different controller board too. Not sure which is better

[hybrid heath]

You simply bought the wrong light, or the wrong light was marked with the right tag.

The tell tale is the cover on the switch there.

Did it have a 18500 battery instead of an 18650?

[lament lodge]

Oh, I had no idea.

That said, they have an 18650 and what appears to be the same panel and a different (cost optimized?) charger circuit. It’s the same thing but different 😆

Gonna make a basic magnet mount and put it on an electrical box that is behind bushes (but can see the sun) in front of my house (serves me, house next door and the two across the street). The only time the utility services it is … never.

[lament lodge]

For the "60L" (?) I have made a toothed adapter that has an SMA mount (and passes through a pigtail, I am waiting on a 6" pigtail from Amazon), and a base mount. I created mine to use this high strength magnet (that's a BBQ tool holder) that I have several of. I will clean up my OnShape model and post it here before the weekend is out. (and yes, that pigtail goes into solar mount through existing holes, which could be sealed up with your choice of sealer)

I found a gear extension for OnShape that could do the job, counted the number of teeth, and plugged it in and tweaked a couple of settings and boom, good to go.

[lament lodge]

OK, so the CAD is a bit brute forced, I'm not an elegant designer, but I promised I'd share it here so those of you who want to steal some ideas, or remix it, feel free! https://cad.onshape.com/documents/d7341df3a09f4d021b3d3408/w/f663b2531958b5d7538cb638/e/b5d1b01abb755e48fe90a41d?renderMode=0&uiState=67bb84e48b0f840d790bc822

In the wild. It’s not up very high but it’s hiding in plain site on the street.

[olive citrus]

Put teeth on both sides!

[lament lodge]

Why? And what do you mean by both sides?

[olive citrus]

Put teeth on this side too

[olive citrus]

This way they get crushed/deformed and act as a sort of lockwasher

[lament lodge]

there's nothing to interface with them on this side. See the photos.

[south pebble]

Hey, a few months late to reply, no but i could 🙂

just scrolled through the chat - wild to see my original post still helping people 🙂

[tired rain]

oh hey. good to see you again 😉

[south pebble]

I moved and changed jobs - finally getting back in to the hobbies again 🙂

[olive citrus]

I learned what my creative charging mod is called

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIAC

Its a SIDIAC

I guess there's an extra voltage cutoff there for the battery

[brave pecan]

Neat!

[rapid canopy]

Anyone know where I can get a mount like this one or another one that work nicely with the black alfa antenna and the harbor breeze hack?

[rapid canopy]

I did see that was possible. I'll give it a try on the next update.

[tired rain]

that bracket comes with the Rockland antenna

@rapid canopy

If the Alfa is that N-Type mount the this might work #1198011215025283124 message

[rapid canopy]

Yeah, I'll probably give that one a try. In your example in that pic above, are you just attaching the panel to the mast with a zip tie or something?

[tired rain]

Yeah, that was my first install, very janky

[halcyon violet]

FYI my hack job on those mounts was functional but not very professional. Saw this version on Printables recently and it looks like a good option for an N-type too: https://www.printables.com/model/1214804-parametric-harbor-breeze-meshtastic-mounting-arm

[tired rain]

Potting with Goop

[exotic island]

Is this what most people are using? Harbor Breeze 60LM Solar Flood Light 0.6-Watt Black Solar LED Flood Light

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Harbor-Breeze-60LM-Solar-Flood-Light-0-6-Watt-Black-Solar-LED-Flood-Light/1002689960

[halcyon violet]

Yep that's the one!

There are a bunch in the store that look similar so double check the SKU if you want the OG model

[serene goblet]

They have color version that has an 0.8w panel also, but it's like double the price..

[lament lodge]

The RGB one has 2 @ 18500 LiFePO4 (!!!) cells in it. I was thinking of buying one just to check it out ($30 though)

[olive citrus]

The charge controller/led driver on the OG model can do lifepo4 if you lift a pin on the chip

Idk about the new model

[lament lodge]

Has this been documented to help others?

I know that my “OG” model has a different layout charging board than some I’ve seen here but it could be the same chip just a different pcb layout.

[olive citrus]

It's in the documentation of the chip. I translated it a while ago

[olive citrus]

#1198011215025283124 message

The chip is a YX8183

PIN 6 is grounded, ungrounding it switches the chip to Lifepo4 mode

[lament lodge]

I’ll have to see if I have the same chip. If I care enough to change the battery setup.

I’m more likely to repurpose the solar panel as an external panel and separate the battery from the panel. My “OG” set up was already hitting 130F in March weather!

[olive citrus]

I mean, the included battery is a protected 18650 1500mah lithium manganese battery

Those temps shouldn't affect it's lifespan

This study looks at the battery degradation while being stored at 150°C
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/2.0321609jes

[indigo echo]

I think someone mentioned previously (I can't find the reference in this thread) that Lowe's has a color LED solar light with 2 LiPo batteries for $30. I was at Lowe's to buy the $10 solar light and saw the color LED solar light on sale (for "members") for $20.

I bought one and there are indeed 2 LiFePO4 18500 3.2V 1000mAh batteries

[olive citrus]

There's basically no room for the meshtastic board though

[indigo echo]

yeah, unless you 3D print a back cover that is thicker

[quick crest]

slightly more detailed view of the board on the harbor breeze RGB. Working on removing the switch to gain some space inside

[wide stratus]

There’s a white light with the same plastic enclosure as the RGB light. It only comes with 1 18500 but there’s a spot for any. And the charger pcba is much smaller. I’ll get a pic this afternoon. I think it’s also on sale for $10 right now

The og is still the best out of the box solution for the price. I had one running for months before it fell 12ft and cracked the battery holder 😆

[olive citrus]

I highly recommend sticking the bluetooth antenna to the plastic! it increases the range by a fair amount!

The air gap with it being loose like that hurt my box's range

[indigo echo]

on the harbor freeze light, after the soldering etc, should the switch on the back turn on and off the RAK?

[olive citrus]

It depends on what you're referencing

[quick crest]

the original hack at the very start of the thread did not use the switch to control the rak. Check this post for turning the rak off with the switch: #1198011215025283124 message

[indigo echo]

Thanks for the link. Let me check

[indigo echo]

Thank you very much! The switch is working now.

[olive citrus]

My way is easier if you don't want to attach a wire to the trace, but it requires discarding the light

[indigo echo]

can you show me? I already discarded the light, removed 3 resistors and jumped 2 of them

[olive citrus]

Idk what you did there

[indigo echo]

I did @tired rain 's mod that @quick crest linked above. I can turn on and off the RAK using the solar light's switch

[olive citrus]

Then attach and then attach the rak to the led points

I think we are doing the same thing, but at different spots

There is another way to do it, but it requires cutting a trace, and I think you retain the light functionality?

R6 just detects daytime, removing it makes it nighttime forever. R1 and r2 are current limiting resistors.

You can draw more power if you bypass them

[indigo echo]

Cool! I did all that and amazingly it is still working 😄 I need to add the diodes still

[wide stratus]

I just used the RAK power leads to jump the r1 and r2 resistor pads

[olive citrus]

The scottky diodes are 100% optional and halve the battery life in the name of battery longevity

Also allows you to use unprotected cells

Ymmv

[indigo echo]

I see. I think I would trade longevity for longer battery life. One battery is already going to be sketchy for Seattle's cloudy rainy winter

[olive citrus]

The panel is pretty good at charging up the battery, and that driver chip has an emergency cutoff mode

Without the diodes, the battery lasts over a week

With, the battery lasts about 6 days

That's probably about 100ma used a day... But that's also with an i2c temperature sensor

I have just built another, and it's a stealth node...

The battery without diodes takes about 2 days of cloudy weather to fully charge

[olive citrus]

Did you check the button gasket?

[indigo echo]

yes I did. it was mangled. I fixed it

[olive citrus]

Yay! One side or two?

[indigo echo]

2, next to each other. the two sides were stuck together at the corner

[olive citrus]

Also, if you're gonna be dealing with rain, I HIGHLY recommend greasing up the seals with food grade silicone grease. Including the screws

I see you taped the hole... Go to Walmart and get some e6000 glue from the crafts aisle to fill the hole. That tape is not gonna hold that long!

Also consider gluing the pigtail in place

If water gets in, it has a really hard time getting out

[indigo echo]

oh, that wasn't from me

[olive citrus]

Oh

I see

My recommendation still stands!

[indigo echo]

I have not started waterproofing yet. I was thinking about some outdoor silicone goo sealer thing

[olive citrus]

I replaced the black silicone glue on mine with e6000

It's cheap and permanent

And for the silicone grease...

https://a.co/d/953r3bC

We need something chemically inert, and water repellant

We don't want the plastic to absorb it

This works well

[indigo echo]

the e6000 is for covering the screw holes from the outside, and on the metal surface on the antenna? And the e6000 is for closing up the holes from the inside?

[olive citrus]

E6000 is glue

You will probably want to open the box again at some point if a flash fails to access the USB port

[indigo echo]

sorry typos

let me try again

the good grade silicone lube is for covering the screw holes from the outside, and on the metal surface on the antenna? And the e6000 is for closing up the holes from the inside?

[olive citrus]

Hmm

So when I mean screw holes I mean put the grease on the mating surface between the 2 pieces of plastic at the screw hole area

I put some on the outside top of the solar panel, and ice in the winter didn't seem to stick at all

The silicone lube is for the foam gasket on the inside, as well as the inside edge of the solar part, apply lots since it's not conducive

The Bluetooth antenna should have some sort of adhesive on it already, just peel off the protective wax paper plastic

[quick crest]

what is the original purpose of the R1 and R2 resistors?

[olive citrus]

Does this make more sense?

They limit current to the led bulb I believe

Someone explained it a while ago

[indigo echo]

So when I mean screw holes I mean put the ***grease ***on the mating surface between the 2 pieces of plastic at the screw hole area
I put some on the outside top of the solar panel, and ice in the winter didn't seem to stick at all
The silicone lube is for the foam gasket on the inside, as well as the inside edge of the solar part, apply lots since it's not conducive

The grease is not the same as the lube, or they are the same thing (KEZE waterproof food grade silicone lubricant?

