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LoRa and ESP32 are everybody’s darlings, and when a combination in the form of these small boards appeared on our platforms, it seemed they are a perfect combination. Is this true? Let’s test them.
- A 433 MHz Heltec
- An 868-915MHz Heltec
- An 868-915 TTGO
- And as a reference the Hope RFM95 868 MHz
These boards can be used as LoRa nodes and as TTN gateways.
In this video we have a closer look at these features:
- The ESP32
- The LoRa transceiver
- The antennas
- And the power management part
Links:
TTN Forum: bit.ly/2GFo0TN
ESP32 LorRa Boards: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/2FyRn2n
LoRa32u4: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/vnUFmAy
Whisper Node Lora: bit.ly/2GCB0td
dB vs VSWR: ww2.minicircuits.com/app/DG03...
Antennas: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/23vnqzb
Supporting Material and Blog Page: www.sensorsiot.org
Github: www.github.com/sensorsiot
My Patreon Page: / andreasspiess
If you want to support the channel, please use the links below to start your shopping. No additional charges for you, but I get a commission (of your purchases the next 24 hours) to buy new stuff for the channel
For Banggood bit.ly/2jAQEf4
For AliExpress: bit.ly/2B0yTLL
For ebay.com: ebay.to/2DuYXBp
profile.php?...
/ spiessa
www.instructables.com/member/...
Please do not try to Email me or invite me on LinkedIn. These communication channels are reserved for my primary job
Equipment in my lab: www.sensorsiot.org/my-lab/

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Опубликовано:

2 фев 2018

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Комментарии : 496

@WereCatf 6 лет назад

I do have to thank Andreas for this one; ain't many of us hobbyists that have the kind of hardware to test antennas like this properly, so it's very nice that he does it for us.

@Electromaniaworld 6 лет назад

Nita Vesa agreed, I would have never realized this until I either test myself or see this video. Unfortunately I do not have anything exotic instrument nor detailed knowhow of RF field.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks!

@altamiradorable 5 лет назад

Who needs a lab or an external analysis company when you have Andreas as a friend ??!! Always torough, accurate and rigorous ! Danke !

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

You are welcome!

@MikeKranidis 6 лет назад

Perfect and in details analysis. Congratulations Mr. Spiess!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thank you!

@danpayerle 6 лет назад

Excellent analysis! You truly live up to what we expect from engineers in the DACH region. I’m so glad I saw this before purchasing a set of modules.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Glad I am able to help prevent bad purchases!

@mrasp3203 6 лет назад

Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge and laboratory test equipment. Excellent !

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@5speedfatty 6 лет назад

thank you sir i was planning on getting one of these boards from ebay after watching your lora war driving video... now ill be getting a esp/hopefm setup and just doing the solder myself.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@IncaTrails 6 лет назад

As a Patreon supporter it sure is nice getting the videos early! More of your subscribers should take advantage of the opportunity. The new boards have a very attractive of combinations of features. I reviewed them last week and came to the same conclusion that you did - not quite ready for prime time. Hopefully their shortcomings will be addressed in V2 hardware

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thank you for your support! The V2 is already on order. We will see...

@CaseyScheideman 6 лет назад

Another excellent video, lightyears ahead of anyone else. I see so much potential for these low power ESP32 Lora boards . .

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks!

@TheMixflow 4 года назад

2 years ago and still the best video about LoRa!

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

Thank you!

@John_Ridley 6 лет назад

This channel has some of the best videos on RU-vid!!!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks!

@moellersworkshop2116 5 лет назад

Andreas, you are a neat guy, a man after my own heart! I love your videos, I have learned so much about Arduino and module applications, please keep up the GREAT WORK.

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

Thank you very much for your nice words! Comments like that are the diesel for creators like me ;-)

@feaglesusy 4 года назад

Sr.. im been looking your channel since 2 years ago. I really appreciate your efforts to present everything in your videos as crystal they looks and so simple in a matter that probably looks complex to many..... It is a shame that you have only 200K+ subscribers but would like to tell you in, a way to tank you, that all my customers are received better solutions thanks to you.

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

Thank you for your nice words. I am glad my work helps you!

