OK! I followed your suggestions and tried itead. These are the pics of what I got 4 of (sorry no pro rig-just a loupe & module in one hand & mouse in the other!

(all are hosted on one of my servers, not here locally)

This is old, but I was looking through it today...
According to the datasheets for voltage regulators and the reports of why there are problems with the nRF, the output, or load side capacitors are for keeping the voltage into the nRF as steady as possible. smaller caps are on the front side of the regulators for noise (faster transient voltages than what you'd see on the nRF draw), like those from other electronics, certain lights, radios, etc. and they are ceramic (or other non-polarized) that are great for this filtering in a small package.
The regulators themselves, like the ones in the Arduinos (if you feed RAW pin) take care of the high frequency stuff, but a bigger capacitor is needed for voltage variations, which a ceramic can't do. This is why electrolytics are used. The problem is, electrolytics are much bigger, and so most regulators have you add them to make them work better. But where would you put a component larger than the MCU's chip? And besides, they are getting smaller all the time.
I've never seen anyone say what value cap is overkill, as each person's setup is different. Some don't power their radios from the MCU's rail at all, and some MCUs can be loaded with servos, etc. that would make their draw on transmit different than yours. The bigger the cap (as long as voltage is a tad over what it will see) the better, when it comes to electrolytics. In fact, you can power your MCU with them!
The only way you can know what will work in your unique situation is with an oscilloscope. It is fast enough to capture any dips in voltage on transmit/power-up, and it can show you any noise and ripple on the input. VOMs are just too slow, and not made to measure small changes in a higher voltage at the speeds you will need to see them.
Since I have a pile of 10uf and 100uf, I start with 10uf by default, and if there is any errors that seem like TX dropout, I'll try 100uf, but a cap in this scenario is only a bandaid making up for an under-powered board, IMHO. With battery size/count restrictions, we don't have any choice, but in AC powered systems we should have a PS beefy enough to allow the radio and all peripherals to go nuts without affecting each other.
If you suspect a supply voltage dropout to the nRF, you'll receive fine. So maybe try taking the other peripherals out one by one, maybe measuring overall current draw, and see if the symptom at some point goes away.
And finally, my opinion is that the radio board is the most suspect piece in the chain. Playing musical parts might save you messing with the caps...

I have 18650s, and I have both new & old TP4056 boards. What has stopped me from proceeding is reading that 18650s don't "trickle charge". I take this to mean that you can't keep them up to voltage, topping them off. My goal is to put sensors outside, and leave them.

Not wanting to be in the local news, I've held off making a sensor with them that will allow me to keep them topped off.

How are you using rechargeable LiPos with renewable energy charging?

One example of data:

Simple Guidelines for Charging Lithium-based Batteries

-Turn off the device or disconnect the load on charge to allow the current to drop unhindered during saturation. A parasitic load confuses the charger.
-Charge at a moderate temperature. Do not charge at freezing temperature. (See BU-410: Charging at High and Low Temperatures)
-Lithium-ion does not need to be fully charged; a partial charge is better.
-Not all chargers apply a full topping charge and the battery may not be fully charged when the “ready” signal appears; a 100 percent charge on a fuel gauge may be a lie.
-Discontinue using charger and/or battery if the battery gets excessively warm.
-Apply some charge to an empty battery before storing (40–50 percent SoC is ideal). (See BU-702: How to Store Batteries.)*

source: BU-409: Charging Lithium-ion

TIA!

pat

P.S. Just clicked the 'emoji' icon in the WYSIWYG, and am shocked to find that people have copyrighted emojis. To quote #45: #sad

|| "(yes, I know how that works)"
|Could you expand on this?

Reluctantly, but gladly!

@mfalkvidd To state the obvious, I am being considerate of the fact that he gets a cut if we go to there (eBay, AliExpress, etc.) to buy, which I am 100% for. He cannot, however, vouch for anything there as being "authentic".

I would never make the connection that he is promoting the clones there as authentic, i.e. "They are here, so they must be sanctioned as authentic".. .

I doubt it is relevant to sourcing authentic/known Nordic modules, but I don't mind explaining.

It is simply a statement alluding to respect, rather than assumptions, as an effort to avoid tangential discussions regarding the site's excellent work.

HTH, and I'm genuinely sorry the point didn't come across without explanation.

@mfalkvidd Sorry for not being smart enough to know that. I read the how to post, and have a list of barely acceptable excuses as to why I didn't figure that out prepared-in case you're interested!

Also, I unzipped a backup's script.sql, and it showed me all the possibilities:

[...]
(58, 'S_HVAC', 'V_HVAC_SPEED'),
(59, 'S_MULTIMETER', 'V_VOLTAGE'),
(60, 'S_MULTIMETER', 'V_CURRENT'),
(61, 'S_MULTIMETER', 'V_IMPEDANCE'),
(62, 'S_SPRINKLER', 'V_STATUS'),
[...]

You really need to learn about this problem, and what you think you need, by setting up a test on ONE machine. You will learn a lot more that way than asking others. Don't buy in quantity until one works the way you want.

Not knowing any better, I would consider a single small uC for each machine. HE sensors are pennies, and an esp8266 could handle 10 digital inputs(?) with analog switches/extenders for more sensors being dirt cheap.

The esp8266 would just email your cell phone, hit a page, etc. to let you know the machine, or even the spindle.

This avoids wires all over the place, and as you only need 5v, you can somehow power each from each machine. How about one of those bicycle generators that uses the wheel?

Trying to do this on the cheap won't work. You can't run a circuit to a HE an infinite distance, not is a "circuit" design pattern even best.

