When Austin Mesh holds meetup events we invariably end up with attendees who are new to the technology and do not have a radio or know where to start. We thought it would be a cool idea to have some pre-configured radios ready to go for handing out to newcomers.
Heltec worked with us to procure some T114 devices that we can hand out at events. The T114 has proved to be a great handheld device and, paired with our custom case, makes for an easy way to onboard people to the mesh.
We felt this hardware paired nicely together to be a step above a typical “off-the-shelf” device:
- Heltec T114 - A great low-power LoRa radio with OLED screen
- Muzi Works Antenna - Gizont-comparable whip antenna, tested to have a good SWR
- SMA to u.FL pigtail - To connect the antenna to the T114
- 2Ah LiPo battery - Good for about a week between charges
- Custom 3D printable case - Something we designed to be compact with recessed antenna
- M2.5 screws - Use the 16mm or 20mm for screwing the case together
Check out the iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit if you need a driver set. It has a good set of bits for small electronics.
If you end up building one of these yourself we would love to hear about it! If you don’t have a radio and are looking to get started, then come to one of our meetups. You just might walk away with one.
