Heltec Vision Master e290

The Heltec Vision Master e290 is a solid low-power option for running an off-grid mesh communication node.

The paper display is large and easy to read, and the pin header & qwiic connector offer easy development and hardware integration options.

Running as A Mesh Node

The Heltec Vision Master e290 is quite easy to integrate and develop for, given that it’s ESP32-based. It has ample memory and flash space.

I am considering designing a PCB that plugs into the pin headers, with a realtime clock, FRAM, and other components, for extremely easy node builds.

The e290 runs the ChatterBox mesh node firmware flawlessly (shown here), once you add GPS or a realtime clock. Download DIY mesh node build instructions from our site to give it a try.

Good Things

  • E-Ink Display is fantastic

  • Pin header and qwiic connector make hardware integration very easy

  • Plenty of processing power, memory, and flash space

  • LoRa / mesh functionality run very well on its sx1262

  • Encryption / digital signature / path finding algos run quite fast

Not So Good

  • Pigtail connector instead of a soldered SMA for LoRa

  • Buttons seem a little oddly placed, in that whatever enclosure or PCB you design for this is probably going to block access to the buttons

  • Limited enclosure options at this point, hopefully that will change soon

  • Soft power switch instead of sliding switch

Heltec e290 Specs

  • 2.9” E-Ink Display

  • 8 MB Flash

  • 512 KB Ram, 384 KB Rom

  • Qwiic Connector

  • Battery management

  • WiFi, BLE, LoRa

Rating: Excellent

The Heltec e290 is a near-perfect option for building Lora mesh applications and running your own mesh node.

I have added a Heltec mesh node to my own private mesh cluster, and it continues to perform quite well. I like it so much, I’m considering expanding the ChatterBox product offerings to include a Heltec option.

In the mean time, you can definitely build a Heltec mesh node yourself and run the ChatterBox mesh firmware on it.

Update

I have since upgraded my home base(ment) station, building it on the Heltec e290. It has performed extremely well, and handles the 20 watt Szuashi LoRa amp just fine.

As you can see, I’ve also added GPS and an Acconeer xm125 radar motion/presence sensor as well, so I can tell if anyone gets near my base(ment) station - even if power/internet/cell are completely gone.

There’s also the remote controllable relay in this node, but I’m currently not using that to control anything.

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