blog articles on hobby electronics
Welcome back to our Electronics Basics series. In the first two lessons, we learned about electrons, electric charge, static charge, and electric current. Now we will explore three fundamental electrical quantities—voltage, current, and resistance—and see how they work together. We will use a water-pipe analogy to make the ideas easier to visualize. Like any analogy, … Read more
A More Efficient Antenna Is Needed for the Base Station To improve my Meshtastic base station’s ability to rebroadcast weak LoRa packets, I decided to replace the commercial “rubber ducky” coiled antenna with a homemade J-Pole antenna. While rubber ducky antennas are convenient for handheld devices, they are much less effective for a CLIENT_BASE node. … Read more
Welcome back to our Electronics Basics series! In the last lesson, we got to know electrons—the tiny, negatively charged particles that make all electronic devices work. Today, based on that foundation, we’ll explore three core concepts: electric charge, static charge, and current. By the end of this article, you’ll understand the key concepts of these … Read more
Welcome to the first entry in our Electronics Basics series! To understand how your phone, computer, or even a simple flashlight works, you must first get to know the “star” of the show: the electron. Without the movement of these tiny particles, electronic technology as we know it simply would not exist. 1. Atomic Structure: … Read more
In Part 1, we built Meshtastic nodes from custom made boards. Now in Part 2, we’ll turn one node into a permanent, always-on CLIENT_BASE station powered by solar, mounted outdoors on my balcony. This base station will act as the backbone of my local Meshtastic network, while the second node will be a portable tracker/handheld … Read more
This article details how to build a fully custom Meshtastic LoRa mesh node from zero. It covers open‑source PCB design, component assembly, firmware compilation, 3D printed enclosure, and final configuration for off‑grid, long‑range communication. Overview Meshtastic is an open-source communication protocol that transforms affordable LoRa (Long Range) radio modules, typically powered by “ESP32” or “nRF52” … Read more
Nowadays, we use more and more electronic devices in daily life and work—like smartphones, tablets, laptops and smart wearables. Our need for quick charging is growing fast. Some people may always feel they don’t have enough charging ports on the desktop. To fix this issue, here comes a project, which is an open-source DIY desktop … Read more
Background: For amateur radio operators engaging in Portable Operations in the Parks (POTA) and Summits on the Air (SOTA), reliable, efficient power is the backbone of successful activations. These activities often take place in remote, off-grid locations where solar power becomes a vital energy source. An MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) controller is not just … Read more