@reanimationxp 6 лет назад

Fantastic video yet again Andreas. Thank you so much for your continued great content!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are welcome!

@TheLinuxBust 4 года назад

I love seeing these antenna tests! Please do more!

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

The problem is that Chinese merchants change their supliers without anouncement. So my tests might not be relevant for you :-(

@NivagSwerdna 6 лет назад

This is a great video. It really shows some great investigation using tools that most of us mere mortals do not have access. The antenna results are truely staggering. Thanks for sharing!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are welcome. The Spectrum Analyzer was a dream of young Andreas. So I bought me one when I became old ;-)

@NivagSwerdna 6 лет назад

For me it was an oscilloscope. I'm not old enough for a tracking spectrum analyser just yet. :)

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@prillewitz 3 года назад

Thanks very much for your summary. It shows that you need to be critical when choosing the right antenna.

@AndreasSpiess 3 года назад

True!

@rjinnh3933 5 лет назад

Good Morning Andreas Another well done and very informative vid. Very germain at the moment for me as I've just completed a Project Spec/Definition on a multi end-point surveillance system for my equipment trailer and SUV. The SUV will act as a relay station for the trailer module which is positioned 200-300 feet away and the control end-point is at my side or in my pocket. I plan on using an ESP32 based module for all points in the network and a second relay module so that all midules will be line-of-sight in a three hop system. Your work on ESP8266/32, LAN/WAN/LoRa has transformed from being interesting to invaluable for me. I always watch your vids with keen interest and intend to watch your entire series of comm-ctrlr vids. I am also very appreciative of no music, no fluff, moocho info and a professional presentation. You simply do awfully good work. Regards/73 Russ in NH/KA1RUW

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

Thank you for your precise feedback. You have a very interesting project!

@martinsauerteig4882 6 лет назад

Again an overwhelming video with deep technical backround. And I'm a little bit envious on your pool of measuring instruments.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

This is the result of my age ;-)

@SorinAntal 6 лет назад

Excellent analyse! Thank You, Andreas!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@mav29 6 лет назад

thanks sir, watching your channel is like attending classes ♥ with a good professor

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are welcome!

@garrypkeogh 6 лет назад

Super, thanks! Having the right tool for the job really does help. This confirms my experience with the Heltec helical antenna. Now time to find the post on TTN forum showing how to cut these and optimise a simple wire 868 antenna using a small piece of shield braid. Much obliged Andreas!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Or buy a better one...

@gojimmypi 6 лет назад

really a quite excellent and informative video! thanks for posting it. I would love to see similar analysis of other boards such as M5Stack LoRa, and even possibly comparisons between libraries such as Sandeep Ministry and RadioHead.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

M5 is here and will be covered. I might use the libraries mentioned in my videos (as I did in the past). But I do not plan a direct comparison.

@rjpeterson1 6 лет назад

Another exceptional analysis. Thank you for sharing!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@matthewpickard9675 3 года назад

Once again, such GREAT information. I'm sad I hadn't found you earlier... would have saved me some headache.

@AndreasSpiess 3 года назад

Glad it was helpful!

@avejst 6 лет назад

Thanks for sharing 😀👍 As always, you are very good to check out all the best way to get to the point

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thank you!

@JungleJake1664 6 лет назад

Always good stuff and I enjoy your channel. It is an abundance of information, well done.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thank you!

@mafketeltje1988 3 года назад

3 years later, still interesting and very usefull. Thank you internet, thank you sir with the Swizz accent for your energy in making this video and doing such extensive researches

@AndreasSpiess 3 года назад

Glad it was helpful!

@kennethblain7110 6 лет назад

You ROCK DUDE, most intelligent thing I've heard on RU-vid in a long time. Thank You

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are welcome!

@baxteryazbek 6 лет назад

awsome as usual Andi 👍🏻thx. i think these boards are great for preprototyping and development, no soldering, no worrying about power supply and so on, u can even ask the aliexpress supplier to solder the pins at no extra cost...

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks for the feedback

@lmamakos 6 лет назад

I really enjoyed your video. Thanks again for your methodical, analytical approach to evaluating these boards. I've been an amateur radio operator for years and years, and while I have no formal EE education in antenna theory, I have come to appreciate the empirical evidence I've noticed over the years. The analog and RF aspects of some of these amazing products these days tend to get inadequate attention and consideration. Thanks for shining a light on these aspects. Perhaps the vendors will do a bit better in the future if they know that people are paying attention to this aspect of the product's quality.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I ordered a V2 version. We will see what they learned...

