Introduction: LoRa Mesh Radio

This is a fairly simple appurtenance for mobile phones to enable SMS-care messaging in a mathematical group when outdoorsy cell coverage, or in catastrophe scenarios. It utilises Semtech LoRa radios, for low-power/long-rank communication theory. There are a lot of hardware options, and I am quiet trying antithetic devices and manufacturers, but for now this tutorial will demo how to assemble and setup one of the following boards:

  • TTGO ESP32 Lora with OLED
  • Adafruit Feather M0 RFM96

Supplies

Step 1: TTGO ESP32 Setup

This board is quite nice in that IT includes a nice Organic light-emitting diode screen and Bluetooth radio. Unluckily, the LoRa radio is not as good every bit the Feather, and only when seems to get about incomplete the roll.

With this board you can choose whether to connect to handset via UDB OTG overseas telegram, Bluetooth Standard Oregon Bluetooth LE. You simply flaunt the control board with the appropriate firmware image (there are three different microcode binaries for each connectedness typewrite).

Stairs:

  • flash the board with the Ripple firmware image: Follow ReadMe on GitHub
  • wire up battery and substitution
  • electrify raised the piezo bell: TTGO V2 -> to GND and Pin 13, other boards -> to GND and Pivot 25
  • facultative: 3D impress the case

I have besides intentional a 3D-printable case for this, which you can download from here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3865750

Measure 2: Adafruit Plume Setup

These boards are nice quality, but a act more than expensive. There is a bit Thomas More enclosed with these, as you need to do much more soldering to install a LoRa antenna.

Steps:

  • flash the board with the Ripple firmware: Follow ReadMe on GitHub
  • wire up the piezo buzzer to GND and member pin 11 . (EDIT: NOT pin 13 American Samoa antecedently stated)
  • solder a u.fl aerial connective to underside, get in touch feeler to u.fl
  • Optional: 3D print the case. See here for the files: https://www.thingiverse.com/matter:3879020

(Nonmandatory) Bonding the Dipole Feeler

The 3D printable case is designed for utilization with this dipole antenna: https://WWW.banggood.com/T-Type-900MHz-Long-Range-Receiver-Antenna-IPEX-4-for-FrSky-R9-Miniskirt-R9-MM-p-1361029.html

It's a goodness aerial, but doesn't have the right connector, so you need to cut IPEX4 one off, then secern the coax braids and solder to the feeler ground pads (construe end pic above). To brawl this, you need to strip active 10mm of the outer plastic off the end of the cable, then severalise the very fine surrounding coaxial cable wire mesh and then set approximately solder onto this. Then remove about 1mm of the plastic from the inner active wire and put a small amount of money of solder on this.

Next, pre-can the antenna ground pads on the Feather, and the springy feeler pad in the middle, then solder the antenna to these pads (separated coax to ground pads, spry intrinsical wire to antenna tramp).

Step 3: Apparatus the Ripple Messenger App

The companion app for this is called Guggle Messenger. Currently thither is only an Android version, which you can download from the Play store: Ripple Courier

Each person in your group moldiness be allocated a unique numerical ID, between 1 and 254. You need to sort this out among yourselves. There's no amidship server for coordinating.

You keister also (optionally) organise into sub-groups by assigning yourselves with different Group-IDs (once more, between 1 and 254). By default you can all impartial persist in group zero. The groups are like 'channels', and will word form separate mesh networks.

Adding Friends

Once you have entered your possess details in the Setup screen and selected SAVE, you posterior then be added as a Friend to other user's handsets by scanning each opposite's QR codes. This exchanges state-supported keys and so you can send messages to each another in camera. Former devices in your group testament mutely relay your messages, simply cannot 'open' them upwardly.

Connecting Radio

The tuner board posterior be connected to the tablet/handset either via USB OTG cable, Oregon via Bluetooth. You must set your taste for this aside selecting the 'Preferences' menu from the cover action bar. There is an icon happening the top action bar which wish go solid gabardine when information technology has detected your radio board is well-connected.

For Bluetooth Standard, you need to make sure bluetooth is on and you need to Pair your handset/tablet with the card manually. Give-up the ghost to Bluetooth setting, and select scan/refresh and tap on 'Ripple Twist' when it comes up. Hug dru back to the Riffle app then tap the 'Choose Gimmick' button and select 'Ripple Device' from the list.

For Bluetooth LE you shouldn't need to pair. Just make a point you choice 'Rippling Service' in the 'Choose Device' screen.

Conversations

From the intense screen you clean tap on the admirer you wishing to chat with, which transitions to the conversation projection screen (every bit pictured above). The action at law cake will show their name, and to the right is a signal indicant which will show whether that user's device is presently reachable, you said it strong the nighest signal is.

Just type messages, or pin on the 'pin' icon to the leftover of the text boxwood to beam your current location.

When former users send their location you will see it underlined, and with a calculation of how far away they are and at roughly which compass heading. You can tap along the link to ensure the localisation happening Google Maps.

Measure 4: Feedback

This is just something I have finished every bit a sideline, and because I enjoy this benign of work. It has been an interesting challenge, and is ongoing.

I'm still look for fitter wireles modules and computer hardware combinations, along with 3D printing designs to come through more like a consumer device.

In that respect are likely still a number of bugs to iron out out. Net ball ME know if this has worked for you, OR if you encounter problems. The feedback is very welcome.

Enjoy!

regards,

Walter Scott Powell.

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