Diy pocket node the jankpocket
Nate / October 2025
I’m on a bit of a bargain-basement kick, and wanted to see how cheap I could get a pocket node. After a lot of shopping around, here’s what I’ve managed to cobble together. It’s definitely a lot more Janky DIY than other solutions but the price tag isn’t bad, and the battery life looks to be about 36 hours in Client mode.
Parts (easily available on AliExpress and/or Amazon):
- ProMicro NRF52840 board: $5
- Ebyte E22-900M30S radio: $10
- 44x24x9mm Li-poly battery: $5
- 17cm 915MHz antenna: $10
It also uses some basic parts like hookup wire and a slide switch, and a printed case with a lasered-on logo.
I followed the ProMicro DIY wiring scheme, with a 3D printed carrier board designed to optimize the wiring process.
NOTE: The DIY firmware might not treat the radio’s amplifiers properly. If you’re using an E22-900M30S, you need to set the transmit power to 22 dBm or less before connecting the radio for the first time. It’s even more critical if you’re using an E22-900M33S, which needs the power to be set at or below 8 dBm to avoid damaging the radio.
One important thing, the ProMicro boards I got from AliExpress needed a bootloader update before they could accept the Meshtastic firmware. That’s here: (Nice Nano bootloader update 0.9.2)[https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_nRF52_Bootloader/releases/download/0.9.2/update-nice_nano_bootloader-0.9.2_nosd.uf2] - to apply it, you’ll have to short the RST pin to ground twice within half a second to get into the bootloader, then copy the file to the drive that shows up. Then unplug it, get back into the bootloader, and then you can follow Meshtastic’s flasher instructions for the ProMicro DIY boards.
If you’re interested in trying to put one together, I’ve published the 3D print files on Thangs: JankPocket Meshtastic node carrier board and case
Happy meshing! 🍁