@TishSerg Год назад

@@AndreasSpiess So, did they?

@deangreenhough3479 6 лет назад

Nicely done Mr Spiess. I hope Amsterdam was a lot of fun

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Yes, it was. I was also in the „Flying Scotchman“ with a few Englishmen. If you know wat I mean ;-)

@Giblet535 6 лет назад

This was extremely useful, Andreas! You saved me a lot of time. Again! For those who need but can't afford a spectrum analyzer, it is possible to do inaccurate (but practical) testing of RF transmitters using $20 software-defined radios (SDRs) and Open Source software e.g., SDRsharp.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks for your tip!

@Giblet535 6 лет назад

An SDR will, as part of its normal operation, display several useful characteristics of a given transmitted signal: signal strength, frequency, bandwidth, adjacent or overlapping signals that might squirrel up the S/N ratio of the receiver, etc. In fact, the only function of a spectrum analyzer that can't be directly reproduced with an SDR is precise quantification and measurement of the signal of interest. That functionality is seldom useful in experimentation, but it can be added to an SDR via external filters, amplifiers, and/or attenuators to allow very precise measurement of whatever you need measured. A spectrum analyzer just combines the SDR functionalities, the filters, amps, and attenuators in one box with an interface usable even by people who don't understand RF, but can follow a step-by-step recipe.

@Giblet535 6 лет назад

PS: SDRsharp is a software solution. It allows you to add plugin decoders, demultiplexers, transcoders, or any other instrumentation you can conceive. And, there are a lot of decoders already written. So, if you want to see the RF aspects of a signal AND the content of that signal, all you need do is pull up vim (the only editor worth its storage footprint) and start typing. :o)

@Giblet535 6 лет назад

I don't know of anyone else specifically using an SDR as a spectrum analyzer. It's kind of odd, as that was the whole reason I bought an SDR: to see the spectrum around a specific frequency of interest. They're used for all kinds of oddball things. I think the first one was sold as a TV receiver dongle, and someone else wrote different software for it, and thus the SDR fad was born. The desire for step-by-step procedures is a good indicator that you want to get a real spectrum analyzer. eBay, ham conventions, etc are your friend.

@Giblet535 6 лет назад

For things like casual LORA evaluation, an SDR is more than adequate. NOOELEC's dongle just works with Windows 10, Ubuntu/LinuxMint, and MacOS (I've used one on all four OSes). SDR gear, overall, is not a mainstream solution, and everyone involved in that sub-sub-hobby assumes that SDR users have a lot of radio electronics and software skills. If you're hitting brick walls hooking up a USB stick and running Windows software, then you probably don't want to waste your time in that hardware/software rabbit hole - you just want results. So, get a dedicated spectrum analyzer, get the analysis you wanted, make something insanely cool.

@B4x4 6 лет назад

Yes. It is useful. Thank you for your great videos. Please continue to produce them. 😎

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are welcome

@lmcdasc 3 года назад

Excellent especially explaining antenna reflection and how that needs to be considered. (The Maradona reference made it even better. :) )

@AndreasSpiess 3 года назад

Thank you for your nice words!

@Electromaniaworld 6 лет назад

Thumbs up again. To the point and informative video on right time. I just received rfm95 modules and was thinking should I really spend time in making pcb and soldering. But now I believe I better do it :). I have been discussing same issue of antennae compatibility with another youtuber Informatica1. I got info same as you, Do not Trust Antennae from Aexp or banggood etc. Thanks again.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Happy soldering. It is a fast job.

@martinwalterfigueroa4761 6 лет назад

Hi! Andreas I see your videos frecuenly and sorry by my bad english but the goal of Maradona is the best moment of my life!! It was the best moment of my life, it is too much to say that I am Argentine, hehe, the electronics and soccer are my passion, I live in Tierra del Fuego Argentina! a big greeting from here for you!!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Glad you liked the video about Maradona!

