Photon-1W

☀️ Photon-1W Power / Solar Note

The Photon-1W is designed to be power-source agnostic. It does not include a built-in battery charger or solar charge controller on the main board.

This was intentional: keeping power management separate allows for more customization, easier repair, easier replacement, and more flexibility for different battery, solar, enclosure, and deployment setups.

A single Waveshare Solar Power Manager (D) can power multiple Photon-1W boards

The Photon-1W has a Batt Sense connector, this is for reading the charge state of the battery.

☀️ Waveshare Solar Power Manager (D) Compatibility Note

The Waveshare Solar Power Manager (D) can be used as an external solar / battery power solution for the Photon-1W.

Required Solar Manager (D) connections:

• Solar input: 6V–24V solar panel through the DC barrel jack or screw terminal input.
• Battery input: 3.7V Li-ion / LiPo battery connected through the battery connector or battery screw terminals.
• Power output to Photon-1W: regulated 5V output from the Solar Manager (D), available from the 5V screw terminal.
• Output capability: up to 5V / 3A regulated output.

The Solar Manager (D) supports solar charging, USB-C charging, MPPT solar input management, battery protection features, and status LEDs for battery / charging state.

Do not connect the Photon-1W directly to the solar panel input or raw battery terminals. The Photon-1W should be powered from the regulated 5V output of the power manager or from another suitable regulated 5V power system.

🔋 Battery / Power System Note

If using your own battery management board, charger, BMS, or solar controller, verify that it provides a clean regulated 5V output with enough current for the Photon-1W and its 1W LoRa radio during transmit.

Do not mix old and new lithium cells, do not reverse battery polarity, and only use battery packs and chargers appropriate for your setup.

Full product details, specifications, and documentation:
https://meshsmith.net/products/photon-1w