DropLink

Work in Progress

An outdoor enclosure design for Meshtastic nodes. Combines a solar panel, 18650 battery, and LoRa radio in a weatherproof box.

This is not a product for sale. These are notes on an ongoing hardware project.

Components

Components may vary. These are typical parts used in prototypes.

☀️

6V panel charges 18650 battery via TP4056 controller. Runtime depends on sunlight and transmit interval.

📡

Meshtastic firmware on Heltec or RAK radio. Joins mesh network, relays messages, reports telemetry.

🔌

GPIO pins exposed for sensors. BsLatch for gate sensing, I2C for environmental sensors.

Nodes running custom firmware respond to these direct message commands. Requires PKI authentication (your public key on the device).

triggerStart charge + fire sequence

trigger offEmergency stop

statusShow device status + latch check

schedule [N] [unit]Schedule trigger (e.g., "schedule 5 minutes")

config chargetime [ms]Set capacitor charge duration

config firetime [ms]Set relay hold duration

helpShow all available commands

Range: Varies significantly by terrain, antenna, and obstacles. LoRa can go several miles line-of-sight but much less in hilly or forested areas.
Battery life: Depends on transmit interval and solar conditions. With a 1W panel and 3000mAh battery, nodes can run for extended periods in good sun.
Weatherproofing: Generic ABS boxes with cable glands work for most conditions. Not tested in extreme weather.
Firmware: Standard Meshtastic firmware plus custom command handling for relay control and sensor queries.

This is an ongoing project. Check the dashboard to see live node data.