@pablom695 2 года назад

Loved the Maradona joke. Thanks so much Andreas for the technical analysis and for your Swiss sense of humour !

@AndreasSpiess 2 года назад

Thank you. Glad you liked the content!

@estebanantuna4105 5 месяцев назад

Thanks Andreas for your videos. You also have "la mano de Dios" like Maradona on MCUs and sensors

@PhG1961 6 лет назад

Great and interesting ! This will be of help when I put up met LoRa gateway. Thnxs !

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@pabloarielvazquez9614 3 года назад

Well Played, well played! Maradona's mention makes my day!!! Great videos Sir.

@AndreasSpiess 3 года назад

Glad you enjoyed it!

@bardenegri21 6 лет назад

I was just looking at these a few days ago, thank you for this great analysis. I dream of a spectrum analyser but my wife would certainly kill me if i bring yet another huge expensive piece of lap equipment to my desk in the living room :)

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

She might be right, I have to admit ;-) This is not exactly a device for the living room and I had to get 60 till I got one.

@nailsonlandim 6 лет назад

Thanks Andreas, you´ve saved me many hours of work and a box of aspirin pills. As soon as i receive my boards i´ll run similar analysis and share it. I´ve got TTGO V 2.0 board, they said that some issues were corrected. Thanks!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I will test the V2 board in one of the next videos.

@malachiburke4570 5 лет назад

Excellent analysis, thank you for this

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

You are welcome!

@viniciusnoyoutube 6 лет назад

Another amazing video about LoRa!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks!

@Rob_65 5 лет назад

Antenna measurements are always nice, you could do a full series on antennae and how to use them. The measurement of the TTGO antenna shows how your setup will influence the outcome. You should always test an antenna in a situation that resembles the actual use and mounting the antenna directly on the reflection bridge is not "actual use". I have developed a number of commercial products with 433, 868 and 2450 MHz radio solutions and have done antenna measurements (and actual range measurements) with these products. Our first 868 design was measured with the antenna mounted on a wooden pole measuring both the reflection and the antenna radiation pattern. Surprisingly, the measurements were worse than the actual product's radiation pattern. I then suggested to mount a piece of PCB material and a battery near the antenna in the same way as the actual product has - this gave a complete different view of the antenna. It looks like the TTGO 868 antenna was designed to be used on top of a large steel cabinet - a typical use case for a short range 868 telemetry application. P.s: reflection measurement is only part of the antenna measurement - you also have to measure the (3D) radiation pattern. From a reflection point of view, a 50 ohm resistor is the best antenna ;-)

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

You are absolutely right, also with measuring the pattern. But this is not easy. If the SWR is bad, then a good pattern does not help a lot. And this is what happens with many Chinese antennas because they are sold for completely wrong frequencies.The patterns for similar antennas should be much more similar than the SWR is.

@arshamskrenes 6 лет назад

Amazing resource! Thank you! I've subscribed. I was wondering though, when will you review the version 2 of these boards?

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Welcome aboard the channel. I know, I should do it...

@robjordan63 6 лет назад

You really are a star Andreas, wonderfully detailed video, even allowing for the bad memories you brought back regarding the hand of God.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks! I thought, the idea of a „unknown helping hand“ was similar to my experience;-)

@DrTune 6 лет назад

Excellent video yet again. Thankyou!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@raguaviva 6 лет назад

This was so useful to me! Thanks!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@refusneant 6 лет назад

thanks a lot ,you have knowledge and equipements for testing .

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are welcome.

@jimmykonneradt3176 5 лет назад

Thank you very much for these great advices

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

You are welcome!

@isoguy. 6 лет назад

Thankyou for all your hard work investigating these boards. Your work inspires me onto greater and more challenging projects. Thankyou.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are welcome. Enjoy your projects!

@boonedockjourneyman7979 4 года назад

Outstanding. This is your strength.

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

Thank you!

@KM6VV 6 лет назад

On the SX1276 figure 6 schematic, it appears to be a balanced filter. The bottom components are the same as the respective parts on the top.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I did not look close to this filter. But some chips have balanced output which has to be matched to an unbalanced antenna

@PhilipGladstone Год назад

I found this video when I was trying to figure out why I could barely communicate on 915MHz between two heltec boards on the same bench. I have the nasty helical spring antennas and now I know that they probably hardly couple anything into the ether! Just watching this video in advance would have set me on a path to getting some better boards and saved a lot of pain and anguish.

