Cozy Edition
- Compatibility
- Cozy vs Midi
- Use cases
- Disclaimer
- Bill of materials
- Quick start
- Settings
- Buttons
- Enclosure
- Battery life
- Optional equipment
- Useful links
Cozy Edition is a successor of SoftRF Midi Edition.
It is supposed to require minimal skills from a builder to begin with and gives an opportunity to evaluate if the SoftRF technology is appropriate for your needs.
The Cozy is based upon third-party's hardware - Heltec Mesh Node T114 board, which is available for direct purchase from manufacturer at more or less reasonable price (30+ USD).
Mesh Node T114 is:
- a multipurpose ,
- DIY-friendly ,
- low power ,
- lightweight
- LoRaWAN GNSS assets tracker board.
The T114 Tracker is an example of cutting edge technology. It contains:
- Nordic nRF52840 SoC ;
- Semtech SX1262 Long Range Low Power RF Transceiver ;
- (optional) Quectel L76K GNSS receiver;
- 1.14" 240x135 SPI TFT display
| Type | Protocol | FLARM | OGN tracker | PilotAware | Skytraxx | SoftRF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radio | FLARM AIR V6 |
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OGNTP |
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P3I |
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FANET+ |
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SRD 860 |
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| Data | FLARM NMEA |
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| Garmin GDL90 |
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Dump1090 |
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1 - it is necessary for a reader to distinguish the difference between statement "compatible"
and statement "fully compatible".
SoftRF implements only a reasonable minimum of the protocols specs.
No "bells and whistles" so far.
This is a picture of Midi and Cozy Editions, side by side.
| Edition | Midi | Cozy 
|
|---|---|---|
| First appearance | 2023 | 2024 |
| SoC | Espressif ESP32-S3 | Nordic nRF52840 |
| Flash memory | 8 MB | 1 MB |
| SRAM | 512 KB | 256 KB |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n | |
| Bluetooth | 5 LE | 5.3 LE |
| sub-1GHz radio | SX1262 | SX1262 |
| Battery | ext. Li-Ion | ext. Li-Ion |
| GNSS | built-in UC6580 | ext. AT6558 |
| Display | built-in 0.96" TFT | built-in 1.14" TFT |
| USB | 2.0 FS Device/Host |
2.0 FS Device |
| Air pressure sensor | external BMP280 | external BMP280 |
Same that the SoftRF Midi Edition has.
SoftRF firmware for Cozy Edition is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
In general a lot of Chinese DIY electronics manufacturers are known to behave this way:
- sometimes they may not apply necessary Q.C. before releasing of a product from factory ;
- they may arbitrary change schematics and electronic components from one batch to the next one ;
- they may terminate manufacturing of a board just few months after initial production.
Author of SoftRF firmware:
- will reject any hardware related claims associated with Heltec T114 Tracker development kit. Ask for support from seller or manufacturer ;
- reserves the right to suspend or terminate support of Heltec T114 Tracker in the firmware at any time.
For the time being ( November '24 ) there were no critical hardware issues reported for current version (V2) of the T114 tracker. However things my change over the time...
If you have issues with bringing up your new Heltec T114 Tracker or just not happy with the board - be prepared to execute your Purchase Protection plan.
| Number | Part | Qty | Picture | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heltec T114 Tracker V2 2 3 |
1 |  |
AliExpress 1 2 3 Heltec Store |
| 2 | GNSS module for T114 | 1 |  |
same as above |
2 - 868 MHz variant is applicable for these world regions: EU, RU, NZ, SA, IN ;
915 MHz - US, CA, AU, KR, IL ;
433 MHz - CN .
3 - SoftRF firmware is designed to work with versions V1.0 and V2.0 of the Heltec T114 Tracker. Other versions may or may not work.
| Number | Part | Qty | Picture | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Enclosure | 1 |  |
AliExpress 1 2 3 Heltec Store |
| 4 | SMA female to uFL adapter | 1 |  |
AliExpress |
| 5 | 868 MHz SMA dipole antenna 4 | 1 |  |
AliExpress |
| 6 | Antenna 868 MHz 4 |
1 |  |
EBay AliExpress 1 2 |
| 7 | 602248 560mAh Li-Po battery with JST 1.25mm 2pin connector | 1 |  |
AliExpress |
| 8 | Bosch BMP280 pressure sensor | 1 |  |
AliExpress |
4 - 868 MHz variant is applicable for these world regions: EU, RU, NZ, SA, IN ;
915 MHz - US, CA, AU, KR, IL ;
433 MHz - CN .
| Number | Part | Qty | Picture | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | MAX3232 RS232 TTL adapter |
1 |  |
AliExpress |
| 10 | Bluetooth HC-05 |
1 |  |
AliExpress |
Use these instructions to start operating with your delivered Cozy device.
Procedure of settings change is explained on this page.
Basic (radio) settings description is located here.
Important
EASA ADS-L radio protocol selection is not applicable for current version of SoftRF Tool app for Android - use Online Tool method instead.
If you are an application developer and you think about to add the Cozy configuration menu into your software, please, use:
When unit is Off:
- press and release USER button to turn the unit On.
When unit is On:
| Button(s) | Function |
|---|---|
| USER | press and keep holding USER button for 2-3 seconds to turn the unit Off
|
| RESET (once) | reboot the device |
| RESET (twice) | enter into bootloader mode |
This Heltec T114 enclosure is available as an option while placing an order:
Current consumption from 3.7 Volt battery:
| Mode | Average current (mA) |
|---|---|
| Active backlight ON |
65 mA |
| Sleep 5 | 0.1 mA |
5 - the value may vary depending on the firmware version
Operating time from a full charge depends on your actual battery capacity.
When battery charge level is getting low - the white LED will start flashing to indicate that charging is necessary.
When battery charge level is almost "zero" - the system will indicate "LOW BAT" message on TFT display for a few seconds then the device will enter into low power (deep sleep) mode.
| T114 Tracker | BMP280 |
|---|---|
| 3V3 | VCC |
| GND | GND |
| 0.13 | SCL |
| 0.16 | SDA |
Warning
Reported pressure altitude value may deviate from true value at any time.
There is an option to connect an external RS-232C device to UART pins of the Heltec T114 Tracker MCU.
| Function | Pin |
|---|---|
| TxD | 0.10 |
| RxD | 0.09 |
Signal levels: 3.3 Volt
Transfer settings: 38400 bps, 8N1
SkyView EZ 
is a DIY companion device for SoftRF Cozy Edition.
SoftRF WebTop USB (USB to Wi-Fi adapter)
- Heltec product info
- Schematics: V1.0 , V2.0