[olive citrus]

#1198011215025283124 message

[olive citrus]

Plumbers lube/grease, the one I linked is non-conductive and doesn't absorb into plastic because it's PTFE

Teflon 🙂

[olive citrus]

Don't eat it, wear gloves, it's a forever chemical... But that's a good thing because it won't stop repelling water and it won't break down the plastic

As long as you don't burn it you're safe

[olive citrus]

That's silly.... I love it!

[indigo echo]

The panel and body is attached to the antenna, instead of the other way around

[olive citrus]

I wish I could do that

It'd make my node topheavy though

It's about 42ft in the air on a random steel pipe that I put together

And a wind guard to keep it from getting ripped off

[lament lodge]

Is there a reason we aren’t recommending dialectic grease? Also silicone based, it’s designed to be a high temperature insulator. Readily available at auto parts stores and online. Truly designed for this purpose.

(Could it be that they are both equally effective, and the food grade is considered safer to handle? Do we have details on the dielectric qualities of food grade silicone grease?)

[olive citrus]

I am specifically worried about the grease breaking down the plastic.

Also, the stuff I linked is clear

If you can find some silicone grease that isn't conductive and is clear, and also doesn't break down the plastic over time, that is cheaper, then go ahead and try it!

[lament lodge]

You are describing dielectric grease properties and use case. It’s used to seal rubber and plastic parts, often in contact with ceramic parts, and is not a solvent for plastic. It’s clear. Safe to handle. Can handle much higher temps than seen in our nodes.

My guess is that dielectric grease and the food safe silicone grease you linked to differ very little. There are probably trace chemicals in the automotive grade that aren’t allowed in the food grade, but my gut tells me to buy Permetex (automotive) because it’s been proven in use in millions of vehicles.

And I have a giant tube of it that I’ll never use up 🤣 (from changing spark plugs in my past truck … the only time I’ve changed spark plugs since probably the 1990s)

[olive citrus]

I would like you to test it then! I was under the impression that the plastic would melt and become gooey with most greases

[tired rain]

Goop is my go to adhesive/sealant

All that grease gonna get messy

[quick crest]

I've used it on many electrical connectors with no melting

[indigo echo]

yeah, that is my concern, thinking about the next time I need to disassemble the body. Is Goop easy to remove, rip out?

[tired rain]

It is removable. Not the easiest but its flexibility gives it removeability. If you have a big surface area glued it will be hard to remove but small daps can be removed pretty easily. I usually secure one edge of the rak board to the inside so that I can still lever in the programming cable.

[indigo echo]

do you seal the screw hole with Goop? I am thinking I could use Goop to seal the hole that the antenna pigtail comes through, and possibly the N female connector to the N male antenna.

[tired rain]

yes I seal those holes from the inside with goop. Not the screw holes for the whole enclosure though. I did have to reseal the panel because the silicone adhesive came loose.

[tired rain]

Although using the existing led wire hole can be annoying because it's hard to seal it from outside. Another hole with easier access might be better so that you can get everything mounted and solid and then seal the hole from the outside.

[olive citrus]

The grease is kinda messy... But it prevents rust and moisture from damaging components

No damage to the plastic

The tolerances on the box are already extremely tight. If the box opened like a hinge, I would be using glue...

[indigo echo]

thanks for your information on your printables page. I took the liberty to remix your design to make it work with an antenna pole directly without using a bracket. I also made the groove deeper and enclosed for the ipx pigtail to go through. It wouldn't work with an SMA connector though.

Also made the hole for the N female connector a little wider and for the thread part and the base (the big circle).

I haven't waterproof the body so it is at a temporary location with zip ties :p

my problem is the battery is dead and the sun is not out. I don't know if the RAK is off because of the battery is out of juice or the RAK is not working. I know it worked when the battery is not dead

[indigo echo]

Which Goop do you use? I see there is one goop for plumber and one for automotive.

[next needle]

Hi, can you make it so it also works for SMA to N bulkhead such as this one? https://a.co/d/ikYPwDL

I have an Alfa 915 antenna that requires that bulkhead.

[tired rain]

It's all the same Goop in my experience

[tired rain]

I think that would require quite redesign as the N is much bigger than the sma

[next needle]

Ah, no worries. Found another model in printables which worked for me.

[olive citrus]

The wires on the panel are pretty thin. Did you modify the charging circuit at all?

Where did you connect the rak battery leads to?

Oh nvm I scrolled up

Is the button off @indigo echo 🙂

With these mods, the board inside should report ~4.2v when the sun is out. If the button is off, the battery is still charging!

[indigo echo]

I didn't replace the thin wires. Should I? I ended up buying and using a battery charger to charge up the battery outside of the case. The repeater is not seeing the full sky so not seeing the sun directly, which is what I also want to test stimulating Seattle's winter cloudy days. I haven't waterproof it yet so irritated is under roof

[olive citrus]

Yeah, I would rip apart an ethernet wire and replace all of the wires with it

That's why my pics have neon colors in them

[indigo echo]

I have some thicker gauge silicone wires I can use to replace the thin ones. Thanks for the suggestion!

[olive citrus]

You don't want super thick ones. It just has to be slightly thicker. Maybe my bigger ethernet wires can carry more current?

[tired rain]

Yeah the wires are shit. I had one pop right off while deployed.

[indigo echo]

Any recommendation for a 18650 battery with high capacity?

[olive citrus]

High capacity...? Maybe an INR?

The largest capacity you'll be able to get is probably 3500mah

I use the Lithium manganese battery that it came with because it's already got a protection circuit and has good temperarure and deep cycle stress tolerances

Even when I limit it to half capacity, it still lasts for days

[indigo echo]

Okay, I should keep using the one that used in there already. Thanks.

[tired rain]

New version with RGB and two buttons. $25

[serene goblet]

It's always had 2 buttons.. One is on/off, other is color select

At least the ones I got back when I started..

[tired rain]

Ah. The og ones just had 1 because white light.

[lament lodge]

It’s not as much of a new version but rather an alternate model.

The $10 OG and variants still exist. And there’s a $30 RGB version with a pair of LiFePO4s in it.

[serene goblet]

Yea, the RGBW ones have 2, since it needs a way to select the color. I looked into a way to use WLED with it, but it's 4 LEDs 1 for each color.

[drowsy crescent]

2x lifepo4's is intriguing

[lament lodge]

I was thinking of getting it just to play with it.

They are 18500s (odd size) and low mAh (not unexpected) but probably better for extreme temps. Probably not a concern for @tired rain with prevailing tropical winds but I have blazing sun in Texas (and occasional mild freezes).

[indigo echo]

I bought one to check it out. Returned it though. #1198011215025283124 message

[drowsy crescent]

Not enough room for a board i think i heard?

Maybe from you lol 😆

Oof yeah looks tight

[indigo echo]

potentially you could 3D print an extension to go between the two halves, may need longer screws. Would only do it if it is really worth it.

[drowsy crescent]

Yeah interesting. The Cheap DIY Solar LED Hack is going to get more expensive now that I have convinced myself I need a 3D printer lol

[olive citrus]

The sensecap card could possibly fit

Fits in a wallet

[open coral]

https://store.rokland.com/products/rakwireless-mini-meshtastic-starter-kit-us915-rak19003-4631-sku-115093?ref=yskzwcgr

[quick crest]

I have milled down the standoffs under the original board to make room for a radio (re: rgb light)

plenty of room now

[tired rain]

couple months going strong at 10k feet

[indigo echo]

has anyone tried to wire in a TP4056 into this? Would it be better than the charging board that comes with the light?

[gilded violet]

Edit: Moved to https://discord.com/channels/867578229534359593/1357744150887272570.
As there's no Lowe's near me, I went to Home Depot instead. I opened it up, and measured approx. 8 by 3½ by 2 cm interior volume. Still have yet to obtain a nRF52-based node. Any advice?

[serene goblet]

If you are removing the LED light, you can use the LED output for RAK board power.

Not sure if resistors you need to remove to make sure that it stays powered 24/7

[gilded violet]

Why can't I tap into the battery directly?

[serene goblet]

You can totally do that also.

It just makes it easier to have a switch to turn it on and off..

If you pull the board off, and take a photo of the other side, it will allow the smarter brained members to say what needs to be removed.

On the Lowes lights, you need to remove 3 resistors, and bridge 2 of them..

[gilded violet]

Okay, hopefully someone can chime in:

[serene goblet]

So R1, R3, R4 are most likely gonna be what you need to remove. You can tone them out to see which 2 you might need to jumper.. Prolly 3 and 4, but I'm guessing..

[gilded violet]

I just realized that these use a LiFePO4 battery. Are there any special considerations I need to be aware of to use it? I'm guessing I'll have to bypass any RAKwireless charging circuitry if I want to connect to the node over USB.

[urban gate]

I have heard that charging a regular Li battery below freezing will kill it fairly quickly. This time of the year that should not be a problem. I found some low temp ones out of a plane but they are bigger than the whole lawn light box....

[gilded violet]

I mean, since they're designed to operate outdoors, then unless it has bad reviews, I don't think there's going to be an issue.

[urban gate]

I guess if the lawn lights survive the winter, the batts that come with them gotta be rated for below freezing..

I am trying to get roof access, here at work, from my boss to throw up an HF antenna. If I can get permission I will grab one of those lawn lights...

Have you checked the output voltage of the solar cell under load?

I have got a pile of 18650 charger boards that will work from about 5 volts up to about 18 volts...

[gilded violet]

HF antenna? I thought LoRa (and thus also Meshtastic) operates in the UHF range. BTW, the one I bought from Home Depot (different but similar to the unit that most people go with) only has 3.2 watt-hours of capacity. That means to last a day, you can only draw an equivalent of approx. 133 milliwatts continuously. However, likely less, given enough cloudy days.