@AndreasSpiess Год назад

Still, such a small range might have a different reason (e.g. you got a 433MHz version). But maybe you try with standard TTGO boards I use in my newer projects. They work well.

@PhilipGladstone Год назад

@@AndreasSpiess I have some of the Lilygo boards on order -- they have the better antenna and I hope are general better all round! Thanks

@richard_wenner 6 лет назад

Stop sitting on the fence, get down and tell us what you really mean! :) This is exactly the resource and review users, who do not have the advantage of your knowledge and equipment need. Well said.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks. An thank you again for the nice evening in Amsterdam. I think I will contact Stuart. I have an idea of building a automatic antenna tester based on his principles. Maybe you can help me getting the contact?

@richard_wenner 6 лет назад

No problem - we can IM anytime. He only lives a kilometer away from me. Look forward to it.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@Really2950 6 лет назад

Nice video. You’ve just saved me about 100 hours of my time because now I don’t need to research it. Thanks

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@HolgerHiebel 6 лет назад

Andreas, thank you for all of your nice videos. In the meantime I bought 3 pcs. 433MHz Antennas from the antenna shop you proposed and linked in your comments. From today I have the N1201SA antenna analyzer you also used in later videos. The antennas show resonance frequencies of 411, 429 and 433 MHz instead somewhere in the 433-435MHz interval. So I would not recommend the shop you linked to any more.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

All three antennas are ok, two are excellent compared with what you usually get. A few Mhz does not matter too much. Just touch something or move something around the antennas and the resonance will move much more than only 3 MHz. Maybe you have a look at the antennas I got with other modules. They were 200 MHz away :-(

@richard_wenner 6 лет назад

It would be interesting to see what effect placing a four wire ground plane around the base of the final aerial on your test rig. I usually regard one as vital to remove any movement effect in the feeder.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I will include a GP in my antenna tests. I finished my test rig and did first outside tests today (we had a "springy" warm day here in the south ;-)

@sanderleliveld4162 6 лет назад

I recently bought the Wemos TTGO Lora+ESP32 868MHz+Bluetooth+OLED from VNG Systems and tested it on the KPN LoRa network in the Netherlands, which worked fine for me. I think they have updated it, because the range was acceptable.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You see the difference of V2 if you look at the antenna position

@parisiadrian 6 лет назад

OMG!! What it's doing Maradona in your video!! From Argentina we also see all your excellent videos.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I thought, I did not understand why the antenna was much better with my hand than without. Similar to the 1986 situation.

@danpommerening3490 4 года назад

Hi Andreas, thanks for the great videos. I hope this isn't a redundant comment but your channel has so many comments I can't find if this was updated( hey whose fault its that ;)) I recently bought some of the Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V2). They have a new antenna, I attached one to my crude AAI RF vector analyzer(N1201SA). On the antenna I tried it I can measure ~1.2 for VSWR at 915MHz and at 868MHz I measure ~2.1 for VSWR. You can tell the antenna is better it has a molded plastic sleeve over the antenna bit and when you try to squeeze it it is solid. The resonant frequency looks to be 935MHz with a VSWR of ~1.05. Yes my measurements are not as accurate as a lab instrument but good enough for the girls I go out with. Thanks.

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

Thanks for sharing your measurements. This is why I do not give recommendations on antennas. Suppliers change them fast. Here obviously towargs the good side...

@VilenPro 6 лет назад

Excellent! As usually. Thanks!!!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks

@toastrecon 6 лет назад

Good to know. I was looking at these.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@shanebekker 6 лет назад

Excellent once again!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thank you!

@aminzayani3055 3 года назад

Very very useful! Thank you

@AndreasSpiess 3 года назад

Thank you!

@allancopland1768 3 месяца назад

I junked the supplied HELTEC antenna in favour of a DIY 868MHz groundplane constructed on an SMA connector with brass rod radiator and radials (bent downwards by 45 degrees. I tuned using my on my SA starting with the radiating element slightly oversize and carefully clipping off tiny preces of the element until it resonated on 868. Far better.

