Ikoka Stick

Overview

The Ikoka Stick is a community DIY design (by ndoo) for an ultra-compact stick-format LoRa node built on the Seeed Studio XIAO nRF52840 paired with an EBYTE E22-900M-series LoRa module. It is a hobbyist build rather than a productized multi-MCU node. The compact stick form factor is suited to use as a pocket companion; higher-power builds (see below) require a larger enclosure and should not be confused with the pocketable stick.

Variants & Power Options

The base E22-900M module (SX1262) outputs up to +22 dBm. Higher-power "variants" are separate enclosure-based builds that use a higher-power EBYTE E22 module (e.g. E22-900M30S at 30 dBm) or add an external power-amplifier stage downstream of the module — these are not the compact pocket stick.

FCC caveat: The 1 W variant sits at the FCC Part 15.247 conducted limit of 30 dBm (1 W) and is only legal under Part 15 with an antenna of ≤6 dBi (higher-gain antennas require a dB-for-dB conducted-power reduction). A 2 W / 33 dBm build (using EBYTE's large E22-900M33S UART module) exceeds the FCC Part 15 conducted limit and is not legal for unlicensed US use — high-power tower use of such a variant generally requires an amateur Part 97 license (no encryption, station identification). Confirm conducted power plus antenna gain against 47 CFR 15.247 before deploying under Part 15. Note also that a 33 dBm module is a large, high-current part (drawing on the order of 1-2 A peak with significant heat dissipation needs) and cannot fit a pocketable stick form factor.

Key Specifications

• MCU: Seeed Studio XIAO nRF52840
• Radio: EBYTE E22-900M series (built on the SX1262, rated up to +22 dBm). The 1 W build uses a higher-power E22 module (e.g. E22-900M30S) or an external PA stage added after the base module.
• Form factor: Compact stick (the standard 22 dBm build). Higher-power builds require a larger enclosure and heatsinking and are not pocketable.

Community Deployments

The Ikoka Stick is the basis of CascadiaMesh's "1 Watt Ikoka Box" build - one of the most replicated community deployment designs, used for high-density urban and suburban coverage nodes. As an enclosure-based 1 W build, it is distinct from the pocketable standard stick.

RF Filtering

In electrically noisy environments (near industrial equipment, dense urban RF, tower-share sites), a LoRa cavity filter can suppress out-of-band interference and protect the receiver, improving effective range in difficult RF environments. The Baymesh (Nullrouten) cavity filter is one option; verify the exact SKU, center frequency (US-band LoRa filters are tuned near 906-915 MHz, not a single "910 MHz" point), and current price before purchasing.

Target Use Cases

• High-power infrastructure repeaters (enclosure-based 1 W box build, not the pocket stick)
• Tower mount and rooftop deployments
• Community mesh backbone nodes