[gilded violet]

I don't have a multimeter handy. I'll try to measure later.

[jagged seal]

I just got one with this board type. How did you wire it in?

[urban gate]

HF antenna has nothing to do with the Mesh. That is for 3 to 30 MHZ, statewide SSB radio net.

A regular 18650 cell has about a 3 amp-hour capacity. I never tested the draw of a Mesh node...

If you assume an average battery voltage of around 3 volts, you should get over 9 watt-hours out of a fully charged 18650. Of course, the solar cell will have to supply enough power to fully charge it during the day...

[gilded violet]

https://harukitoreda.github.io/Meshtastic-Experiments/LoRa-Boards-Power-Measurements

[urban gate]

Tnx for the info on current draw. If you assume that the node is in stand-by, screen-off, the vast majority of time I cannot see the average current draw being more that 150 milliamps. What has to be determined is the charge current of the solar cell...

[lament lodge]

I just put the battery to RAK battery in. I'm not doing anything fancy. I snipped off the output wires to the light and discarded it.

@urban gate What are you trying to solve for with battery and node info? This Cheap Solar solution is a known good solution. It uses less than 10% (closer to 5%?) of the battery running in my back yard at the tail end of winter, topping off most days to 100%.

[gilded violet]

At least for me (and likely others in NYC, such as @urban gate), Lowe's stores are few and far between. So I'm trying out a similar but different unit from Home Depot.

See here for some details on the Home Depot equivalent: https://discord.com/channels/867578229534359593/1357744150887272570

[urban gate]

You have it up and running during the winter, so it obviously has enough output to fully charge the battery...

[ebon pecan]

Harbor Breeze lights are currently down to $8 by the way! At my local store they were also in an end cap display several aisles away instead of with all the other solar lights, if you can't find them.

[jagged seal]

Same in my area

[serene goblet]

My wife wants more RGBW lights.. I figure I might be able to get away with putting one on the edge of the roof of the house to shine down on the trees..

If I can get a node in it, that could be nice..

[ebon pecan]

Can you change color via mesh? 🙂

[serene goblet]

That would be legit! Hmm.... I wonder if you could wire a pin to "push" the color button from a RAK board..

[jagged seal]

https://meshtastic.org/docs/configuration/module/remote-hardware/

[serene goblet]

Yup, that's what I was thinking about.. I was more thinking of how to do it on the button side..

[wide stratus]

The og light is on sale for $7.98 right now!!

[gilded violet]

Duplicate of #1198011215025283124 message.

[analog vault]

Would the harbor breeze hack work with the Seeed XIAO nrf52 kit instead of the wisblock kit?
https://www.seeedstudio.com/XIAO-nRF52840-Wio-SX1262-Kit-for-Meshtastic-p-6400.html

I want to build a bunch of cheap solar nodes that I can put in many locations within a hilly urban environment to maximize mesh coverage and resilience. Ideally they'd last awhile in 4 season weather.

I plan to wire the harbor breeze battery directly to the battery pads on the Seeed board.

Do I need to do anything else to be fire-safe and effective? I've read through this thread and others but don't see or missed discussion about using seeed XIAOs.

[lament lodge]

My next iteration of the Harbor Breeze node is to replace the RAK with a higher powered Ikoka (clone of Xiao-BLE) and not only see if it suffers from brownout issues, but see how it fairs power-wise. I broke my first ikoka radio module (mechanical issues, my fault) and am awaiting a replacement. https://github.com/ndoo/ikoka-nano-meshtastic-device

[somber nexus]

I don't see why not, I'm running mine with a Heltec t114, going straight from harbor breeze battery contacts to the battery input on the board (via JST connector). It's also a nRF52-based board and the reported battery from device metrics hasn't gone below 75% in the last few weeks I've had it set up, which includes a number of cloudy and rainy days.

[rapid canopy]

I've been doing the same with a T114 for awhile, just in a window for now. But it recently died after a long stretch of cloudy days and it didn't actually turn back on when the sun was back. I've also got it plugged directly into the battery input. Does your start up ok?

[somber nexus]

It just hasn't come up and I haven't cared to try depriving it of solar long enough to find out.

[rapid canopy]

I was just wondering if I need to wire to the charge manager in the light instead of the battery terminals somehow. I haven't looked at it closely since I set it up.

It may have just been some other issue. I'm going to find out soon since I've got it out of the sun.

[gilded violet]

Please reply in #1357744150887272570.

[exotic island]

Is there any 3d models for this for pvc pipe?

I want to make one with a RAK and raise it 10feet

The harbor breeze I mean

[analog vault]

I just got all the parts to make this! I haven't seen a definitive answer to whether battery protection is needed for this hack, especially for over discharge protection.

If so, what's the cheapest effective way?

[quick crest]

I used this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07W75BQWW

[analog vault]

Thanks. Did you connect the output from that BMS just to the Rak, or also to the circuit board in the harbor breeze enclosure? I'm wondering how to hook it up so the on/off button still works.

[quick crest]

The former. If you search the thread, there is a method for using the switch, but idk if attaching the bms there would work/is advisable

[tired rain]

I never use a bms and I have yet to have a battery die from discharge. The only time it did happen was because the wire from solar panel broke off.

But the button hack is pretty easy. You just solder your RAK ground wire to the pad in the photo (yellow shrink wrapped wire)

[rapid canopy]

Is there any reason this hack wouldn't work just going directly from the panel to the solar input on a T114? Is the chip in the light better?

I've tested a soshine panel directly into my T114 and that seemed to work fine, even restarting after losing power

but connecting to the battery in the light and using the battery input doesn't restart the T114 after power loss

[tired rain]

Isn't that a Rak issue ?

[tired rain]

But you could of course just use the solar charge circuit on the T114 instead.

Not sure how that would interact with the button ( if you wanted to use it )

[rapid canopy]

Assuming it’s the same as the Rak issue then. I’m ok with missing out on the button. For the simplicity I may just use the solar input. Otherwise it seems like I’d need to at least solder it to the LED points.

It’s working great now, but if it does die, it’s not coming back on when using the battery input.

[analog vault]

Should I be more concerned if I live in an area that gets snow in winter? Or just bring it inside and store it over the darkest months if I want to keep it simple?

[tired rain]

hmm. snow is not soething i've had to deal with so not sure.

But i don't think a discharged battery would fair too well in a freezing environment for weeks on end anyway.

[sturdy mason]

I'd be interested in knowing what you come up with. I've just ordered several of these for exactly this application. I like that the TI BQ25100 looks like a pretty good charging chip, but I wish I could get a better sense of how to physically interface the battery - there's a PDF of the schematic but no BOM and no PDF of the PCB.

[analog vault]

I ended up cancelling my order because of uncertainty about tariffs. Got a rak from rokland instead

[tired rain]

yes it should work. It can take the battery input voltage and that's all that's really required.

[rapid canopy]

What is the consensus on weather proofing these harbor breeze enclosures? Is it good enough out of the box aside from sealing the antenna area?

[lament lodge]

My brownout test, with the battery of the Harbor Breeze connected to the battery input of the ikoka node, performed similar to a RAK19007 node. After the node went offline (I let it stay that way for hours), I put it in the sun and it didn’t come back online despite the battery getting charged back up over 3.6V. It wasn’t very complete testing but for now I am going to assume it’s got the same limitations.

[tired rain]

I don't do anything extra for the main seal as long as the foam seal on the inside is present. I'll use goop to seal any holes i've made for the antenna. I did have to re-glue the solar panel on an old one as it got loose.

[lament lodge]

What do you know about this hack. 🤪

[tired rain]

New mounting bracket especially designed for WS85 weather station

[olive citrus]

The lithium manganese battery in mine lasted the winter at almost full power the whole time even during snow and ice storms
My schottky diodes in there probably helped to melt the snow a bit.

[olive citrus]

I added some silicone/teflon plumbers grease, but it's probably fine as long as you have the foam gasket in there. The tolerances are really tight!

Like, even without grease, there's quite a bit of suction when pulling the edges apart

[rapid canopy]

Yeah I’ll add something removable to the screw holes at least before I put it out of reach just for good measure.

[olive citrus]

that is part of the seal

As long as it's sticky and doesn't hurt the plastic, it'll work

I think it forms some sort of compression weld when you tighten the screws, even without grease!

[tired rain]

Smaller model at Lowes for $10. The battery is the same size but the panel is slightly smaller. The switch is a slide switch for even easier on/off wiring for the node. The seal is a simple rubber seal in the groove. The hole for antenna might be easier to use than the before.

Did anybody model up this toothy mount?

[lament lodge]

Yes. This is the one I posted up back in February. I made a really hacky model for it (just changed it from SMA to N-type yesterday)

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/d7341df3a09f4d021b3d3408/w/f663b2531958b5d7538cb638/e/b5d1b01abb755e48fe90a41d?renderMode=0&uiState=680f78043a1ec33b051750b4

#1198011215025283124 message

I have two different JSTs soldered in place. One for RAK and one for my ikoka.

[tired rain]

Nice teeth!

[lament lodge]

I counted them, found a tool/addon for OnShape that could do them, and played with it. Since it's not under a driven load, all you really need is a "bite" and this works!

due to their scale, they really work out to be little nubs. But as I said, accuracy/fitment isn't as necessary as having the right diameter and count.

[tired rain]

Yeah i just just eyballed it and it didn't bite has hard as I wanted but I was using TPU so I just made a little ledge thingy to hold it as the proper angle.

[lament lodge]

Cheater

[tired rain]

how the hell did you manage to count all thsoe itty bitty teeth ?

[lament lodge]

Just took a fine pointed tool and ran it around the edge, counting clicks. 5 at a time, twice.

[strange stag]

Mind if I take a look at your toothy design? trying to find something some ideas on how I want to mound this

[tired rain]

Just scroll up a bit. Bplein posted his proper version

[tired rain]

But here is my hacky version https://cad.onshape.com/documents/bd2953681e21e1f9e2ea0444/w/c657a9468f32682ffcc5dc25/e/190d5fdfd58741b01de422e5?renderMode=0&uiState=682252da2a4e2d0f681a17af

[somber sable]

Is there anyway I could get the Stl for this? I do t have an account and not sure how to manage with this.

