Meshtastic Vehicle Utility Node Enclosure for LoRa - Supports GPS and a Wide Voltage Input

This is a water resistant compact enclosure designed for RAK Wireless baseboards (RAK19007 and RAK19003). Use it in your car, under your roof eave, or use it for quick deployment situations.

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Buy it pre-built and ready to go: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1400752074/meshtastic-vehicle-utility-node-off-grid

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UPDATES

2024-11-04: added a new variant of the Dual SMA enclosure for Amazon Inserts.

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The parts used for this enclosure are mostly the same parts used for my 3 Watt Solar Base Station.

Size
Height: 35mm
Width: 94mm (124mm including mounts)
Length: 120mm (128mm including switch wings. The antenna connector and cable gland will increase the length)

Power Input
The enclosure supports two methods of power input: a PG7 cable gland or a barrel plug connector. The opening for the power input is 12mm. Power is routed first through the switch then to the RAK19004.

Antenna Connector
Use either the SMA or N-Type panel mount U.FL antenna pigtail connector. The opening for the antenna connector is 16mm.

Update: I added a version of the enclosure with two SMA ports. One for LoRa and one for GPS. You can now have an external GPS antenna.

Battery
There are two options for a battery: the 2P 18650 battery holder or the battery sled. With the battery sled you can tape or strap any kind of battery to the enclosure. With two 3500mAh 18650 batteries installed this node can last for a month without GPS (or when GPS is disabled).

Gasket
When you print the enclosure out of ASA filament and install the gasket this unit will be water resistant. Not waterproof, but it will hold up to light splashing and moisture. The gasket is cut from 1/25" silicone rubber sheet using a Cricut machine (or any similar tool). Use the included SVG file and set the width and height to 3.70" by 4.724" (120mm by 94mm, but it might fit better at 119x93mm). You'll need to use the Deep Point Blade with "more" pressure. I was able to cut the gasket with one pass by using the Magnetic Sheet 0.5mm preset (remove the plastic protective covering from the silicone sheet before cutting otherwise it will not cut all the way through).

You can also reach out to me on Etsy and I'll sell you a gasket.

Power Module
The RAK Wireless RAK19004 is the "Green Power" module. It has an input rating of 2v to 36v with an output of 5v. It has a buck/boost circuit so even when the supply voltage is below 5v it will boost it. I have found this to work exceedingly well.

Switch
The switch is wired between the battery and the RAK base board AND between the power input and the power module. This allows you to cut all power to the RAK board. This is important so you can change the antenna when the unit is powered down.

Mounting Wings
The mounting wings are helpful if you want to screw the unit to something, strap it with velcro, or use U-bolts to mount it to a poll. The variation without wings is more compact.

Threaded Inserts - Amazon or AliExpress
The only difference between these versions is the size of the hole for the heated inserts. The “Amazon” inserts are nice because you can get them quickly (these are the same used for my 3W Solar Base Station). They are more expensive though. If you can wait for delivery, the AliExpress inserts work just as well and are a lot less expensive.

RAK19007 or RAK19003
This enclosure supports either of these base boards. If you want to use the RAK19003 then also print the “RAK19007 to RAK19003 Sled”.

GPS
You can install a RAK GPS module onto either base board. There's clearance for installing it on the bottom or top of the base boards. Print the “GPS-Bracket” to orient the antenna facing up (as pictured). I used double-sided tape to stick the module to the bracket. You could also use a small rubber band or zip tie.

Filament
I use PolyMaker ASA filament exclusively because it is waterproof, UV resistant, and heat resistant. The high heat tolerance means you can safely place this in a car where summer heat would melt other filament types (like PLA). It also means you can place this outside. Even though the ASA is waterproof (it doesn't degrade when it gets wet) the assembled node is not waterproof. However, it is water and moisture resistant. You could safely install this outside if it was protected from rain (like under an eave).

Print Settings

Print all parts at 0.2mm layer height, 6 perimeters, 5 layers top/bottom, and 50% infill. This needs to be strong. No supports are needed for any parts. I printed this on a Prusa Mini+ using a heated enclosure set to 48° C.

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Parts List

• RAK19007 (Starter Kit) OR RAK19003 + RAK4631 (Arduino variant)
• RAK19004
• RAK12500 (works with both baseboards) OR RAK1910 (only works with RAK19007) (optional)
• 10x M3x10 screws (it supports up to M3x20 length)
• 10x M3 brass threaded inserts: AliExpress (M3x5.0x6.0) OR Amazon
• M2.5x4 screws (the number depends on on your options, you might not need any since there are extras in the RAK base board kit)
• 4x M2x4 screws (plus 2 more for GPS bracket)
• DPST Rocker Switch (4 pin)
• Rocker Switch Silicone Cover
• 6' 2p round cable 22 gauge (when using cable gland, optional)
• 1x Car cigarette lighter plug (optional)
• JST-PH 2.0 male end with crimper tool (optional, for 18650 battery holder, could solder a wire instead of crimping)
• 2x pair of JST-PH 2.0 male and female cables
• Various sizes of heat shrink tubing
• Antenna connector: U.FL/IPEX to N-Type OR U.FL/IPEX to SMA
• Silicone rubber gasket (custom)
• Full sheet of 220 grit sand paper
• 2x U-bolt clamp (optional)
• PG7 cable gland OR 5.5x2.1mm DC barrel jack
• 2P 18650 holder OR battery of your choice (with battery sled)
• Silicone tape (for sealing antenna connectors, optional but recommended for outside placement)
• 1" Velcro (optional)
• Small zip-ties (optional)

Assembly Instructions:

-- Coming Soon --