@AndreasSpiess 3 месяца назад

Good idea!

@juliusgauckler3144 6 лет назад

Super. Hab mir nämlich gerade ein ttgo gekauft. Jetzt weiss ich wo ich dran bin. Vielen Dank Andreas.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Nicht tragisch. Einfach eine andere Antenne verwenden, wenn du eine Spirale kriegst

@waltsteinchen 6 лет назад

Very useful!, Thanks Andreas!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are welcome

@MauroCordioli 6 лет назад

My HELTEC's modules have the rubber antenna like TTGO for lora and the helical one for WIFI ( the pcb antenna remains but used ) .Providing a simple ground plane for the lora antenna improved a bit the lora reach.

@FuZZbaLLbee 6 лет назад

Mauro Cordioli same here. HELTEC with the rubber antenna, but I still had trouble connecting to a LoRa network. It is the 868 version and I made some chnages to the default scetch. What scatch/plug-in are you using? These are the scatch modifications I used www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/big-esp32-sx127x-topic-part-1/10247/24

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I used a test sketch becaus I needed a constant signal, not a connection to a gateway

@MauroCordioli 6 лет назад

I have used the same thread as a guide, I have also reduced the number il bands scanned... I remember also that changing the power supply affected the stability of the board,may by there is some EMI issue, I do not have yet the time to check in deep that question.

@RasmusSE 6 лет назад

Great info, thanks!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are welcome!

@SuperTOBcarioca 6 лет назад

As usual, perfect. Nice, Very nice.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@AndrewWalsh43 6 лет назад

Hi Andreas, You are a true champion and a masterful maker of the most beautiful, Fascinating and intellectually stimulating videos, there is so much Rubbish coming from China, from sellers who show nothing but Contempt for the rest of us Idiots who should know Better than to buy their absolute Rubbish !! Unfortunately... a lot of people (myself included) fall for their false advertising and end up wasting our hard earned money. If it was not for people like you making these masterful, life Enriching Videos, society and the RU-vid community in general would be a very dull place. Keep up the Great work!!!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thank you for your feedback! It helps to keep me on track.

@wojomojo 5 лет назад

Thank you, yet again!

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

You are welcome!

@RecumbentTraveller 6 лет назад

detailed and professional analysis, many thanks. Could you please carry out the same test to a Pycom LoPy board? it is similar priced compared with heltec board, but has semtech sx1272 chip on board and is shielded, has FCC approval.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I have one but was never able to get it running. So, for the moment no tests :-(

@helmutheller1538 6 лет назад

Andreas: great work, thanks a lot, this will be of help to my LoRa projects, for sure! However, measuring these simple antennas without a proper ground plane and "free space" is skewing the results. As you demonstrated yourself by adding your hand as a makeshift ground plane: this alters the properties of the antenna dramatically. I think you should mount the antenna on a reasonably sized (bigger than wavelength) copper plate which would also shield it from your analyzer and make your measurements more reproducible. Of course, such a ground plane should also be used later when the antenna is in production use.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are right. But I think, we are not interested in how the antennas behave under good conditions, but on our devices. I never saw a sensor with a big ground plane ;-) I agree that my measurements are different from the real situation where the sensor is mounted somewhere. BTW: I made a large ground plane to test the antennas. But this also did not provide reliable measurements. But I think, if an antenna resonates at 500 MHz on my reflection bridge, the chance it resonates at 868 on the device is small.

@martinwalterfigueroa4761 6 лет назад

I'm made my antenna using Hack RF one and GNU radio campanion, no necessary an expensive spectrum analizer for check!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Also a possibility. Thanks!

@Elfnetdesigns Год назад

I found that those annoying ham radio handheld whip antennas that TYT ships with their MD380 series HT's works great on the 433 MHz versions of those ESP devices. Motorola MTS2000 HT 800MHz antennas with a male to male sma adapter also works well for the 868 MHz versions.

@AndreasSpiess Год назад

Thank you for sharing your experience!

@CorruptName1 5 лет назад

Well done! Thank You.

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

You are welcome!