[lament lodge]

I am on my phone right now. But if you open the page with your browser, you should be able to export the STL by right clicking on the Part name (lower part of the left side listing).

[somber sable]

Thank you

[rapid canopy]

Just found this.. is this the only way to use an unprotected cell? I have mine wired so the node positive is on the LED pad and the ground is on the switch. Works great but I want to switch out the battery and only have an unprotected cell handy. I wasn’t sure if the board would handle it.

[olive citrus]

You can actually just use an unprotected cell.

There was some research that said over a long amount of time, cycling lithium batteries past 20% and 80% degraded them by an amount

That's where the "don't let your phone discharge below 20%" myth came from

The battery charging board in the light does have a cutoff point

However, a full moon reflects enough light to keep the cells above that voltage.

The idea was mainly for keeping the cells from being overcharged, and for keeping the cells from deep cycling in freezing temperatures.

[rapid canopy]

The stock battery is working ok. But after a week of cloudy rainy days, I figured I might just swap it out with another one I have before putting in a more permanent spot.

[olive citrus]

What's the % of the battery?

It should be at least 50% still

These rak boards sip power

They should be able to run on the stock battery for a week with 0 light

[rapid canopy]

It was a t114 so not as efficient, but I was mainly just looking to use the best battery I had around before putting it back together. I actually ended up swapping in the Xiao NRF kit and I'm going to try that out for awhile.

[shell void]

For these cheaper units, are there any recommendations to modify the board? Can we run wires from LED light leads on the board straight into RAK battery leads, minding the polarity?

[tired rain]

I wouldn't power the rak from the led output. just go straight from the switch/battery

[shell void]

So for someone that is electrical circuit challenged. I’d need to solder the positive wire to the point circled in red and the negative wire to the battery negative terminal ?

[tired rain]

Yes. negative to the board right where the battery connects will work too.

[brave pecan]

Anyone have any corrosion issues? Had to resolder one wire, was wondering why it stopped working!

[tired rain]

I usually resolder those anyway.. Then I glue them for strain relief. But gently pry up the solar panel to reglue it or just seal out that oval with glue

[brave pecan]

Ok cool, I put some electrical putty over it, might help, we’ll see!

[somber nexus]

Anyone found a bulkhead style weatherproof USB port thingy they'd recommend for adding to this? I'm tired of unscrewing it to update sw.

[gilded violet]

https://meshtastic.org/docs/getting-started/flashing-firmware/nrf52/ota/ doesn't work well enough?

[somber nexus]

I haven't had any luck with it unfortunately. Just keeps erroring out and parking my node in DFU mode

[shell void]

It bricks my RAK, so the only option at that point is to plug in USB.

[shell void]

I’ve seen some IP65 usb-c bulkheads on Amazon. https://a.co/d/06TtvQS Maybe couple it with https://a.co/d/4WqiAEc inside the enclosure

Or longer usb c data connector if your box is larger

[jade oar]

I have been working on a project to test it with a rpi 0 w 2. I haven't finished the build but I will write about it when I do. The panels push up to 400mah in direct sunlight so my hypothesis is that with a beefy battery, I should be able to survive a few cloudy days if I stay below 200mah draw

I've been running a normal rak build on a rooftop with the panel perpendicular to the horizon and it has never dopped below 80% even on consecutive cloudy days. Been going on two months so far.

[analog vault]

Nice! Please keep us posted

[rapid canopy]

I have this setup now. Seems fine so far.

[blazing hill]

Yes, it works perfectly, and for a $10 nrf52 based kit, the price can't be beat. I put the bluetooth antenna towards the back and bent the pins just a little to make a snug fit in the housing.

[olive citrus]

I power the rak from the led lead after removing the day/night sensor resistor
This prevents brownouts by utilizing the cutoff circuit in the IC

[olive citrus]

Use flux! I think the original stuff doesn't have flux in it or something

[shell void]

which one is the light sensor? and how do you remove it?

[olive citrus]

there's a resistor that you remove from the original board that detects light through the solar panel

and uh, soldering iron+flux to pull it off

[shell void]

Interesting , I guess I have a different model of that light

I assume for mine it would be C1, left of the bottom screw

[lament lodge]

I wouldn’t assume anything. If you know electronics OR testing you can figure it out. But I have this model (they are quite common) and I haven’t touched charging the board at all. I power the node from the battery directly. I clipped the wires that run to the light (and insulated them) and set it aside.

[olive citrus]

Yeah that seems right. Unsolder it and see what happens!

That is a REALLY simple board though.

Can you get a close-up of that chip?

And is there anything on the other side of the board?

I wonder if there's any overcharge protection?

[shell void]

So this is the way I have it connected currently

Here is a close up picture of that board

before I did anything to it

I don’t have a great picture of the other side currently

[tired rain]

Connect your RAK's battery to the circled spots. black for neg and red and positive obviously. You can chop the led wires if you want too. Just don't use the negative side led because it's got 7 ohm resistor connected to it. Your red circle will work too because they are connected via the board.

[lament lodge]

This combo gives what? A working on off switch? Thanks!

[tired rain]

Yes, switch powers of the unit.

[jade oar]

Looks like they dropped the IC from this version altogether. The old one is labeled YX8183 and the spec is translated here: https://forum.arduino.cc/t/charger-ic-yx8183-yx8182/1285174

Or maybe that still is an IC on there. I thought it was a mosfet but I see 4 6? pins

[tired rain]

Aayav

[jade oar]

yeah no luck finding a datasheet for that, but a 4yo reddit post about a similar chip with different markings suggests it may behave like the YX8018.

[olive citrus]

https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/792/rp107_ea-1770685.pdf

Could be this one

The chip marking is AAY, the BV seems like it's a logo because it uses a different font

It could also be 8v

Maybe that's the voltage limit or something

It is rated for 6v...

[jaunty monolith]

These seem similar https://amzn.eu/d/iU0DHSg

[jaunty monolith]

I've bought a set. Will be interesting to have a play. @daring zodiac want one?

[quick crest]

this mounting setup looks great

[blazing hill]

Has anyone looked at the $11 60lumen two pack at Walmart? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Solar-Powered-Black-LED-Landscape-Spot-Light-60-Lumens-2-Count/3972262815

[jaunty monolith]

Lets see what it's got inside first. £12.50 each isn't bad though

What's the best meshtastic chip to put in these? Being in the UK, I'm not sure what's best.

Needs to be 868

[quick crest]

something small and nRF based, Rak wisblock or Seeed Xiao

[quaint ore]

agreed, go with a wisblock if you want to easily add sensors, the seeeeeed if you wanna save a bit for a basic node

[jaunty monolith]

found a 20% off voucher for wisblock

so got a wisblock starter kit x2

[tired rain]

the starter kits are perfect.

[lament lodge]

World’s tiniest bricks. Or a bad photoshop. 😂

[quick crest]

oh definitely a bad photoshop, it's a staple of amazon

[jaunty monolith]

6.5v 200ma generation from panel, 6.2v to cell, 2.93v to LED

That at 6pm in full sun

You can swap out the LED light and use the adjustable mount to extend it out a bit

Though it may need sealing. I'm not sure I can squeeze it all in but whilst not ip67 I think it'll hold out fine. Even better if I add a weep vent

[jaunty monolith]

I may have a go at modelling the back to make an extension

[novel siren]

9 bucks at my Lowe's... Mentions the batteries inside on the label

[blazing hill]

It's nice when they list it in the specs online https://www.lowes.com/pd/Harbor-Breeze-1-Watt-Black/5015598033 Others you have to dig, or simply aren't listed anywhere.

[jaunty monolith]

I was surprised mine was 2000mah

[tired rain]

Nice finds

[jaunty monolith]

I'm assuming I don't want to put 6.5v straight into the RAK wisboard, so best to put in a MP1584EN buck converter between it and the solar? Any issues with that?

I presume then the wisboard can control the battery

[quick crest]

Check the original hack at the very top - it involves simply connecting the Rak directly to the battery, not the solar panel

You can also remove a resistor on the board and power the Rak through the LED output from the board: #1198011215025283124 message

I'm setting one up like that but haven't deployed it yet:

(the small extra board is a BMS/protection circuit)

note: the above only works with the OG board mentioned here: #1198011215025283124 message and here: https://hackaday.io/project/194509-harbor-breeze-mesh-node-hack @jaunty monolith

[jaunty monolith]

yes I'm not in America, I'm using a different panel & kit

[jaunty monolith]

looks like the rak wisblock will allegedly take the 6.5v @ .200ma with no worries as it's only about 0.18w of heat dissipation. I live to be contradicted however.

otherwise I've ordered a small buck converter to knock it down a bit.

[tired rain]

The rak boards are incredibly hardy so if it states it can handle 6.5v I believe it.

But I usually just leave the solar connected to the build in board and let it handle the charging for me. It's always worked.

The cell is still a 4.2v lion though right ?

[jaunty monolith]

it states it can handle 5.5v but I believe it cuts the voltage off and just generates heat over it. I am not an electronics expert...

[jaunty monolith]

3.7v Lion, but yes, runs at 4.2v nominally.

[tired rain]

I haven't had to test the higher solar voltage on the Rak4631 so I don't know.

[jaunty monolith]

My buck converters have arrived so I may play it safe

[serene goblet]

This is one of the smartest things I've seen done on one of those harbor breeze lights..

[quick crest]

thanks, but I was just following what others have done in this thread

[serene goblet]

I have 1S BMS boards, I should add one to my harbor breeze..

[jaunty monolith]

Using the MP1584EN instead of the solar charger in the panel that produces 6.5v directly means I can bump the power whilst reducing the voltage. So I go from 200ma to 263-279 approximately at 85-90% efficiency (typical for this buck converter) and it'll reduce the strain on the board and the existing 2000mah battery. It's almost 1/3rd more current which will reduce charging time, good for winter weather.

