SolarESP32LoRaMeshCoreCAD3D printing
Projects that keep working after you walk away.
Small boards, bespoke builds, honest notes.
Build notes, free guides and calculators for solar-powered, battery-run projects, from ESP32 sensors and mesh radio nodes to the CAD-designed, 3D-printed enclosures they live in. Kits and boards are coming soon.
Assumes 120 mA for 8 s per wake and 80% usable capacity. Open the full calculator →
About
Bespoke builds, explained for everyone
I specialise in home solar and battery design, and I love combining it with home automation, ESP32 microcontrollers, LoRa and MeshCore radio, CAD and 3D printing. The result is one-off builds that solve a real problem.
Everything I share is written so beginners can follow along and experts still get the detail.
More about AP Design LabsWhat I do
Small electronics that solve real problems
- Sensors that report from the paddockNo phone signal? No problem. LoRa reaches several kilometres.
- Solar that survives an Adelaide winterPanels and batteries sized for June, not January.
- Messages when the mobile network goes downOff-grid mesh radio, running on sunlight.
- Enclosures that actually fitDesigned in CAD, 3D printed and tested on the real board.
- Your idea, built for youDesigned, printed and coded, here in South Australia.
Soil moisture from the vineyard row, sent over LoRa.
Trough levels from the far paddock, before the stock go thirsty.
Fence and paddock checks from the kitchen table.
Notes
Latest notes
LoRa in South Australia: a maker's guide
LoRa, LoRaWAN, Meshtastic and MeshCore explained, the AU rules, Adelaide groups, what to buy, and a two-board MicroPython project.
Solar LoRa sensors that smell bushfires
How Dryad's Silvanet sniffs out smouldering fires with a BME688, a tiny solar cell and LoRaWAN.
Why SA's solar farms are going LoRa
Trackers, inverters and robots over LoRa, plus a Pico and INA219 backyard solar monitor with full code.
Blog
From the bench
Getting started with LoRa in South Australia
Four names, one radio: the rules, the local groups and a first project to find your range.
A forest sensor that smells bushfires before they flame
A solar, battery-free LoRa sensor that detects bushfires while they're still smouldering.
Solar farms are cutting the cables and going LoRa
Why big solar farms are dropping trenches and SIM cards, and a backyard version to build.
Shop
Products are in the workshop
The first kits and boards aren't ready yet. They'll appear in the shop once they've been properly tested.
About the shopThe quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.
Want to talk it through in person? Let's chat.
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