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Chatter device

The Chatter is a DIY kit sold by CircuitMess. It is intended as a STEM toy and comes with a nice firmware allowing to connect to other Chatter and exchange messages. However, it's HW is similar to most Meshtastic nodes, with an ESP32, a LoRa chip, a screen and few buttons.

There's two versions of the Chatter available with very few actual differences. Chatter V2.0 sports:

  • one button (Button 15) wired directly to the ESP32 (pin 36)
  • an i2c port to easily connect a GPS
  • a different routing

Both versions are fully supported by Meshastic with the same firmware.

The Meshtastic firmware works with the stock hardware, however, the LLCC68 LoRa chip cripples the RF capability of the device. As is, the Chatter can only communicate on the Medium-Slow channel. Switching the chip with the pin-compatible and more capable Heltec RA62 (as mentioned in this Github issue https://github.com/meshtastic/firmware/issues/2896) unlock the full potential of the device.

Specifications​

  • MCU
    • ESP32 WROOM (WiFi & Bluetooth)
      • Bluetooth 4.2
  • LoRa Transceiver
    • LLCC68
  • Frequency options
    • EU-868 MHz
  • Keypad
    • 74HC165 based serial keypad
  • Connectors
    • USB-C

Features​

  • Integrated Keypad for on device message input
  • 1.3 inch OLED screen
  • Optional I2C GPS Module

Resources​

Chatter V1.0