[Board]: ThinkNode G3-Single Channel LoRaWAN Gateway

[chex01]

SOC
ThinkNode G3-Single Channel LoRaWAN Gateway | ESP32-S3 Chip

Lora IC
LR1262 (LoRa Transceiver Module)

Product Link
https://www.elecrow.com/thinknode-g3-single-channel-lorawan-gateway-esp32-s3-chip-smart-home-smart-iot-solutions.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqSZVZnULe_-cSvdwOsRmzsDCbRQ4aUQq0-WjyCjMgE-impLA7g

Description
Ive just bought the ThinkNode G3-Single Channel LoRaWAN Gateway and i wanted to flash the meshtastic firmware on it but there isnt any firmware for it. I have a expensive brick now :( I should have checked compatibility first :)

I disassembled the device; I can post a photo of the board if needed.
I studied the source code and realized that LR1262 isn't used anywhere.

Will it be possible for me to create a custom firmware?

[zemj-czr]

I bought 2x ThinkNode G3 with the intention of using them as home Meshtastic + MQTT/LAN nodes (the hardware specs seem perfect for this).

Even though I'm a beginner, I managed to flash the Meshtastic firmware. The board booted fine, paired with the official mobile app, and accepted configuration changes. The core issue, however, is that it doesn't seem to transmit over LoRa—or at least, none of my other nodes received any packets from it.

I was also surprised that despite having a decent wiki, the manufacturer doesn't provide the stock firmware anywhere (support even refused to provide it). I actually had to dump the flash (.bin) from my second unit just to restore the first one to its original state. It's a real pity, as this board would make a great simple home repeater node.

I have a feeling someone was already asking about LAN support for this board in the repository, but I can't find the post or issue right now.

Has anyone here had any hands-on experience with the ThinkNode G3? Did anyone manage to get the Meshtastic firmware fully operational on it?

[quozl]

Thanks for testing, good results, more to do. Which firmware build did you test with? No transmit suggests connections ESP32-S3 to LR1262 not correctly defined. Do you have receive?

I've a couple of G3 yet to be used, and would like to test them with Meshtastic. I've inspected the board. Disassembly steps are; remove foam feet, unscrew screws, unclip base with spudger. There's a boot and reset button. I've not found a schematic or circuit diagram.

I've looked through variants/esp32s3 at the ESP32-S3 environments to get an idea of the various ways in which the LR1262 may be connected. There are several ways.

I'm using the beta branch, because I've four ThinkNode M6 which were flashed by factory with that branch.

I guessed it might be similar to the ThinkNode M5 and M2 products. I've built the thinknode_m5 and thinknode_m2 environments and uploaded to the G3, and they do not get moving. Initial startup fine per screen(1), but meshtastic --info does not work. So knowing what build you tried would help!

[quozl]

I've probed the circuit and found these pads near the LR1262 module;

• SPI_MISO IO41,
• SPI_MOSI IO40,
• SPI_SCK IO42,
• SPI_CSN IO39,
• RST IO21,
• PE_EN IO45,

Didn't find BUSY or DIO1.

Also,;

• NCT9 D22 LED LINK is IO5,
• NCT8 D21 LED LOR is IO6,
• button K2 SYS_SET RELOAD is IO4.

[quozl]

Widened my search to other branches. e65ce4d by @caveman99 looks like it is what I shall try next. Thanks!

[quozl]

Boots fine. meshtastic --info works. More tests to follow.

[lengg22]

I would like to try the caveman99 branch on my spare G3. I will try to follow the guide on building it but I’m not sure I have the knowledge to build this. I would appreciate a copy of the compiled firmware if possible.

[quozl]

Try building and let me know how you go. From my notes, I built and flashed the device on Ubuntu 24.04 using a command pio run -e thinknode_g3 -t upload, after switching the git repository to the e65ce4d hash. I already had PlatformIO and many other software components installed for my own projects, so I don't know what is actually required.

I've looked quickly; the firmware source code repository has a LICENSE file of GPLv3 but the copyrights in the source files vary, including LGPL. I'm not willing to provide a firmware image because I don't know what laws or regulations I may be aiding you in breaking.

I've deployed one of my G3's as central node for a remote area mesh which is way too far from any other nodes, and so I'm not as willing to experiment with upgrading in order to validate instructions. On the other hand, it has been very reliable, though it is disappointing how long it takes between sending a command and the radio starting to transmit. But as I see that with Adafruit Feather RFM95 and ThinkNode M6, it probably isn't a G3 specific problem.

[lengg22]

Thanks for your help - I’ll give it a go when I get some time.