I may need to have the voltage a bit higher at 5.5v rather than 4.2 to account for what the board uses and I may need to put a cap in to smooth the charging.

[olive citrus]

I think technically you can feed it 8v without popping anything

Ratings are always less than the absolute limits

[olive citrus]

This is pretty good lol
I used the built-in cutoff circuit with a dual schottky diode because I think 2.5v cutoff is too low for the included lithium manganese battery, but that also greatly reduces the usable battery capacity

[olive citrus]

6.5v is fine is you connect it to the solar input on the RAK board. The wisblok RAK has a built-in charging circuit 😉

Check the datasheet just in case though

[quick crest]

yeah, the added board also cuts off at 2.5v, couldn't find anything (similar) with a higher cutoff. Also using the built-in circuit, so hopefully they place nice together.

[olive citrus]

It's a different size plug

[quick crest]

And yes, I remember your diodes trick

[olive citrus]

My board hasn't browned out yet

It also hasn't been cut off either

However, I don't know if it's online right now

Last I saw it at my house was 22 days ago

The node that I use to see it has not been in communication for that long as well

[blazing hill]

You lost a valuable hop in there eh

I don't worry about brownout, if you are running that close to the edge you need more solar/battery.

[olive citrus]

A week of snow or treecover could cause a brownout

[blazing hill]

Then you need more battery.

[tacit ibex]

Where should I wire in my faketec v5 rev b

The v5 has an XB8089DO on it

[olive citrus]

I see + and -

[olive citrus]

Does this look right? I can barely see the traces

Maybe there's a label on the other side of the board on the through hole edge

It's probably fine though

[tacit ibex]

I mean where on the solar board should I connect my Faketec to

[olive citrus]

Oh

I see you haven't removed r6

Is that intentional?

If you remove r6, you lose day/night detection, but you get to use the BMS on the chip for battery protection when you connect the wires to the LED solder points

Otherwise, connect directly to the battery

[tacit ibex]

Thanks

[tired rain]

@tacit ibexalso depends on if you want to use the switch for turning on and off.

@olive citrusdoes R6 only control day/night detection or does it play a part in voltage delivery to the led points ?

[olive citrus]

Pretty sure it's just day/night detection

[versed saffron]

Finally stumbled across something cheap-ish locally that has an 18650 inside! Downside, however, is that the shell was glued shut and there are no screws. If I plan on putting a fakeTec in there, what would be the best way to re-seal it? I've got access to lots of superglues and a few different types of silicone/caulk at work, but I feel like I probably shouldn't make it a nightmare to re-open in case I need to update it or manually charge it, lol

Also seeing a lot of these built with articulating SMA antennas. How are those being sealed to avoid leaks?

[tired rain]

@versed saffron I use goop/shoe goo for all sealing. It can be tough to remove but it does remove cleanly if you pull hard enough.

I'm putting dialectic grease in the sma threads and then sealing it all with goop

[versed saffron]

Gotcha! Thanks!

[versed saffron]

It's a start

Zip ties are temporary, until the silicone dries lol

Not my finest work by any stretch but it'll be fun as a test

[quick crest]

so you left the original board in to keep the light working? Or what's going on there

[versed saffron]

That's right

It would probably consume too much power to be feasible for it to be left on lol, but I did want to keep it working

[olive citrus]

Ooooh oooh can you lower the power consumption of the light

A higher value resistor is all you need

[versed saffron]

Oh yeah for sure

What resistor value would u recommend

[olive citrus]

I would recommend experimenting.

[versed saffron]

Fair enough!

[olive citrus]

If it's too big then the light won't even light up at all

If it's too small, Then the battery won't last through the night.

[versed saffron]

I'll probably slap a 1k on there and see what happens

[olive citrus]

What's in there now?

[versed saffron]

Nothing

[olive citrus]

No no, there's a resistor on the board

[versed saffron]

Daylight detection also doesn't work anymore because the MPPT board outputs a steady voltage

[versed saffron]

oh ur right
I gotta check when I get home. Need to crack it open again

[olive citrus]

I had looked and you connected the solar panel to the battery terminal instead of to the solar input.

[versed saffron]

Looks like 280 ohms from my pics tho

[versed saffron]

No?

[olive citrus]

Or does it take two solar panels?

[versed saffron]

It takes two solar panels

One just isn't populated

[olive citrus]

Nice!

[versed saffron]

Ye

[olive citrus]

You could remove the led light and add another solar panel

Use the wires

Add more battery too

[versed saffron]

Tempting, tho I don't want it to look too incredibly obvious that it's not a light anymore, lol

[olive citrus]

You could use it for a ring doorbell

I have seen water meters powered by a solar panel

[versed saffron]

I do have a doorbell that it could hypothetically power, but there's no way to get at the charge port when it's mounted

Not without some very intrusive modifications to either the doorbell or the doorframe lol

[olive citrus]

Hmmm

There are mounts

3d printed things

[versed saffron]

I've got ASA printing okayish now so I could hypothetically make something that would hold up

[olive citrus]

I am waiting for a steel nozzle and titanium heatbreak

It'll be here in a day or two

[versed saffron]

Very nice

I've always been interested in playing with better nozzle/extruder hardware but it's so expensive 😭

[olive citrus]

Ummm

Not really

A pair of solid titanium heat-breaks cost me $4

[versed saffron]

Oh LOL

[olive citrus]

A pair of hardened steel nozzles cost $2.70

AliExpress

My entire printer cost $60

[versed saffron]

Gotcha. All the stuff I generally get recommended is not AliExpress stuff and tends to be considerably pricier haha

[olive citrus]

Sorry I mixed up the costs

Tarrifs made stuff more expensive

[versed saffron]

Don't need to worry about that over here 😎

Maybe I'll grab some nicer nozzles

[olive citrus]

If you want a forever nozzle, you'll want a solid tungsten one

A wee bit more expensive, but you can clean it with a blowtorch

Also you have to find the right size for your hotend

[versed saffron]

Makes sense

[olive citrus]

There are no spider nozzles made of titanium yet

[tired rain]

@olive citrus I had crap prints from steel nozzle. Was not an upgrade for me.

[olive citrus]

We will see

[versed saffron]

Solar charging works as expected yippee 🎉

Just need to cut down on current going to the LEDs and figure out how to trigger them to shut off during the day again

[tired rain]

Nice! Just chop that led off 🙂

[versed saffron]

I was thinking about it, but if I can get it to stay on without it dying overnight, I'd prefer to keep them!

Less likely to get stolen if it doesn't seem weird and unusual. If I can keep it working like a "normal" garden light (albeit a dim one) it would be ideal

[olive citrus]

Yeah HOA Karens are brutal destructive forces

They steal and break everything claiming the 5gs are gonna get them

[versed saffron]

Thankfully I don't have to deal with an HOA and I live in a pretty quiet area, but weird thefts do happen

It's kinda hard to describe

I just know how to avoid them, lol

[tired rain]

Screw it to a wall will make it harder to steal 😉

[versed saffron]

No wall available that won't detune the antenna 😔

My roof is a pyramid tip type roof so I can't just put it high up where it clears the top

[versed saffron]

Pour one out for the garden light node 😔
At least I don't have to worry about it being stolen

[quick crest]

what happened?

[versed saffron]

Unfortunate encounter with a lawn mower

[versed saffron]

What are these called? Do they have a name?

Would love to put one up there

Just need to know what to look for lol

[blazing hill]

https://www.tek2000.com/cgi-bin/web.cgi?command=product&item=Non-Penetrating Roof Mount (3 Trays) with 3.5 inch O.D. Pyramid Mast-ND

Probably could DIY a much smaller, cheaper version 🙂

[versed saffron]

Gotcha! Thanks!

[blazing hill]

If you do make one, please tag me, would love to see it.

[versed saffron]

For sure! If I ever have time haha

[vast compass]

FYI for future builders, When in the sun, my fairly normal Harbor Breeze node is 40 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the ambient, outside the panel, temperature.

[lament lodge]

solar panels get hot

[vast compass]

Probably too hot to house batteries.

[blazing hill]

40f hotter than what ambient temperature? If it's 40deg hotter than 120f then that would be an issue. 40f hotter than 70f not so much.

[jaunty monolith]

Just got notification my RAKS are being delivered today!

[lament lodge]

They are literally designed and sold to sit in the sun with the batteries they came with.

Ideal for the batteries? No. Will they still work for a very long time in that heat? Yes.

If you want to get fancy you can put a cheap thermostatic switch online with the battery for 60C to cut charging at that temp.

[vast compass]

Good maths Will.

@lament lodge They’re sold to sit in the sun on the ground and light up your things, not on your house above a usually hot set of shingles.

Sharing for future builders. As Will pointed out, if you see 100F summers, then maybe buy an off the shelf solution and let that vendor carry the liability.

[lament lodge]

The vendor in China that is selling on Amazon Marketplace, or direct to you via AliExpress? That company is going to handle the liability?

If the concern is a fire that causes property damage, or injury or death, then as the person who is deploying the solution, you need to worry about it, regardless of having a vendor backstop the liability. I am saying this in a general, not country-specific-legal aspect.

There have been many of these lawn solar lights deployed, and many deployed here as nodes. I'm still waiting to hear about all of these fires.

Harbor Breeze has LiFePO4 variants as well, which are safer and more tolerant of cold and hot temperatures.

[vast compass]

Talking about the cheap Harbor Breeze solar hack bought at Lowes bruv.

Right, me worrying about the solution is completed by buying from someone who worried about ,say a fire, and accepts the liability of reselling a hazard.

You must have some skin in the Harbor Breeze game.

[lament lodge]

No. I'm just not sure why you are in the Harbor Breeze hack thread, saying they are bad and people shouldn't use them. When used safely, they are no different than any other home DIY experiment.

