Modular Hardware Development & MCU Prototyping Platform

Project Overview & Motivation

Standard MCU development boards often require messy wiring stacks and shield modules to integrate long-range RF, satellite positioning, and industrial bus interfaces. This custom hardware platform solves that challenge by integrating long-range wireless mesh communications (LoRa), high-accuracy GNSS tracking, industrial CAN bus networking, and smart battery power management onto a single, compact, 4-layer PCB platform.

Designed primarily for off-grid telemetry, research rovers, search-and-rescue mesh messaging (Meshtastic), and field IoT nodes, this board is built for extreme reliability and seamless integration.

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Key Technical Features & Specifications

• Main Controller: ESP32-S3 (32-bit dual-core LX7 MCU, Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, BLE 5.0, Native USB OTG).
• Long-Range RF Transceiver: EBYTE E22-900M22S (Semtech SX1262 LoRa module) operating on 868/915 MHz with 50Ω controlled-impedance microstrip routing.
• GNSS Positioning: Quectel L76K module with dedicated active antenna interface for precise real-time position reporting.
• Industrial Differential Bus: SN65HVD230 CAN Bus Transceiver for high-speed differential communication with robotic sensors and automotive/rover ECUs.

Smart Power Management & Battery Path:

1.  - Integrated USB Type-C power input with dual 5.1kΩ CC configuration.
2.  - TP4056 Lithium battery charging management with automatic power path switching.
3.  - Low-Dropout (LDO) regulator rated for high peak transmit currents during LoRa RF bursts.
4.  - Onboard resistor voltage divider connected to ADC for battery SoC sensing.

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Current Progress & Development Stage

1. - Architecture & Component Selection
2. - Schematic Capture & Circuit Verification
3. - Controlled-Impedance (50Ω RF) PCB Layout
4. - 3D CAD Modeling & Enclosure Integration
5. - PCB Fabrication & Assembly (Awaiting PCBWay Sponsorship)
6. - Field Testing, Firmware Optimization, & Open-Source Release

Community & Open-Source Commitment

Upon successful fabrication and testing, this project will be fully open-sourced under the CERN Open Hardware License. All KiCad design files, Gerber files, interactive BOM, and firmware integration examples (Meshtastic / ESP-IDF) will be published on GitHub. 

Additionally, a comprehensive hardware showcase and build log will be published on LinkedIn and PCBWay Community, highlighting PCBWay’s manufacturing support!