@minotarka 6 лет назад

It would be so nice to see 433,868 and 915 external antenna tests. I'm looking for it and have no idea what to buy.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I left a link of a supplier which did not cheat me so far. So I assume, also his antennas on other frequencies are ok

@ats89117 6 лет назад

Excellent video, especially the part about the hand of God!!! The only problem is that the user of the board will need you to be there all the time holding the antenna in just the right manner to get good performance...

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are right.

@einars899 6 лет назад

Exactly my experiences with the chinese antennas. The only antenna I have that is actually an 868MHz antenna is the one from IMST. When you touch your hand to the base of the antenna it becomes sort of a ground plane. My guess is that is why it changed characteristics. A piece of copper wire cut to 1/4wave mounted in a SMA connector usually comes out better than the antennas that come with the boards.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I did some experiments with ground planes but was not very successful :-(

@Elfnetdesigns Год назад

Sometime you have to put the toys away and seek a more professional solution, thus you can order some of the 800 MHz antennas for Motorola MTS2000 handhelds (the long ones, not the stubby's). They are fairly cheap and reliable just add an adapter (a sma male to sma male coupler I think is what it needs) if you need to. They should say Motorola 800MHz or 700/800MHz but they are pretty broad and cover 868 MHz.

@thunderbolt5737 4 года назад

Danke vilmal für das würkli sehr interessanti Video. Thanks very much for this very interesting video. 👍🏼

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

You are welcome!

@DIYROBOTS 2 года назад

Thank you so much!

@AndreasSpiess 2 года назад

You are welcome!

@praschr 6 лет назад

Perfect analysis! May I ask if there is a board that combines also a GPS module? Kindly asking, if you can present the creation of a complete (and small) network with 2-3 nodes and a couple of gateways? Thank you once more!

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

1. A Dragino shield for Arduino exists with a LoRa chip and a GPS 2. I made videos concerning LoRaWAN gateways and respective nodes.

@mks6674 3 года назад

Again another project of mine saved by Andreas thx

@AndreasSpiess 3 года назад

Glad the video helped!

@2get 4 года назад

Thanks again Andreas for sharing your findings with all us. I’m making this question just in case. Are you planning some time in the future to analyze the new LoRa boards ? If so, please consider the the Heltec CubeCell. It is claiming very low battery consumption and I am very curious about how its antenna performs.

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

Currently I have no plans to do further tests. But you never know...

@RambozoClown 6 лет назад

Those antenna placements are ridiculous. Nylon mounting screws would help a little but you would probably get the best range by setting the boards on fire and using them to send smoke signals. Thanks for the testing.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

:-)

@zachlittle1787 3 года назад

@2get 4 года назад

Thank you for your thoughtful analysis, Andreas! I’m voluntarily building GPS collar trackers for wild animal conservation in the Patagonia. For my project I needed long LoRa p2p range, GPS, Persistent memory and very low power. Heltec was my first choice to try and was not very satisfied. Could I ask you for advice choosing the right components? 🙏

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

Maybe you search the internet. There are many projects similar to yours with cows, turtles, and others.

@javidoiaandroid5333 6 лет назад

Congratulations!!!!, and thanks... so one interesting option (taking into account the total cost and the emission power) would be esp-32 lora 433Mhz board, with a real (not fake) 433 mhz antenna. I think that really there isnt 868 boards, i think all ttgo boards have the same design and only change the antenna (they have seen that with default configuration 868 and 915 "works". As you can see, signal of 433 mhz is near 7db, almost like hope rfm95

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

This is what I thought at the beginning. But the 433 and 868 Heltec boards are clearly different

@javidoiaandroid5333 6 лет назад

I am thinking in ttgo, heltec seems a crap all versions...

@knifter 6 лет назад

Great Test! I wish to repeat this power measurement, to maybe update the output filter network, but also to test my own device. How did you measure the transmitted power without your SA missing the short pulse? Were you able to put the transmitter in CW mode? Or did you align your sweep with the pulse somehow? Do you still have code left for that? I try to keep myself from digging into the SX1276 registers just yet..

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

I did convince the LoRa module to send longer pulses (SF12)

@VictorianMaid99 Год назад

this was a great tour 1) what is an FCC approval? 2) the current HELTEC board looks different then the one the one in the video

@AndreasSpiess Год назад

You can google FCC Yes, Heltec has new boards.

