The People's Companion - Affordable DIY Mesh Node

The People’s Companion: A low-cost, LoRa mesh companion radio for Meshtastic or Meshcore.

The People's Companion is an affordable LoRa mesh companion radio build using reliable, low-cost parts like the Seeed Studio Xaio Development Kit and the Black Flag Civilian generic 915 mHz Whip Antenna. This is not a repeater, this is the type of mesh radio that you actually carry with you day to day. It's a simple design. You can assemble it at home in less than an hour using a just a few parts and common tools. Build list below.

The device runs for close to two weeks on a single 18650 battery, and thanks to the toolless entry, you can easily hot swap 18650's anytime. It has a mini on/off rocker switch, and an SMA connector so you can link it up with whatever antenna you prefer.

At the time of release, these companion builds cost approx. $25 plus shipping for parts.

If you do not own a 3D printer, but would like to assemble a People's Companion...

Click here to purchase the 3D Printed Housing ONLY from the BFC web store.

Click here to purchase the People's Companion BUILDER KIT (i.e. everything you need except for the 18650 battery).

Printer settings

I print most of my People's Companions in PETG. It's a good balance of affordability, heat resistance, and ease of printing. You may have success with other high temp filaments such as ASA or ABS, but I recommend you do NOT use PLA or PLA+. (PLA filaments will warp if they get even moderately hot.)

Material: PETG
Layer height: 0.2 mm
Layer thickness: 0.4 mm
Walls: 3-4
Infill: 30-40%
Supports: None

Components & Tools

Basic Components:
3D Printed Housing
Seeed Studio Xaio nRF Development Kit
Antenna (& 10cm SMA to IPEX cable)
18650 Battery Holder
On/Off Rocker Switch
18650 Battery

Minimum Required Tools:
Soldering Iron
Crescent Wrench

Instructions

Step-by-step video instructions can be found here. Assembly begins approx. XX:XX into the video.

Text Instructions:
Step 1: Secure Battery Holder Inside Housing
Step 2: Secure SMA connector Inside Housing
Step 3: Connect Antenna Cable to LoRa Chip & Secure Inside Housing
Step 4: Secure On/Off Rocker Switch Inside Housing
Step 5: Strip Wire Ends In Preparation for Soldering
Step 6: Solder Wires to Appropriate Places
Step 7: Close Housing & Secure Antenna to SMA Connector
Step 8: Flash Radio using Meshcore.io
Step 9: Pair with a Bluetooth Device & Configure Settings
Step 10: Join/Create Channels & Begin Sending Messages

Time to complete project: 15-45 minutes (if you have all your parts and tools ready to go)

Weatherproofness

The People's Companion is NOT WATERPROOF. It has no weather seal, and NO WATERPROOF RATING. Please be aware you must keep it dry.