The Retia team has been working hard on new designs, and we're proud to introduce the Nibble Connect!
This new Nibble has been built on the lessons of the original Nibble we made for C3, with a stronger radio and easier to solder components for building your own.
Here's how to get the new Nibble Connect, and the Bluetooth Nugget with LoRa backpack, set up with Meshtastic!
Flashing Meshtastic to the Nugget & Nibble
- Go to the Github Repo and download the firmware files. Click code, then download ZIP, and then unzip the folder that downloads
- In a Chrome-based browser, go to www.nugget.dev
- Plug in your Nugget or Nibble in flashing mode. For the Nibble, hold down the "B" button while plugging it in to your computer. For the Nugget, hold down the "0" button while plugging it in.
- On Nugget.dev, click on "Connect your Nugget" and select your device from the serial drop-down list. Then, click "erase" to clear the flash memory.
- Click on "Upload a custom binary" and select either the NUGGET or NIBBLE .BIN file you downloaded from the firmware repo, then click "Select Binary"
- Click on "Program" and let your device flash!Unplug your device and plug it back in to run the new firmware when you see it say "To run the new firmware, please reset your device."
Setting up Meshtastic
Once flashed, you can connect to your Nugget or Nibble running Meshtastic in several ways.
Bluetooth - One of the easiest ways to pair with Meshtastic is downloading the app on your Android or iOS smartphone, and pairing over Bluetooth.
In the app, press the plus button to scan for new Bluetooth devices, and select the one with the name "Meshtastic" or that matches the name on your Nugget's screen.
Next, pair with the device with the pin "123456" for the Nibble, or the random pin that appears on the screen of the Nugget when you begin pairing.
Finally, you'll see the device appear on the top of your screen! You can now change the settings and set the region to begin transmitting.
You can also connect to Meshtastic from a computer over Bluetooth, if your computer supports it.
In a chrome-based browser, you can go to https://client.meshtastic.org and select "Connect a new device."
Next, select "Bluetooth" and then "New Device" to scan for Bluetooth devices.
Once you find your device, hit "Pair" and use either "123456" or the PIN on the screen of your Nugget to connect.
Serial Connection - The easiest way to connect to your Nugget or Nibble is via USB cable.
To do so, we can again use the app or the mobile version at https://client.meshtastic.org to connect directly.
Before starting, make sure your USB cable supports data!
In the app, plug in your Meshtastic device to your phone and select it from the list of devices, it should look like /dev/bus/usb/001/003 on Android. When asked if you want to allow Meshtastic to access the device, click "OK."
That's it! You're connected via serial.
On the website, go to https://client.meshtastic.org/ and then click "New device" and then "Serial".
Select your device from the drop down menu. Then, click the "# 0" device that appears in the menu to open your meshtastic node in the browser.
After Connecting
After flashing and connecting your Nugget or Nibble, it won't transmit until you set the region. I also recommend setting the device name so it's unique and can be easily found!
In the web interface, you can click the pencil icon to change the name of your node.
After you save the new name, the node will reboot. Connect again, and you'll see the new name appear!
Now, it's time to set the region. Go to radio configuration, and then "LoRa"
You'll see the region option is unset. Select the US (or whatever region you are in) and then hit the save button. The node will reboot, and now be able to transmit!
Sending your first message
Now that your node can transmit, go to "Messages" and select the primary channel. You should be able to send and receive messages now!
