We have a very cool one for you all this time, Meshtastic but for maker projects! If you haven’t heard about meshtastic its a really cool open source project that uses LoRa devices to send messages in a peer-to-peer meshing network - you are essentially working with strangers to build a community off-grid network. It is a really cool project that has been adopted largely as a hobby. We saw a lot of potential for its use in sending data wirelessly in maker projects, and so we are making a short course on how to do so: “Meshtastic for Makers Workshop”
Welcome to the Meshtastic for Makers Workshop, a short course that teaches you everything you need to know about Meshtastic so you can go out and start wirelessly sending information in your projects with the Meshtastic network. This workshop is des…
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How do you persist code for the Meshtastic Makers Workshop? Specifically, Ch 4-5 - Controlling Hardware and Sending Data - please give me a clue how to keep this working outside the lab and off the bench? Great course, thank you.
Hey Scott, welcome to the forums,
If you save the code to the Pico and call it main.py, it will automatically run when powered on!
What ever script has this name, the Pico will run it when it boots up.
Thank you for the kind words, and if you need a hand with anything else let us know!
Thanks for helping (clueless) me out, Jaryd. I’m stuck for the moment trying to get meshtastic and micropython to co-exist on my ESP32-S3. Installing one disables the other so far.
We attempted to get them both running on the same microcontroller as well but found that it wasn’t really possible. This is why in the series we have one microcontroller running MicroPython, and another running the Meshtastic firmware.
Ohhhh. I thought it was just because of the sensors you wanted to use. Now I get it, Thanks again!
Chapter 7 Simple Sensor Data
Hi Jaryd
My project is to transmit tipping bucket rain gauge data (NO magnetic reed switch)
I was thinking the Detection sensor module would be ideal for this task. The range is fantastic (I havent seen any other nodes in my area) so stand alone Ive tested it 350m with one end indoors surrounded by foil lined sarking in the walls and metal mesh ember screens on the windows
I set up the switch between pin 21 and ground and enabled and set and saved the detection sensor module parameters as per the demo. Unfortunately I received nothing when the switch was closed.
The system is functioning as I can send messages and log an acknowledgment and the Chapter 4 Serial module demo works beautifully.
I disabled the serial module in case that was interfering but no joy
What am I missing?
Cheers Bob
If you were to set up the tipping bucket to run on the pico and output to serial you should be able to see if it is working as intended.
From there you should be able to integrate it into meshtastic knowing that it is working properly
What I missed was the bad pin connection on the breadboard!
Moving forward and the device will transmit “: detected” on the change of state
May be useful so long as the bucket tips are no more than 1 per second (12mm per minute), which is unlikely . Violent rain is defined as greater than 50mm per hour
Hi Jaryd, Great course, and presentation!
I have been using the meshtastic setup from your course to build a wireless tank level monitoring system, finally getting somwhere with it, but have encounted an issue with my meshtastic nodes. They were working all fine everybody talking to each other on the same channel, sending text to another node to update an oled screen etc.. then without me doing anything they wont send messages, everytime I try message sending failed, I have unplugged, left sit, swapped nodes, used the APP used pc via serial, Nuked 1 node and reloaded firmareware and channel setup. I am out of options, Any suggestions?
Hey Nicholas, thanks for the kind words!
Sounds like you are experiencing a bit of a weird issue. I’m just checking that when you say nuke you mean you used the actual uf2 file linked at the bottom of the written guide that completely resets the flash as well?
If so then nuke 2 nodes and then flash the firmware again. In testing whenever I had an issue of nodes not communicating it was usually related to Meshtastic automatically changing the frequency in some rogue setting. Reset 2 of them to default, unplug all unnecessary hardware and try and send and receive messages over the PC serial. If this isn’t working then we might have something wrong with your hardware.
Let us know how it goes!
I have been trying to use the Sensor Detection module. However Ive been getting a high rate of anomalous “detected” messages as soon as a wire is connected to the selected GPIO 21
Substituting a coax (with the shield grounded at one end) stops the anomalous messages from being triggered, but when an unshielded wire is connected to the 1.5m long coax the uncommanded detected messages continuously appear. This seems to be some inductive interference, perhaps RF from the LORA transmitter?
Has anyone else seen this? There are no other nodes in my locality
Hey @Robert281517,
That sounds like a bit of a weird issue, could you give us some photos or a diagram of the set up? And just double-checking that you have properly enabled the pull-up resistors (or manually wired some pull-downs if you are using an active high config).
Hi Jaryd,
Thanks for a well presented tutorial.
Do you think it is possible to run a PoE version of this with the W5500+PoE module+LoRa?
Hey @Alby291109, welcome to the forums!
I wouldn’t be able to definitively say. My initial guess is that it would as that board is based off the rp2040, but the Meshtastic firmware is pretty darn picky in terms of what microcontroller it can run on which causes me to doubt.
If you are using the set-up from the course with 2 microcontrollers, one with the LoRa hat for Meshtastic and a 2nd for data processing/sensor reading, you could definitely use that board for the 2nd microcontroller and power the other Pico and Lora module off of it.
Let us know if you have any other questions!
Hi Jaryd,
Thank you for the Meshtastic for Makers Workshop.
Regarding MQTT: Can I have many microcontrollers, each having a different sensor, that send their data to the endpoint MQTT broker sensor, that uploads the data from all sensors to their individual dashboards on Adafruit IO? So e.g. one microcontroller with the BME280, another with the RCWL9620 ultrasonic sensor, another with the PMSA003I particle sensor, etc. Can the data also have a timestamp?
Hi @Henk296156
Welcome to the forum!
You should be able to set that up with Adafruit IO with no issues, with timestamps Adafruit IO automatically publishes a timestamp with each datapoint that is uploaded.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the fast reply! Great that this is possible with Adafruit IO.
Thank you for the comprehensive guide. I’m not sure if I’m on the correct forum thread but I am having problems setting up my Pico/LoRa network. I think one of them is broken because after flashing it with the meshtastic firmware it stays loading on the connection screen even after refeshing, reflashing, and switching the LoRa and the cable. I’ve tried on a different computer as well and it still doesn’t seem to pick it up. Any ideas to try would be greatly appreciated! Also could you please describe how you made your phone a standalone receiver without it being connected to any node or how you connected it?
Thank you in advance!
You are probably better to start a new thread for this issue but I will give you a suggestion.
Sometimes things go wrong and reflashing will not erase incorrect settings. You then need to do a factory erase to completely erase everything on the Pico before reflashing the correct firmware. Go to Meshtastic Web Flasher
Choose the Pi Pico device and then click on the garbage can to the right hand side and download the factory erase program. Hold down the button on the Pico while connecting it to your computer until it comes up to open in file manager. Then copy the erase file to the Pico. Don’t worry about disconnection messages. It will then suggest open in file manager again. Then copy the firmware file to it as normal. This might fix your problem. If not, I suggest opening a new thread.
Ian
ps if you have a Pico W connected to a wifi network you can then connect to it using the Meshtastic Android app on an android phone.