[blazing hill]

Simply stating 40f hotter than ambient isn't saying much. Is that 40f hotter when it's 30f out or 70f, 90f, 100f, 110f? No, having the li-ion 18650 in the same box with an attached solar panel is not ideal, but it will work just fine for x period of time. They are cheap enough that x doesn't have to be 10yrs, if I get a couple years, awesome, anything more is a bonus.

[lament lodge]

@vast compass I understand where you are coming from.

[vast compass]

👍

[jaunty monolith]

Well, it fits on one of the risers perfectly. Wish I'd ordered a couple of power cables to wire this in

[tired rain]

wow, that is a nice little fit.

[jaunty monolith]

It's going to be a really neat little package when I'm done.

I've reached out to a local church which has a flag pole...

should cover a really wide area

[jade oar]

In 99*F weather, a solar harbor breeze build in my back yard reached 138F (according internal temperature sensor)

Another panel on a rooftop, oriented perpendicular to the horizon, did not reach above 120 in the same weather. It gets hot but I stopped worrying about the fire risk

Given the Austin folks haven't had fires, I stopped worrying in the northeast US

i did look into ways to pasively cool them but it didn't really make much of a difference. Tried copper foil cooling, tried a small 20mm x20mm fan. Tried using flexible straws as vents and sealing the holes. Overall, the temperature stayed around the same as my control build.

[serene goblet]

I'd suggest adding a 1S BMS to that and move the siring to the BMS..

[serene goblet]

If you have JST 2.0 connectors and a crimper, you can do it yourself..

The solar is JST 1.25 if I remember right..

[jaunty monolith]

I have a 1.25 but I think it's 1.5

As much as I love crimping small fiddly connectors I opted to buy 10 premade of each for £5 each because life is precious as is my time and lack of stress.

[jaunty monolith]

I thought the RAK had protections built in. If not, I've some of those tiny strip BMSs I can probably use.

[serene goblet]

Don't rely on them, these boards still suffer from brownout..

[serene goblet]

Those strips are what I'm talking about.. 😉

[vast compass]

Thanks for the info.

[vast compass]

This is good info. I drilled a 0.5” hole in mine to cool it. Absolutely no change. 🤣
I didnt seal the original hole under the mount plus the new 0.5” hole. Hoped for some air flow and a lower temp. Nerp.

[lament lodge]

@vast compass

If I wanted to use the Harbor Breeze and equivalent systems as the base for a safer system (at an extra cost) I’d consider using the panel separated from a second enclosure (don’t glue it to the enclosure, leave an air gap) and move the battery/batteries and node behind the panel, in the shade.

This increases the complexity and turns it into a “cheap solar panel source” instead of “cheapest solar node” conversation.

It’s a good conversation.

[shell void]

Is that picture correct? Battery terminal positive to board B- ?

[wanton herald]

so I've been following this thread, but I'm still not clear. Is there a reason for the cheap harbor breeze hack we don't wire the solar panel into the solar panel pin of the RAK?

[jaunty monolith]

Picture is rubbish

I wasn't going to use it as a wiring diagram, it was just on AliExpress as an example!

[quick crest]

1. To use the power switch included with the light to turn off/on the node
2. To use the low voltage protection included with the charging board
3. Some people want the light to turn on at night

#1198011215025283124 message

[wanton herald]

thanks... I'm checking the datasheets now on the schematics (I'm thinking about building one of these with the RAK19003)

I see the charging is handled by the TP4054 which won't charge past 4.2v and does trickle charging under 2.8v

battery is hooked up to a regulator (TPS62840YBG) that regulates 3.3v

shutdown voltage is 1.8v though, which is too low for a lion battery 😦

[quick crest]

the bms board I added cuts off at 2.5 volts, probably not good enough to prevent brownout

[wanton herald]

yeah, looks like nothing would protect the battery from under volting if we wired it all up directly

at least I think so

[quick crest]

voltage supervisors have been mentioned in other channels as able to prevent brownout

I think

[lament lodge]

With enough effort, we can turn the Cheap Solar Led Hack into a Moderately Expensive Solar LED Hack. 😂

[shell void]

It’s a good place to start getting into Meshtastic, but I agree that it can become moderately expensive hack.

[blazing hill]

brownout = downtime = use more battery/solar where needed

[quick crest]

sure, but that's not really applicable here, where an off-the-shelf product is being utilized

[blazing hill]

Starting with a COTS solar light doesn't mean you can't mod it to add a larger capacity battery, and with a USB input on the boards you can add a USB solar panel as well.

[jade oar]

Atlavox Beacon is $250+ (I'd describe this as The Standard for solar builds). The rak solar kits are $100+ from rokland. The wismesh build is $50ish. (at least US prices)

You need access to a 3d printer for the mounts, but beyond that it's still pretty cheap. I've had one going for several months and the lowest i've seen it get is 80% battery. Maybe in the winter it will be worse but I've had no brownouts.

[blazing hill]

Same I have never seen below 80%, I don't worry about a brownout, if that happens it means I need more battery and or more solar 🙂 I didn't even 3d print a mount, I just used some hose clamps.

[olive citrus]

Pretty sure the chip in the original model of the spotlight already has a thermal limiter

[olive citrus]

Technically my diac idea prevents the degradation of the batteries, while also preventing brownouts.

[tired rain]

Mostly it's just simpler to use the onboard solar chip. Less soldering and what not. Plus there is a question about the maximum solar output voltage vs maximum solar input voltage on Rak. In most cases either setup will work just fine I think.

[exotic island]

Anyone tried making a mount for one of these for the car

[tacit ibex]

I'm not sure but you can check here I put together a list of most of the mounts https://www.printables.com/@JustParker_2045668/collections/2414153

[jaunty monolith]

Going to go wire it up tonight down the hackspace and then stick it on the roof

[quick crest]

what is the board attached to the panel?

[jaunty monolith]

Just a buck converter, this panel is 6.5v

[jaunty monolith]

I've charged about 15% of the battery in about 2hrs which isn't bad. Now the sun is getting low in the sky it'll be interesting to see how much power it uses overnight.

do you normally put the power saving settings on?

[vast compass]

Mine drops like 5% overnight. No, I leave power savings off.

[jade oar]

Is your brick tied down or is it just sitting there? I'd be a bit worried about it blowing off in high winds.

[lament lodge]

So you are telling us, in pictures, that you bricked your node.

[jaunty monolith]

It's a temporary solution at the moment. I could concrete it down but I have a pole about 4 meters to the left for the TV. I just need someone with a good head for heights or a good ladder to pop up there and put a shiny new aerial on it.

I did hear some very worrying noises up there yesterday evening and this was happening

Anyway, checking on the power this morning it's been sipping electricity and I've not lost a single %

[jaunty monolith]

because I have a 2nd flat roof next to my ridge line and a solar panel cable lifting the tiles in that location, I think I'd be fine running a usb cable out onto the flat roof to power a heltec. I just then need to get the aerial mounted.

I might go for the 1.3m aerial as a little more height will probably make some difference, the total height gain will be about 3m off the roof which isn't insubstantial. I think I'd need about another 10m to reach line of sight to Steve.

[jaunty monolith]

Well, it's quite windy at the moment and it's not moving

[lilac pendant]

that black pin is shared with the black going to the solar panel. that ok?

[tired rain]

@lilac pendantit works for me. common Gnd should be fine.

[jaunty monolith]

Bought a fibreglass aerial, so have taken down the node and will now be looking to mount it more permanently.

[olive citrus]

That's a solid granite paver. If it flies off in the wind, we have bigger problems.

[jade oar]

sometimes the wind blows fast.

[olive citrus]

If wind blow that fast, then where town go

[jade oar]

A single unsecured brick fastened to a radio that can act as a sail is much different than a brick facade fastened to a structure.

[jaunty monolith]

it's temporary! It's already down! plus if it fell down, it would land on a large flat roof and be cushioned by nice crunchy solar panels

It is now like this, but less solar because I've decided to run a cable to it and mount it to an actual aerial pole.

[jade oar]

sorry I didn't mean to belabor the point. Was just replying to hyper_sphere's mocking of my caution.

[tacit ibex]

nickel–cadmium is still being put in products in 2025

[raw notch]

Antenna cable or power cable? Cause I wouldn't use anything other than the short peice nodes ship with (3-6in) between your node and antenna. Too much loss and not enough power otherwise. Your node might hear great but it might not be able to talk back

[jaunty monolith]

Box at the bottom of the aerial is the heltec, so 4"

[exotic island]

Anyone have a STEP file for this? Or something pretty close? https://www.printables.com/model/886187-harbor-breeze-meshtastic-mount/files

@south pebble Did you design this?

[exotic island]

Zip tie adapter for the solar panel if anyone needs the STL let me know

[tired rain]

I've got a screw in board mount if you want. It's on onshape.

[exotic island]

Ended up finding a site to convert a stl to step file and that worked

[tired rain]

@exotic islandMine is super burly. printed tpu and it'll never crack. https://cad.onshape.com/documents/71b55f121e75b59cc458d217/w/c6b7e1fd267aeb94d6823324/e/fd68181190950d769c16a475?renderMode=0&uiState=6885a79290c911217fef1acd

[olive citrus]

Why? Just put it in a slicer

Those sites are sketchy and can destroy your printer

[exotic island]

Huh?

I needed a step file

A step file is a file like an stl or obj that can be edited and has the geometry for editing in a cad software. The slicer slices it into code for the printer

Both different things

I just edited the step file then download stl and put it into a slicer

[olive citrus]

ah kay

would a 3mf work just as well?

[exotic island]

I don’t think so

3mf and obj don’t have the data like a step file for editing in cad software

[jade oar]

I've found some guides online to convert the STL using some free tools but it's not perfect. Was trying to add a heat inset but it only worked because bambu did some magic to fix it for me.

