Battery Upgrade

The original battery included in the GoTenna Mesh (GTM) V1.0 2017 (with RF Shield) is a 589mah 1S LiPo (Lithium Polymer).

LiPo batteries are identified by their composition, where (S) = Cells in Series and § = Cells in Parallel. In the GTM, the 1S means we have one cell in series for a 3.7V nominal (3.0V low and 4.2V high). If upgrading the battery the minimalist way, you will want to keep to a 1S (3.7V nominal) LiPo battery to ensure the charging circuit still works appropriately and you do not fry the other components on the PCB.

My first mod is to replace the on-board batt with an off-board higher capacity 1S LiPo battery using XT30 connectors to allow for an easy change-out of batteries. The batteries I’ll use will be 10,000 mAh 1S LiPo’s. These will generate 16.9 days worth of charge.

Instead of attempting a solar panel/charge controller/battery bank to charge the battery, my plan is to simply replace the battery and charge it at home.

With Respect,
CAS

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How is this mod going? Seems straightforward.

Very straightforward. Put on hold because the switch broke off and I need to replace that first! Sourcing batts and a new switch and then I’ll update with pics.