SonarMote for a newbie

[Akroplax]

I came across this site because I was researching products that use sonar to monitor sump pump water levels.  I'd like to be alerted on my phone if the water level is too high or too low.  It'd be nice to be able to view the level on my phone at any moment in time.

While exploring the rest of the site, I found the mailbox monitor and weather station devices to be interesting too.  While I'd likely wait to try those, it appears that range is a consideration for the transceiver selection.

From what I gather, I need the SonarMote Kit, a Motino, maybe an OLED display (although it appears that I'd have to take side off the case to see it), a buzzer, and a LiPo battery.  Then I need a gateway to connect the output to my network so that I can attach events and log data.  I think I also need an FTDI adapter for initial network programming.

My questions for the SonarMote:
- Which Motino revision?  From photos, it looks like R4.  Is there any reason to get the flash memory add-on?
- Any specs on the battery?  The photo seems to show a 3.7v 2000 mAh (which seems to be consistent with the MightyHat assembly guide).  I may be missing something obvious, but is this rechargable?  If so, how?  It looks like the SonarMote board may have a micro USB adapter, but I'm not entirely clear about that.
- The pump is running through a marine battery backup though - could I use a wired power solution instead (similar to the question above)?  Would I get the R5 of Motino (if it's not already part of the SonarMote)?  If so, will that fit in the enclosure? 
- What power adapter should I use for the USB port?  I saw a list of 3 on one of the pages that I can't seem to find anymore...
- If I get a second SonarMote for a parking sensor, which wire to I purchase to match the functionality on the last picture (to separate the LED indicator from the sonar unit)?


Questions on the IoT gateway:
- Where can I purchase the LPL acrylic case?  Is there a version that allows the OLED display to be viewed while closed?
- How useful is the OLED display to have?  It seems like most configuration will be done through the gateway UI or command prompt.  But there must be some reason to have support for it - I'm just not clear what it is.
- It appears that the photos on the bottom of the MightyHat page identifying the different connectors are mislabeled.  Are RP-SMA male and RP-SMA female switched?
- Since I don't have any antennas to re-use, is the RP-SMA male connector recommended?  Any recommended antennas?
- What is the purpose of the optional 2.1mm input jack (how is power supplied otherwise?) and GPIO extension headers?


Questions about the system:
- Which transceiver should I select?  I assume it will be the same for all devices on the IoT network.  From what I can tell, the RFM69W is the recommendation for new builds?  My yard is 160' (~50m) by 110' (~35m) and I'm in the US.  My gateway will be in the basement of my house.  Is there any need for the RFM69HW or any other transceiver?  It seems like the LoRa transceivers would be overkill.

It also appears that I need to learn how to solder.  But I think there are plenty of other resources online to cover that topic.

Am I missing anything else?

Sorry for all the questions.  I tried to get as much as I could from the projects, kits, and walkthroughs. 

Also, is there any expected date for restocking the SonarMote, MightyHat, and momentary power switch units?

Thanks so much!  I'm excited to get started.

[Felix]

Let me try to answer:

SonarMote
- Moteino R4 + RFM69, no need for flash
- small LiPo batteries available at adafruit will work well, they recharge through the onboard charger on the  SonarMote through the USB-mini which is used both for charging and for programming the Moteino
- FTDI is useful to program/debug any non-USB Moteino and I would generally recommend having at least 1 handy
- wired is OK but you still need a battery for the SonarMote since it was designed to run from a battery. It's low power enough (with the sample sketches) that battery recharging will not be required often (months at least)
- USB port is USBmini not micro, any generic USB phone power adapter will work to recharge the battery

IoT Gateway
- no case offered at the moment, this might change, but for now I have case plans to customize/cut it from acrylic at your local hobby/tech shop if you have access to a laser or order it from ponoko or other online shops
- the MightyHat takes the Nokia5110 LCD (not OLED) and is as useful as you can want. It can display any packets received or battery data etc locally. See the sample MightyHat sketch in the RFM69 lib for examples of data to display
- i think the SMA connectors are labeled correctly
- match antenna to your radio frequency band, any antenna that will reach your farthest node is OK
- 2.1mm jack can be used to power the board in place of the microUSB or headers, just another input power option

System
- see this page about the transceivers. Note all my examples are for RFM69 so if you want LoRa be prepared to write your own code with a 3rd party lib like RadioHead.
- For the US use 915mhz, that reaches a few hundred meters LOS with the standard settings and basic monopole antennas (provided with all moteinos and kits)

- I have 1 sonar kit and can make more
- Planning to make MightyHats soon/tonight
- waiting to get more switches but china is on holiday so I don't know when they will arrive, they are hard to find now for whatever reason. I have a few latching ones but those only work with the new ATXRaspi 2.7 but MightyHat comes with a nice momentary Red/Green LED lit button that is soldered right on the board.

[Akroplax]

Thanks a lot for the answers, Felix! 

After days of research, it seems like performing the soldering safely (with two small children) in my house (too cold outside) is going to cost a lot more than I initially thought.  Fume extractors are crazy expensive (relative to the cost of everything else combined).  So I'm holding off on buying everything for now.  I'm going to see if I can get some friends to help pitch in in exchange for setting up a network for them. 

I noticed that your MotionMote Kit and SonarMote Kit include the acrylic cases.  Have you considered adding a gateway kit (which includes a case)?  A case for the GarageMote would be wonderful too if you ever have the chance.

I really like your work.  The emphasis on low power solutions along with an independence from any external services - combined with the ability to interface externally is a great combination. 

[Felix]

Thanks for the feedback.
Not sure how many hobbyists afford to start with all the necessary gear from day 1. There's not a whole lot of soldering to do. A little computer fan by an open window will save you from cancer
I would like to eventually offer a case for the MightyHat kit. Not sure when I will have the time to arrange all the logistics for it... in the meantime the plans are at github so anyone can cut their own.