[exotic island]

How are people tree mounting these things? Ratchet straps? Zip ties? I feel like the tree would be so thick in diameter it’s hard to get something tight around it

[quick crest]

putting something around a tree is bad because it will girdle the tree

[jade oar]

I bought a game camera tree mount and added a heat inset hole to one of the 3d printed mounts so I could screw the antenna to the tree mount

[exotic island]

Okay cool

[exotic island]

Yeah and hard to get tight

[quick crest]

no, that's the whole point of my previous message. It will get tight as the tree grows, killing that part of the tree, definitely don't do that

[exotic island]

Ohhh true

So is screwing Into it better?

[jade oar]

Yeah this is a fair point. If you plan to leave the node for years at a time don't do this. I have to visit my nodes periodically for updates anyway so I can adjust the tension on the strap.

[quick crest]

trees are much more able to deal with small intrusions like screws, otherwise the maple syrup industry would be in trouble

but also, consider you might not make it back to adjust any bands, there are many reasons

[olive citrus]

It's not that hot out right

[exotic island]

Anyone have a 3d mount for this for an SMA antenna but with a curved surface to screw into a tree

[jade oar]

https://www.printables.com/model/1347088-meshtastic-harbor-breeze-mounting-bracket-improved/files#preview.file.oQxwG + https://www.printables.com/model/1214804-parametric-harbor-breeze-meshtastic-mounting-arm might work

There's also a curved one here: https://www.printables.com/model/1092716-harbor-breeze-pole-and-board-mount/files

[exotic island]

Cool thanks

Has anyone gotten a 1w node to fit in one of these?

[tacit ibex]

Are you talking about washtastic?

Because I'm sure that a g2 won't fit in one of the harbor breeze lights and even if it is able to fit your still going to need alot of batteries and the panel probably isn't enough to power it

[lament lodge]

Probably? 🤣

[serene goblet]

Welp, solar node died.. doing repairs to it.. battery holder broke. positive side snapped.. Guess it doesn't like falling and hitting the concrete next to my house.. LOL

[quaint steppe]

rip same happend to mine when it fell. Lots of hot glue helped

[olive citrus]

That's why mine has a magnet

I put it under the battery

[serene goblet]

Gorilla Glue Gel, and 2 tooth picks cut to length for me.. LOL

[olive citrus]

I used some of that window foam weatherstripping to prevent internal movement

[indigo ibex]

just plugged in the jst connector to my rak mini board and it started smoking. wish i had read this first https://store.rokland.com/blogs/news/rak-meshtastic-starter-kit-battery-polarity? thanks amazon jsts for the false confidence 🤑

[regal bone]

https://tenor.com/view/pour-drink-pouring-alcohol-respect-gif-9283896756814937503

[cedar plank]

they really, really, really need to implement some kind of reverse current protection. I don't know how many people I've heard of this happening to but it is a LOT.

[indigo ibex]

I don’t have enough experience to know if i bought crap jst connectors, rak abnormally reversed their connections, or there’s actually no standard for jst connector polarity orientation (which doesn’t make sense to me considering lipo batteries can come prewired). Regardless I will be double checking all jst polarity from now on

[lament lodge]

RAK documents which side of the JST is positive. It’s reversed from a lot of batteries. It’s on you as the user to properly identify your battery polarity and the required direction on the node.

Just like any other battery you might use for anything.

[serene goblet]

Positive goes inside on both connectors..

[jaunty monolith]

Smoked board bros! If it's any consolation I got a base board from ali for £7 and it still works fine.

[lament lodge]

I am starting to mark positive on ANY board I buy … red sharpie.

Some already come that way.

[serene goblet]

Yup

[tired rain]

don't throw it out. I smoked the same rak twice doing that and it still works !

[indigo ibex]

It lights up when I plug it in via usb, but I can't get it to flash using the web flasher or show up as a drive. So I assume it is cooked ⚰️

[indigo ibex]

@olive citrus Seems like you might have the most snow/cold weather experience. As a relative noob compared to a lot of people here, I can't seem to put together exactly what you've done based on your post history. Do you have a picture of the internals of your node handy you'd be willing to share? Or a basic description would be great. Thinking specifically the wiring of the schottky diode hack and the 3A BMS Protection Board in relation to the stock charge controller. Here's my current setup (with old cooked board that I will be swapping out soon). Also my charge controller seems significantly different from everyone else's.

Here’s my current setup

[brave pecan]

I’ve got the dual shottky setup in my node (same PA climate as hyper) running for about a year now. The wires did corrode off the solar panel and I repaired them but that is a manufacturing issue I think others have also seen. No other modifications

Node is running strong

[indigo ibex]

Nice, I’m in NY so very similar. Stupidly hot and humid in the summer to freezing cold and icy in the winter.

I’ll re-solder those solar connections to get ahead of it. Do you have a pic of your node handy? Just want to make sure I get the wiring right and make sure I don’t cause a fire risk. Charging below freezing does make me a little nervous. I’ve read it is a huge no-no (causes lithium plating which can grow dendrites that could puncture internal separator and cause a short and potentially lead to thermal runaway and fire). Now I’ve only been doing diy electronics and soldering for a few months so I’m still trying to asses this risk.

Also I’m using marine sealant for the antenna hole. Did you do anything special to the foam seal or leave it be?

[olive citrus]

They should put a fuse somewhere that blows and also an extra surface mount fuse on the motherboard

[olive citrus]

Lemme see

Oh neat that's a new board design!

Are you able to get a clear picture of the numberson the chip

@indigo ibex the battery that it comes with has under voltage protection, the chip there should have undervolt protection as well. I'd like to find the datasheet for the chip just to see what it has

That c3 looks like day/night sensing

I would suggest maybe switching from li-ion to lithium manganese, as it performs better in the cold. If you're worried about fire risk, switching to lifepo4 may be as simple as removing one of the pins on the chip

I limit the discharge and charge of my battery with a diac that I made

It also probably provides some heat in the winter

[indigo ibex]

@olive citrus here's the board

i think making it sub-freezing ready might be beyond my skillset at the moment - especially if i'm attaching it to my house or shed

i thought the IMR on the stock battery meant it was manganese based? maybe i'll just attach it to a fence post or metal pole or something instead of my house so i don't have to worry about it

[olive citrus]

Yup, that is what that means

[olive citrus]

Please send an up close pic of this chip, or send the numbers on top

I traced the important traces here

If you want to connect the rak to those outer 2 wires in the plug, , and remove that C3 capacitor, that would work. C3 is day/night sensing.

Then you could run the antenna through where the wires used to run. I am not 100% on the blue trace, so you should test this with a multimeter

[indigo ibex]

I’m not sure I follow

[olive citrus]

I want a picture that has the numbers on the top of that 8 pin chip

Have they been sanded off?

Your pictures are blurry

Please use macro mode on your camera, and you may need to tilt the camera to get the pic if they've been stamped in

[brave pecan]

https://www.printables.com/model/958722-meshtastic-harbor-breeze-solar-panel-n-type-antenn has my photos!

[brave pecan]

I’ve left everything else stock as far as sealing etc

[indigo ibex]

@brave pecan perfect, thank you!

[shell void]

https://www.printables.com/@JustParker_2045668/collections/2414153 this also

[tired rain]

are you NoHaxJustParker or is that somebody elses model ?

[shell void]

its somebody else

its a collection of other peoples models

[tacit ibex]

I just put all of the models for this project in a collection to make it easier for people to find them and choose which ones they want to use

[tired rain]

oh right duh. i should have just looked at the model author.

[olive citrus]

Hey who created those models?

I'd like assistance designing a print

[olive citrus]

I want to be able to put this on a flagpole in a way that lets me hoist and lower it.

[olive citrus]

I also would appreciate a way to keep it from swinging around too much

I can mount a pulley to the top

I probably want a guide and a cone of some sort to snug into position at the top

[exotic island]

Has anyone modeled an insert for one of these. Something to be able to mount the RAK or different board so it’s not moving around

[shell void]

I did this

[exotic island]

That works

Did you wire your board up to the power button?

[shell void]

I saw other versions of the internals, so maybe works in limited ways

[shell void]

Yes

[exotic island]

Cool

I want to make one of these with one of the seeed studio Nrf board

[shell void]

I’ve seen that done in the past. I just don’t remember where

[exotic island]

I might make something like this but for type n

[exotic island]

Cool

[shell void]

That be awesome. Please share the files if you can

[exotic island]

Yeah I can try to work on that later today

Shouldn’t be too hard

Just got to make the hole bigger basically

[olive citrus]

I am interested!

I have a type n that I've bracketed to the pole...

[olive citrus]

We are going to need a lot of support for type N

Type N, aka those fiberglass antennas are usually much heavier

Maybe hold the whole thing up using the antenna itself?

I'm going to try screwing mine to a board and then mounting that to the pole somehow

Maybe squish the pole together idk

I also need to make compression sleeves for the pole out of pla

[exotic island]

Why not use this and then mount the antenna using the clamps to the mast

[jade oar]

like the print here? https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6849930/files

[jade oar]

what's your preferred software for designs? I mainly use ones I find online but found modifying is not easy with tools like blender.

[olive citrus]

I want to raise and lower the whole thing for updates and stuff like an actual flag on a flagpole

[olive citrus]

Freecad 🤪

[exotic island]

I like on shape if you get a step file, it’s a lot easier to modify

[olive citrus]

After about a year, my node without a diac has lost 1/3 of it's battery capacity

I put it through the battery tester 2x

1500mah is now 1000mah

I bet the one on the pole is better

[exotic island]

Wow thats pretty good

I will prob just use the type N print and then mount it to a pole using the clamps most nodes come with

[exotic island]

Never mind @olive citrus im making a Type N for a pipe or mast holder. I lost the clamps for my antenna 🤣

[olive citrus]

BTW my solution for connecting the thing to the pipe is sandwiching 2 boards to the mast and putting the device on it using zipties and a magnet

[exotic island]

Nice

[olive citrus]

Hey I really like that board mount thing

It requires too long of a wire though

https://www.printables.com/model/1092716-harbor-breeze-pole-and-board-mount

This one

[exotic island]

Trying to make this type N

I really need a step file though

[olive citrus]

I need one that's a normal size

[exotic island]

For a type N Antenna?