@chamrog1973 6 лет назад

-great video, i was wondering is there a cheaper way to check antennas, if they are tuned for eg 868. Not that i dont want a spectrum analyser, but its a bit expensive :)

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

You are right! I just had a phone call to test a cheaper device (In the 100$ range). And I have some ideas for a very simple setup without any instruments. So stay tuned...

@stevelenehan7695 6 лет назад

I have been using the TTGO 433 Mhz board with the supplied helical antenna and get what is at least for me very acceptable range - with one unit on my desk and the other laying on the front seat of my car I get good reception at well over 500m in a heavily built up area at SF7. I'm sure if I repositioned the antennae that could be improved. The ESP8266 antenna on my unit is a PCB design, not sure if this is because this is a clone or they just designed the layout differently for this version - everything else appears identical.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Thanks for the feedback.

@perunewelpaternain2632 5 месяцев назад

Great video, i think the three different versions are because the non license frequencies of different countries can vary.

@AndreasSpiess 5 месяцев назад

You are right.

@_dzvid 2 года назад

nice video!

@AndreasSpiess 2 года назад

Thanks!

@Tocsin-Bang 6 лет назад

I was thinking about ESP32 for some remote monitoring, I think I'll give it a pass at the moment based on your findings, and wait until manufacturers have sorted things a bit better.

@AndreasSpiess 6 лет назад

Maybe a good idea unless you do not need to bridge a big distance

@ELCHARO 5 лет назад

Thanks Andreas, great inspiration for all. I use arduino and sensor in the past, but I'm doing my first steps in lora/esp32 modules and have a big dude. Exactly which pin are usable for my sensors and which are used by LORA/ESP32/OLED/Etc. (i have a TTGG V2). And if i dont use same function (oled/esp32) can uses this pins. Can you help me. (maybe another video ;) Thanks again. Great job!!!

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

Thank you. You should find the pinout for all boards if you google.

@fshah48 3 года назад

Extremely useful. Thanks for that. But it left a hole, no discussion about RA-02 chip. Can you do a video about it with esp chip.

@AndreasSpiess 3 года назад

I assume that the RA-02 also use standard Semtech chips as all other boards. So there is not a lot to write about it for the moment.

@marekrawluk 4 года назад

As for as measuring efficiency of LoRa antennas - I suppose the calibration should be made using calibrating blind BNC to IPX adapter. Than later you should test the whole assembly: BNC to IPX adapter IPX_CABLE_SMA SMA_LoRa antenna under test. I can guess the thin cable may change the whole fit of impedances between IC output and antenna. Of course I can not guess if it will be better or worse, but we should check it. What you measured is just: spectrum analyzer output BNC to SMA adapter LoRa antenna. So you omitted quite significant influence of the thin connecting cable. You may tell you have a lot of experience and it is negligible :) I will answer - hats off, Master :)

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

In the end I am interested how much power tha antenna gets to transmit and how much is returned. I am not the designer of the PCB. He is interested in other things, of course.

@marekrawluk 4 года назад

@@AndreasSpiess I am discussing the IPX_CABLE_SMA cable, not PCB. We can assume if the PCB around LoRa chip is well designed there are no significant losses in path between LoRa chip and IPX socket. But then there is a cable from IPX socket to the antenna - omitted in your test (5 cm @ almost 1 GHz). And what if that cable moves resonance a bit? Making the whole efficiency better (I doubt) or worse - but it should be checked. Sorry Master, your method is not excellent, again, you made a great work but this point is not so good., no offence please. You have tools to test it.

@AndreasSpiess 4 года назад

For such measurements, you have to define a reference plane. And I defined my reference at the antenna. Of course, you can define your reference plane elsewhere.

@xPsIXx 5 лет назад

This looks like a great option to have an ESP32 send its GPS location to another ESP32 and have that one point a compass needle (on LCD) towards the sender. Having two work in tandem would allow each device to point to the other. Never losing friends in a crowd, concert or hiking. Have you come across anything like this before? Ive had a look online but not sure if i have been using the correct search terms to see if anyone has done this yet

@AndreasSpiess 5 лет назад

Maybe easier done with an app on Smartphones? I think you can locate your friends there if all agree.