u/Rinordine

The nodes are both Heltec T096 and a T114 (not pictured) fitted to my van for range testing. The little stubby antenna still managed a strong signal almost 2 miles away, albeit over very flat and clear land. It's not exactly direct line of sight but it's not far off.

With the backpack node I was calling on LongFast but with no replies. When I got home I noticed one of my messages had managed to hit my base node with 1 hop from 8 miles away. My house is in the city and surrounded by tall buildings, I can lose contact with my base node from just a few streets away and it's pretty much an isolated area for MT. Very surprising to see a message land in such a dense area from so far away.

The idea is to have the node facing up, which is the correct orientation for these Heltec nodes as the GNSS antenna is behind the screen. It was picking up 12-18 satellites which is good.

I have a node in my van with a roof mounted antenna (neither of these antennas are particularly good) and was still getting a strong signal 2 miles away over flat land.

It's powered by 2x 18650 3300mAh batteries with a BMS in the sloped vented side compartment. With frequent pings back to the van and GPS running all day it used about 8% battery. No testing the tiny solar panel though, unfortunately my crappy bag has nowhere to strap it on the outside so had it strapped inside with the antenna poking out. It can fit on a belt but didn't want it on my hip on a long walk.

I enjoy making cases that need no screws so this is 4 separate parts. The battery holder drops into the main body, the yellow node holder slides over the top to lock the batteries in place then there is a cap (the other yellow part with the Heltec logo) that pushes down and locks the node in place. No rattling or parts coming loose.

I see people asking what it is so thought I'd share the lore.

I don't remember where this message came from (this has been sitting on an old memory stick for years) but this is how we found out about the name 'Project Skyscraper'.

The VGX Awards where the first announcement trailer for NMS was shown was on 7 December 2013.

The Walker bobblehead was a promotional item. It's weird it's blue, even in the early pre-release videos they were not this colour.

And the Atlas Pass was earned, not bought. I took part in the Waking Titan ARG, hopefully in this new ARG I maybe get to use the code on the back...

T096 cases seem a bit thin on the ground so I made something simple and pocket size.

It uses no screws or bolts, just glue for the optional faceplate. Battery compartment holds a 2000mAh pillow.

I designed it to use the standard short rubber duck antenna but the fake Muzi "10db" rubbish whip I have also fits. I didn't want a fully enclosed antenna so built a cage around it for protection when in a pocket.

My proudest achievement here is I fixed the spinning SMA connector problem. This case has a hex shape cut-out where the SMA connector fits so it prevents it turning when you tighten the antenna or nut on the SMA. No more twisted pigtails.

There is also a solar variant of the case which uses a panel so tiny it's pretty pointless but I just like slapping solar on my own nodes regardless.

Links if you want it:

Heltec T096 and Wireless Tracker V2 Vega case by Rinordine - Thingiverse

Heltec T096 and Wireless Tracker V2 Vega case - Free 3D Print Model - MakerWorld

Heltec T096 and Wireless Tracker V2 Vega case by Rinordine | Download free STL model | Printables.com

I have a few nodes with no cases that I occasionally play around with and don't really like having a node and antenna dangling off a usb cable so I made a test rig to keep everything tidy.

The node housing is separate and slots into a recess so it's easy to connect cables, single 18650 holder and antenna clamp.

I wanted an excuse to build a node with a keyboard, decided to design a prepper type base node that can be used without a phone or external power source.

Heltec V4.3

M5Stack CardKB mini keyboard

1.5W solar panel

4x 3000mAh 18650

Disclaimer - I'm not a prepper. I have like 2 days of food in my house. It's just a fun project.

I've been working on this Heltec T114 case for a while, carried prototypes with me for testing and finally it's ready to be shared.

The cooling fan is automatic, it switches on when the case reaches 40C (104F). Vent holes around the bottom of the case draw cool air through channels behind the battery and the space behind the solar panel.

With the 10,000mAh battery and some solar charging I'm on course to get around 3 months out of a single charge (without the GPS running).

Heltec T114 solar and air cooled case with 10,000mAh battery - Immortal by Rinordine - Thingiverse

It uses a 1100mAh battery that came with my Heltec V3 node, keeps it lightweight so I can clip the case to a backpack. The top panel clips in to hold everything in place, it protects the USB and helps with accidental button pushing.

I tried to make this easy to assemble so no screws or bolts. The node slides on rails, battery compartment is behind the solar, the only soldering required is the JST cables on the solar panel.

Links if you wish to print your own:

Heltec Mesh Node T096 Solar Case 1100mAh by Rinordine - Thingiverse

Heltec Mesh Node T096 Solar Case 1100mAh - Free 3D Print Model - MakerWorld

Heltec Mesh Node T096 Solar Case 1100mAh by Rinordine | Download free STL model | Printables.com

Playing around with my design for a portable Heltec T114 with 10,000mah battery and solar charging. With testing of my last (more simple) case I was using about 1% of battery per day when left in a window, so a single charge should last around 3 months.

For this case I added GPS and a tiny cooling fan with a thermostat that switches on at 40C (104F). I tested it today and the fan does seem to be pushing out hot air. It needs a few extra air intake holes in the space between the solar panel and battery. Battery life will be shorter obviously but the solar should be putting in more charge than the fan will use.

Parts list:

Custom 3D printed case of my own design, printed in "silver" PETG

Heltec T114

Paradar 5bd antenna

3.7v 10,000mAh battery

Dollatek KSD9700 thermostat

Caizhu CZ 2006G 20mm x 20mm x 6mm brushless fan

130mm x 60mm 5V 200mA solar panel

L76K GNSS Module