So before you decide on a design, then going out to see if it will work, start small, with one machine, one sensor. In one hour you will learn more that way than 100 posts.

And if this is your first exploration into uCs, be mindful arduino platform is one of several, and their are systems made in your industry to do exactly what you want-without you learning how they do it. The need to detect broken threads is not a new problem. Seek the solutions others have found first.

And finally, as others have told you, this is not a mysensors issue. Are you even running mysensors software?

Arduino is discussed here.

You will need to Google for forums dealing with your industry to find out how others have solved your problem. I think you will do better among your professional peers.

@NeverDie I tried for days. Too buggy, and not enough support. I landed with MyController, which takes advantage of MySensors, plus allows a lot of scripting, etc.

</$0.02>

@hek Thanks for writing. I got 4 from itead the other day (2 each of 2 types), and they are in the boxes in front of me. FOr one thing-they have a box! I am making a video for my blog comparing them to the clones (as best I can), and I'm going to test out that current statement I found online...

Thanks for the tip!

@gohan I'll do my best to measure meaningful metrics between these & clones. Also, I have 4 eBytes coming (2x blue, 2x red)...

You really need to learn about this problem, and what you think you need, by setting up a test on ONE machine. You will learn a lot more that way than asking others. Don't buy in quantity until one works the way you want.

Not knowing any better, I would consider a single small uC for each machine. HE sensors are pennies, and an esp8266 could handle 10 digital inputs(?) with analog switches/extenders for more sensors being dirt cheap.

The esp8266 would just email your cell phone, hit a page, etc. to let you know the machine, or even the spindle.

This avoids wires all over the place, and as you only need 5v, you can somehow power each from each machine. How about one of those bicycle generators that uses the wheel?

Trying to do this on the cheap won't work. You can't run a circuit to a HE an infinite distance, not is a "circuit" design pattern even best.

So before you decide on a design, then going out to see if it will work, start small, with one machine, one sensor. In one hour you will learn more that way than 100 posts.

And if this is your first exploration into uCs, be mindful arduino platform is one of several, and their are systems made in your industry to do exactly what you want-without you learning how they do it. The need to detect broken threads is not a new problem. Seek the solutions others have found first.

And finally, as others have told you, this is not a mysensors issue. Are you even running mysensors software?

Arduino is discussed here.

You will need to Google for forums dealing with your industry to find out how others have solved your problem. I think you will do better among your professional peers.

I thought they might be a value for a sensor housing, with the bonus of having a weather-ready solar panel. I bought a few garden lights with this same thing in mind (posted as a reply here). I see the platform as the hardest part, since the guts can be more easily replaced.
Great discussion!

I thought I'd turn folks on to a find at my local Wally World...
They are selling their house brand solar LED garden lights for discount, and I picked up 4 of these for $0.97 each.
They are each for 1.2v (LED & 150mAh NiCad), but I was thinking 3x at 3.6v for a Pro-Mini, so I grabbed a few. I created a photo album of total disassembly here, and here is one of those pics:

Of small note is that the NiCad battery itself is more than $1 each! I'm still thinking about how to combine them to power a Pro-Mini, but for less than the price of the battery you get a nice case, an LED, and a solar panel!

Sorry. I feel like an idiot now...

pat

Has anyone had any luck with the 2vdc solar powered night-light things you can pick up for a few bucks? They are listed as 2vdc with one to several LEDs. The draw for me is a nice housing, integrated solar cell, making a nice place for sensors...
I'm running MCUs at 3.3v, so I might need to use 2 together, or add on another panel, but curious what you think for a sensor platform if you've thought about or tried it...
Here is an arbitrary example, one of many housing styles...
Thoughts?

I'm noticing chatter about their compatibility. I have several of these impressive boards, and have been looking for a reason to make nodes/gateways/repeaters out of them. My fav is the popular STM32F103C8T6 (I also have STM32F030F4P6 unopened)...

Consider me a volunteer beta tester! Love these zippy boards!

pat

With the inability to get signal strength from the nRF24, I'm open to any suggestions to fairly evaluate the boards I've collected. Don't think the wife will let me spring for a spectrum analyzer...

@ceech I guess not around just yet? I only saw the 4-cap model...?

@gohan That's great! I have a pile of super/ultra-caps just waiting to power a remote node!

I've hesitated to date because the ones I've found are all cobbled together, and the presenter says nothing about whether their arrangement has lasted. I get the feeling they video as soon as they build it, but there is no data on what to expect.

There is an exception, though, in a video I saw that went all the way into looking up the hours of daylight for an area, etc. by Andreas Spiess here. Well, the video is at the top of a reddit forum topic...

I'd love to hear what components those deploying isolated sensors are using.

@Slimz Speaking of reliability (life support), I was searching for similar posts to what I am experiencing (again) and came across this one.

I don't see this in the DHT-11s I've tested (dozens), but this is frequent in the DHT-22s (no doubt just my luck)... they dies, and then rise from the dead... Check this out from last night:

All yesterday, no output from the DHT-22. I tried different pins, and almost tried another library (using SimpleDHT now). I had a 10k resistor between pins 1&2 (Vcc & Data), all to no avail. Also, I couldn't remember if having Vcc on the data pin was normal or not-but it was there...

I went to bed, a beaten man. Then, the Sensor Fairy (C)2017 came to visit at around 4:00am, and now I have 2 problems:

1. Why it didn't work, and...
2. Why it works now.

Just sharing because this kind of behavior has been common with me and the DHT-22s, and in your situation may not be noticeable. Hopefully you have alerts for env values out of range. If it really matters, I use a trusty BME280.

good luck!