Neil Hao
Overview
Meshtastic can send off-grid message using inexpensive hardware to create your personal mesh.
The Station Edition series is a compact Lora device with high power PA (Maximum TX Power: 35dBm@915MHz or 868MHz for Station G1 Edition), Rugged SMA Antenna Socket, rich external IO interface, wide input voltage range (8VDC-20VDC). This series aims to provide the best RF performance in all series with credit card size and rugged construction. Fixed-location base stations and vehicle-mounted base stations are typical application scenarios for this series.
For the firmware, Meshtastic firmware 1.2.65 is preinstalled. Meshtastic Mesh Device Station Edition G1 is expected to be merged into the official meshtastic repository on Github starting from firmware 1.3.
Dimension
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Size | 10cm*5.8cm*2.1cm |
| Color | Black |
| Weight | ~80g |
Typical RF Performance
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Lora Operation Frequency | US915MHz and EU868MHz |
| Lora RF Max Output Power | 35 dBm @ US915MHz (Station Edition G1) |
| Lora Power Amplifier Gain | 21.5dB @ US915MHz (Station Edition G1) |
| Lora Power Amplifier P1dB Point | 34.5 dBm @ US915MHz (Station Edition G1) |
| Lora Power Amplifier Noise Figure | 0.96dB @ US915MHz (Station Edition G1) |
| VSWR of Lora Stock Antenna | < =2 @ 915 MHz |
Typical Application Scenarios
Station Edition could be powered by either USB Type C (PD Protocol with minimum 9V2A is required, 15V2A is recommended due to the requirements of 12V Battery Docker) or 2Pins Socket (Pitch=2.5mm, 8VDC-20VDC, 2A minimum).
Wide voltage input makes the Station Edition ideal as an vehicle-mounted base station and powered directly from the in-vehicle 12V system. The USB Type C power input allows the device to be easily powered by a USB Type C adapter which supports the PD protocol.
Ability to increase transmit power makes it possible to balance communication distance and communication speed. For low power meshtastic devices, usually necessary to set the modem to Long/Slow to obtain the required communication distance, but when using this setting, the communication speed will be very slow, and the continuous sending of messages will also cause timeouts. By increasing the transmit power, we can set the modem to Long/Fast or even Medium/Fast to get a similar experience to Internet-based instant messaging software.
More information about modem setting: https://meshtastic.org/docs/settings/channel#modem_config
Hardware
Schematics
| Schematics for 12V Battery Docker | meshtastic_mesh_device_station_edition_12v_battery_docker_28_jul_2022.pdf | Version: 28 Jul 2022 |
| Schematics for Station Edition G1 | meshtastic_mesh_device_station_edition_12_jun_2022.pdf | Version: 12 Jun 2022 |
PCB (Station Edition G1)
| No. | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | ESP32 WROOM |
| 2 | Semtech SX1262 Lora Transceiver |
| 3 | Lora Power Amplifier |
| 4 | RF Switch |
| 5 | SMA Connector for Lora Antenna |
| 6 | USB Type C Socket |
| 7 | CH9102F USB to UART Bridge |
| 8 | Power Input Socket (8VDC-20VDC), 1*2P, Pitch=2.5mm |
| 9 | 7.5V DCDC |
| 10 | 3.3V DCDC |
| 11 | GPS and Notification Extension Socket, 1*5P, Pitch=1.5mm |
| 12 | IO Extension Socket, 1*10P, Pitch=1.5mm |
| 13 | LV (Low Voltage) LED Indicator |
| 14 | HV (High Voltage) LED Indicator |
| 15 | 1.3 Inch OLED Screen |
| 16 | User Button |
Power Status
| LV LED (Red) | HV LED (Green) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ON | OFF | 3.3V DCDC is working normally, but 7.5V DCDC is not working. Generally, this status indicates the device is powered up by using USB2.0/3.0 which does not support 9V USB Type C PD protocol. For this status, everything should work normally, except the Lora PA. The firmware can be flashed into the device through Type C Port in this status. |
| ON | ON | Both 3.3V DCDC and 7.5V DCDC are working normally. Generally, this status indicates the device is powered up by 9V USB Type C PD protocol. For... |