MeshCore fork · Seeed T1000-E · Heltec T114

Dual-Node

This is one firmware for the Seeed T1000-E or the Heltec T114. It has two modes. Use it as a MeshCore car-node repeater. Or use it as a companion that also shows on Meshtastic. Press the button five times to change the mode.

Boards: Seeed T1000-E · Heltec T114 Firmware v1.17.1+carnode T1000-E build 1cb877e4 T114 build 7ad5b9de
Download the firmware Car Node details

# One device with two modes

This is the standard dual-mode firmware for the T1000-E and the T114. The companion mode now also sends a Meshtastic presence. Only one mode operates at a time. The two modes do not use the radio at the same time. To change the mode, press the button five times.

🚗 Repeater mode Car Node

  • The node sends its GPS location when the vehicle stops. It sends the location to Meshtastic and to MeshCore.
  • The node sends a small presence between stops. This keeps the node in the node lists.
  • The node has a serial CLI with the carnode and mtbeacon commands. It also has quiet zones, a channel block list, repeat sleep, and self-recovery.
Read more about the car node →

📱 Companion mode + MT presence

  • The node connects to the MeshCore phone app with BLE.
  • The node also shows on Meshtastic. It sends the node name (NodeInfo) and the battery and the run time (Telemetry).
  • The node does not send a Meshtastic chat message. It sends a presence only. The location is optional. The location is a control (see below).
See how the presence operates →

# Companion Meshtastic presence

The presence lets other persons see that the node is present. It does not show your exact location. The location is off until you set it to on.

The node controls the location

🔒 The MeshCore setting controls it

The node sends a location only when MeshCore shares a location. If MeshCore does not share a location, the node sends the node name only. It does not send a map point.

⭕ The location is less accurate

The node makes the location less accurate. It uses the Meshtastic position precision. The Meshtastic client shows a circle, not a point. The default circle is near 2.9 km.

precisioncircleprecisioncircle
10~23 km16~360 m
12~5.8 km18~90 m
13~2.9 km (default)19~45 m
14~1.5 km32exact point
The value 0 stops all location data. This is correct even when MeshCore location sharing is on. There are three results: no location, a circle, or an exact point. All three results come from one MeshCore setting and this value.

How to set the presence from the phone app

A BLE companion does not have a serial console. Set the presence from the custom-variables list in the app. The GPS interval is also in this list. You do not need to change the app. The firmware makes a check of each value.

VariableValuesFunction
mt.presence0 / 1Set the presence to on. The default is off.
mt.interval1–1440The time between presence messages, in minutes. The default is 30.
mt.position0 / 1Set the map point to on or off.
mt.precision0, 10–32The location accuracy. 32 is exact. 0 is off.
mt.regionUS, EU_868, and othersThe Meshtastic region and band.
mt.presetLongFast, and othersThe Meshtastic modem preset.
Note: Meshtastic and MeshCore do not use the same radio settings. For each presence, the node sets the radio to Meshtastic, sends the presence, and sets the radio back. This occurs between packets. This occurs only in companion mode.

# Download and installation

The Dual-Node firmware is available for two boards: the Seeed T1000-E and the Heltec T114. For the T1000-E, use the .uf2 file. It is the most simple method. You copy the file to the device. You do not need a tool.

Seeed T1000-E

t1000e_dualmode_carnode_mtpresence-1cb877e4.uf2 copy to the device852 KB t1000e_dualmode_carnode_mtpresence-1cb877e4-dfu.zip DFU / adafruit-nrfutil426 KB t1000e_dualmode_carnode_mtpresence-1cb877e4.hex J-Link / raw1.2 MB

Heltec T114

heltec_t114_dualmode_carnode_mtpresence-7ad5b9de-dfu.zip DFU / adafruit-nrfutil527 KB heltec_t114_dualmode_carnode_mtpresence-7ad5b9de.hex J-Link / raw1.5 MB SHA256SUMS.txtchecksums

adafruit-nrfutil dfu serial -pkg heltec_t114_dualmode_carnode_mtpresence-7ad5b9de-dfu.zip -p /dev/ttyACM0 -b 115200

T114 notes: install the -dfu.zip file with adafruit-nrfutil on the serial port, or the .hex file with a debugger. The T114 operates the same as the T1000-E: five presses of the user button change the mode. The screen is on in companion mode and off in repeater mode.

How to install the .uf2 file (T1000-E)

  1. Push and hold the button on the T1000-E.
  2. Hold the button. Connect the magnetic cable two times, quickly.
  3. Make sure that the green light is on. A drive with the name T1000-E shows on the computer.
  4. Copy the .uf2 file to the T1000-E drive. The board installs the firmware and starts again.
  5. The node starts in companion mode. Connect to the node in the MeshCore app with BLE. The default PIN is 123456.
  6. To change to the repeater mode, press the button five times.
Note: Make a check of a file before you install it. Use the command sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt in the folder with the files.