[olive citrus]

Not type N

The small one

[exotic island]

SMA

[olive citrus]

Yes

[exotic island]

Whats wrong with this

[olive citrus]

The top is too long

I need one half as tall

I have a typeN to sma adapter

My wire that goes inside is 4in I think, that requires 8in

I am having trouble figuring out a way to shorten it. I want to cut the end off and then move that insert down

the little part at the end

I want to cut this off

shrink the end

[exotic island]

Ohh cant you do that in tinkercad?

[olive citrus]

I have freecad

[exotic island]

Cool

You should learn onshape its good

and free because im a highschool student

[olive citrus]

If I use something with a shitty ToS then I do not own anything I make

[exotic island]

Huh?

[olive citrus]

I would really like something local

Onshape is a program hosted n some sketchy server

You have to agree to a legal agreement to use it

Also, I am not a highschool student, so it is not free

[exotic island]

Ahh

That makes sense

[olive citrus]

This is NOT OKAY

This is an intrusion into our personal space

It would be wise to not-use it

They are hooking you into the ecosystem as a child so that you can't escape it as an adult

[exotic island]

I think its fine because I am not paying for it

If i was paying for it that would be different

[exotic island]

I dont care if my files are public or not

[olive citrus]

It's not that they're public

They aren't yours anymore

[exotic island]

Ohh i see what you mean

[olive citrus]

The company owns them and says you cannot sell anything you make with them

[exotic island]

then why not just pay for the higher tier

[olive citrus]

They WILL go after you

[exotic island]

How they know i use onshape

[olive citrus]

Onshape isn't a program on your computer

It's on theirs

That's what the cloud is

Fusion360 goes after people too

They are extremely litigious

[exotic island]

Yeah

[olive citrus]

I'm using freecad because it's FOSS

It isn;t the best, but there's no limits on what I can make, and I own everything that I make,

Everything is on my own computer

[olive citrus]

I have made it

[olive citrus]

it will be done printing in 4 hours

[olive citrus]

https://www.printables.com/model/1389626-harbor-breeze-board-mount-short @exotic island Hey here's the model!

[exotic island]

Type N pole mount

[tired rain]

nice mod but now you see why I made that part so tall : so that the antenna would be above the top of the solar panel. It is a huge pain in the butt to route the sma wire though. I like making a new hole for the antenna now adays.

Also i've angled the mounting holes so the screws toe in at the board and toe out at the mount so it's easier to screw in even after the panel is attached.

[tired rain]

10k node is holding up well #1196928044854694029 message

[olive citrus]

Oh, that's nice! Yeah I see why you did that. This was purely for a wire, not an antenna.

Also my little adapter isn't long enough for yours

Also... What did you do 💀

I would have liked a way to easily remove the wire, maybe by making the whole cylinder like a tuning fork

Is that why yours has tape?

[tired rain]

Where is the tape ?

[olive citrus]

Looks like ducttape

[tired rain]

I just cut a little slot for the sma wire to exit.

[olive citrus]

You didn't use the hole?

[tired rain]

Nope. Got tired of having to fish it through

[olive citrus]

I'm never going to take this apart

Except maybe for the battery

This is a very nice design

[tired rain]

Last time I did the antenna wire broke so that's why I did it this way

[olive citrus]

I used shoe glue to keep the wire secure

[tired rain]

Thanks. Does freecad import step files ?

[olive citrus]

Yes

[tired rain]

oh nice. Yeah, shoe goo / goop is my go to glue for everything.

[olive citrus]

I like the notches for zipties

The battery is actually charging rn

[tired rain]

To make the sma antenna routing more practical there needs to be a place for slack to go exterior to the panel enclosure because after you glue the anteanna hole it doesn't slide and there is not really any way to deteach the two pieces without de-sealing that antenna hole.

[olive citrus]

I've found that a diac is necessary at the lower voltages. Unfortunately that means we lose half the battery capacity. Lithium cells have an unstable voltage otherwise.

[tired rain]

Mine have been working fine without the diodes. But i'm in Hawaii so they are almost always getting topped up.

[olive citrus]

I put it at the perfect angle. I don't want it to move! This was an amazing design

But yeah the voltage gets wobbly and the device crashes/corrupts when you try to access the settings on it

I hope your model holds up against straightline winds 🙂

[tired rain]

how did you print it ? infill ?

[olive citrus]

Yeah 30% adaptive cubic

Ironing and 1.2mm

I have scarfs and stuff enabled too

[tired rain]

1.2mm layer heights ?

is that a big nozzle ?

[olive citrus]

0.4

[tired rain]

If the model cracks then I'd recommend TPU instead of PLA. It's so tough.

The circular joint is the weak point.

[olive citrus]

I am using petg

Also yeah I know about the joint being weak... I used these settings on my lawn chair parts though

It supports my dad without cracking

300 pound stress from the inside

this is without the walls

These 3 settings made it print way smoother and many times stronger

[tired rain]

is that orca ? I tried orca but it keep making my ender3 have full stop faults.

[olive citrus]

yeah it is orca

You have to set up your printer right

ender 3 v3 se

[tired rain]

yah well it works for about 20 minutes then just goes fault for no reason.

don't worry about superslicer works fine for me 😉

[olive citrus]

Odd. I wonder what command triggers it?

[brave pecan]

I’d recommend a bracket to the pole and or stainless steel zip ties for long term, those zip ties might get crumbly in the sun. This has been working well for over a year now (the mount you linked earlier is mine)

[exotic island]

Yeah that’s probably what I would have done but I lost the clamps that came with my antenna

[olive citrus]

I thought that was bolted to the windowsill....

That is a better design

[exotic island]

Anyone ended up making a node with these I just found this on AliExpress: $35.78 | D4 5V 6V Solar Battery Charger For Security camera Portable Solar Power Bank With DC 5521 Output 4W Solar Panel Battery Charger
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPqWpRF

[tired rain]

yes I think there is another thread in the projects about this. I think somebody even designed a custom pcb for it and was selling pre-built nodes based on that design.

[exotic island]

Oh wow

Cool

Would love to know more I’ll probably find it though

[tired rain]

it might have only been mentioned in the #solar-power channel. maybe ask their.

[olive citrus]

Update: if you're doing this in an environment where the battery could actually run out, you NEED a diac in line with the + terminal of the battery

When the battery gets low, the voltage becomes extremely unstable

Halving the battery capacity is worth it if your cutoff circuit cuts off before a brownout happens.
I've had parts on the chip (the lora modem) brownout before the cutoff was reached before, because the voltage would drop but it wouldn't be enough to trigger it.

[exotic island]

What’s a diac that’s cool @olive citrus

I want to maybe get a BMS and try to fit it in there as well for the 1s battery

[olive citrus]

You can make one with 2 schottky diodes in parallel in different directions. The chip on your board may have a BMS built-in, but it's probably set too low.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diac

We're using DC, but it does seem to smooth the voltage as well as drop the voltage coming from the battery by the correct amount of voltage.

[exotic island]

Hmm, Might just try to add a low voltage cutoff for the 18650 using one of the cheap BMS for it

[olive citrus]

You can replace the board that's already in there, but you lose the button

There is already a BMS in the enclosure

If you want to use lifepo4, you just lift a pin on it.

We have the datasheet for it here ifnyou scroll up a few months

[exotic island]

Cool

[exotic island]

Has anyone made a model with magnets in it

I might do something like that

Like where you stop the print mid way and put the magnets in

Something with these maybe

https://a.co/d/05FCOI2

[exotic island]

I want to make somehting like this with magnets that can slide in and out

[lament lodge]

Then make it!

[exotic island]

That’s what I’m doing 😂

[lament lodge]

The only question you asked was "has anyone made a model with magnets in it?" and the answer is "yes" 🙂

[exotic island]

That’s me

[limpid osprey]

For canadians, this looks like the same product as the RGB model, but for $20 USD.
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/noma-colour-changing-120-lumen-cool-white-led-solar-landscape-spotlight-for-outdoor-patio-0521697p.html?utm_content=shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22929867492&gbraid=0AAAAADojZpj7rWdAJwC4ieyL0SMz75rm_&gclid=CjwKCAjwlaTGBhANEiwAoRgXBQ1cKj8Z49MOWV5O-bclj5eYC7Hh9WSzI6ZV9nJ8b5Qk-e_S9cbNXRoChdkQAvD_BwE#store=369

Does anyone know what capacity the LiFe's are in these?
Includes 2 18500 lithium iron phosphate rechargeable batteries
Aliexpress has 18500's listed at 1Ah

[limpid osprey]

🙁 850mah

[exotic island]

Does anyone have step file for this or something similar? https://www.printables.com/model/1245724-minimalist-n-type-harbor-breeze-meshtastic-off-gri

[exotic island]

First test print going off to the printer now I need to find some magnets

[small goblet]

Has anyone actually been able to find one of these lights in a Lowes recently? The website just says they are out of stock, and no longer gives me the option to check physical stores. Worried they might have discontinued them, especially since it seems they are now selling a very similar light for $15. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Harbor-Breeze-1-Watt-Black/5015598033

[exotic island]

I found them like a month ago

[strange stag]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Harbor-Breeze-60LM-Solar-Flood-Light-0-6-Watt-Black-Solar-LED-Flood-Light/1002689960

They have tons of these and its what I've used for my last couple builds. The little circular angle clamp is different but I found a few STLs for making bases for it that are compatible

[small goblet]

Where are you located? For me (In NJ), that just shows a generic out of stock message, and it doesn't even let me select a store.

[strange stag]

New Orleans

[livid marsh]

I'm in Australia and I grabbed one of these https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-200-lumen-led-solar-sensor-floodlight_p0181800. I disconnected the led and stuck a Faketec in it. I have it in a window for testing but it hasn't dropped out at all.

[small goblet]

Alright, so if I set my location as Louisiana, I get the option to pick stores again and can see who has them. So it's a regional thing