Build a Solar Survival Tracker and Never Get Lost Again
Gokul K B’s Solar Survival Tracker is a DIY device ideal for hikers, backcountry skiers, and anyone else who spends time in the wilderness.
GPS is a tremendously useful tool for the safe exploration of remote areas, liking wilderness backpacking trails. GPS navigation can help people avoid getting lost in the first place and can help them find their way back to civilization if they do get lost. But smartphones and dedicated GPS devices run on batteries, which is an obvious problem in survival situations. To address that, Gokul K B designed this “Solar Survival Tracker” that combines a GPS receiver and a solar panel.
GPS devices are only receivers — they don’t transmit anything. They pick up signals transmitted by a constellation of satellites orbiting Earth and by measuring the timing differences between multiple transmissions, they can calculate their own position in three-dimensional space. Because they don’t need to transmit, GPS receivers don’t require a lot of power and that is key to Gokul’s design.
The Solar Survival Tracker has an integrated 0.63-watt solar panel and a solar charge controller with a built-in holder for a 1200mAh lithium battery. Gokul designed the device so it can hang on a belt or backpack strap, where it will receive sunlight. As it does, the solar panel keeps the lithium battery charged up.
The battery only needs to power three things when the user requires GPS information: a NEO-6M GPS module, a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 development board, and a 1.3” monochrome OLED screen. The XIAO pulls GPS information from the NEO-6M, then displays the latitude, longitude, and altitude on the OLED screen. Those components fit into an attractive 3D-printed enclosure.
If a user ever gets lost, they can switch on the Solar Survival Tracker and see their exact location.
Of course, that is only one piece of the puzzle and it doesn’t help the user determine where they should go. But if they’re in communication with a rescue team, they can provide their coordinates. Otherwise, a paper map with detailed latitude and longitude lines would help them figure out which direction to go. Though it would be nice if the Solar Survival Tracker had a way to direct the user to a safe location — maybe Gokul will add that feature in a future version.
And as a bonus, the device doubles as a USB power bank.