First, I must make note that I heard about Meshtastic from Josh Nass, KI6NAZ, the YouTube Ham Radio Crash Course guy, and if you want the low down on what is Meshtastic is and practical uses, please see his videos here: Get Started With Meshtastic FAST!
What is LoRA?
ESP32 Boards
I started out with the ESP32 version with a Heltec v3 board.
nRF52840 Boards
The nRF52840 boards are more efficient with battery usage. A charge has lasted Several days with these boards compared to the Heltec V3 draining a battery overnight. The nRF52840 also has a designated port for 5 volt solar input, reducing the charge controller circuits needed. I’m currently testing the solar charge capabilities with two 18650 batteries in parallel connected to the battery port.
