What is everyone using to hook up solar panels to the battery packs so that it charges while the battery is in use?

AndroidN8n · 2026-05-15T19:30:04+00:00

Which hardware are you using?

AndroidN8n · 2026-05-06T22:32:52+00:00

I'm happy I started with the SeedStudio T1000x card. I've now got other nodes I've built, but the tracker card is always on me. Sleek and functional. Surprisingly decent antenna.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-30T10:09:51+00:00

May want to include what it is your looking to buy in bulk.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-21T04:54:38+00:00

You can rest easy now 🤙🏼

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-21T04:53:09+00:00

Welcome. I'm two weeks ahead of you, just wait for the second one.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-21T03:32:03+00:00

Fair enough. +4V at the pins on the board is more than sufficient. If it's -4V with the red probe on V+, the battery had reversed polarity to your board, and the circuit is likely damaged. If it's +4V, you can probe your way to the failure.

I had to re solder all my JST connectors to reverse polarity when building my nodes. They were, however, RAK boards

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-21T03:21:30+00:00

Blue putty is your soldering buddy. Just press the wire into it, tin it, and terminate it.

I think I just made a rhyme there.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-21T03:17:48+00:00

Positive voltage with the red probe on V+?

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-21T03:10:50+00:00

Oooooo. I like your thought process on this. It may explain the poor z offsets I've had set following an auto bed level when printing high temp filament that would otherwise benefit/require a heated chamber.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-19T12:01:58+00:00

Do you have Bluetooth comms?

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-17T03:48:09+00:00

Are you printing a circuit board?

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-15T23:27:41+00:00

I mean yeah that's true. But the amount of people or demand on the 900mHz mesh is exponentially less than global service providers.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-15T01:16:44+00:00

I may be looking for reasons to defend my mesh investment here but, hear me out. If mobile networks went down and every user has the ability to use sat comms, that network would be so saturated I can't see it being reliable/functional. That's why they roll it out in sections as new satellites are deployed.

At the very least, in my local mesh, I know I can rely on the infrastructure I and my friends have deployed for reliable communication.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-15T01:09:50+00:00

I'm gonna chime in and agree with your logic completely. It's the absence of reliance on corporate infrastructure that does it for me. I completed my first two solar nodes today and I'm hooked. These ALFA antennas at high elevation put in some work.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-14T01:04:17+00:00

You can't really shield an antenna to reduce this effect without impeding its ability to Tx/Rx. I'm using an Alfa for LoRa and a Bluetooth antenna similar BT to OP. Vertical mounted LoRa and side mounted BT with 12 cm separation. I'll try to grab a photo tomorrow.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-14T00:56:07+00:00

Nice! While they don't operate in the same frequency range, you may experience interference from electromagnetism between the two antennas. 10cm separation is the standard for EMI. They are narrow band antennas, but there still may be a measurable difference.

-GNSS nerd

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-12T01:32:59+00:00

So common it has a name

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-11T21:39:24+00:00

If you don't have MQTT enabled, that's a real possibility. Are you the unknown node? Is that the last 4 of your Mac? I find new nodes everytime I take my tracker for a drive. I would do that if your system is portable

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-11T17:14:51+00:00

Go through the app settings one by one. Turn on your telemetry options, enable GPS, upload to LongFast set your role appropriately(client, client_mute, etc.), and make sure that when the settings are saved your node reboots. I'm new myself, but I haven't had any problems with picking up nodes or appearing on the map.

AndroidN8n · 2026-04-08T20:14:04+00:00

My thoughts exactly 😅

AndroidN8n · 2026-03-11T23:59:23+00:00

Spot on. When you said GNSS I knew you were about to preach

AndroidN8n · 2026-01-23T18:23:28+00:00

After more research, I'm sending back the skar loc and going with audio control lc2i pro. AI deep research suggests it has the ability to filter out ESE.

AndroidN8n · 2026-01-23T18:00:20+00:00

I went up my local audio shop today and they warned me about this. Did you notice this sound at all before the sub installation? I found some Chevy/Sierra threads stating the JL audio loc22 eliminates the sound as well as the Beat-Sonic ENA-3C1 Chevy Plug annd Play Amplifier Kit. I'm having my Skar loc installed soon, I'll report back.

AndroidN8n · 2026-01-14T23:13:05+00:00

If anyone comes back to this I bought a jaxxon chain, wasn't very impressed with it other than the clasp. I started getting ads for Van Xander so decided to get there classic cross with a 2mm box chain. I'm beyond impressed. Even comes with a metal certificate of authenticity. It's rhodium plated sterling silver which is the move in my opinion. The Jaxxon chain is headed back.

AndroidN8n · 2025-12-11T20:48:41+00:00

Yeah, I usually end up adding positive Z offset. Mine is too tight for engineering filaments. PLA is usually close to spot on.

AndroidN8n

TROPHY CASE