Hi Andreas, I just wanted to write a few words to one of my favourite UA-camrs. You, along with Great Scott and Ralph S Bacon, have been absolutely wonderful in helping me get through lockdown here in Melbourne, Australia, by introducing me to a new hobby with your expertise and sense of humour. I have had quite the backlog of videos to watch, and still have many more to catch up on. I'm a programmer by trade, but had never had much to do with hardware and electronics until recently. Three months ago I owned a crappy soldering iron and not much more. Now, with a lot of help from you and the others mentioned above, I've completed a heap of projects, have quite a collection of dev boards and associated sensors and accessories, and even bought myself an oscilloscope, and built a 3D printer. I think my transformation to 'total geek' is just about complete! :) I am signing up to Patreon now so that I can give something back to you. Keep up the good work! Cheers, The Guy With The Aussie Accent. PS Say hi To Dishka for me!
I am happy to read this comment. Such stories help to overcome some not so productive periods every creator has. And thank you for your Patreon support!
12:27 Those heat shrink tubes with the solder in the middle are awesome. I'd never seen anything like them. Lotsa notes written down from this video. Thank you sir!
Not just your videos are great, also you attract a really well qualified group of viewers who contribute even more good content via the comments. Thanks Andreas.
Good video that covers many aspects. Those in warmer climates would be aware of the temperature rise of any box in the summer will terminate most consumer electronics within weeks. A simple workaround is to put a simple shade roof over the box, spaced to permit free air movement. The roof gets very hot and promotes convection around the box so that it doesn't get much warmer than surrounding air. Of course there are issues with wildlife everywhere! Even the bipedal! Choose the site accordingly! Also, sunlight will rapidly degrade plastics without UV stabilisers. Choose enclosures according to the environment in which they will operate.
Of course you are right with the sun protection. For the next 8 month I do not care too much about it where I live. Time to find a solution... Wildlife also is not an issue here (unfortunately we killed or banned a lot of it).
I always use "clear protective lacquer" on the boards of outdoor projects, even if i use a tight box. When i access the box in a moist environment, water somehow gets to the components and to prevent corrosion it is a great addition, imo.
There is something called CPC, clear protective coating, and I've used this for years protecting boards in the worst environments. I think it is just a spray lacquer as you mention. If you can orient a box, make sure it has a drain hole. Most problems I have seen is that not that moisture can get in, but has no way to get out.
Thanks to you Andreas, I learned all about these AM-Sat Projects and a ton of RF and LoRa related technologies. Look forward to tinkering with this next.
Yes, thank you for the weatherizing tips and another quality video. The moisture removing silica descant packets frequently found in pharmacy bottles can be useful for small boxes. Even the bottles themselves can be used for smaller board/battery projects. Another idea: I have been using 1-1/2" black PVC pipes to contain my PIR sensors/433 MHz transmitter/Battery combinations. The sensor faces out one end and is mounted inside a matching PVC pipe test cap with the knockout removed to fit the PIR sensor. The PIR is sealed into the test cap with silicon caulking. Another test cap (retaining the knockout this time) is fitted in the other end. The nice thing about using the PVC pipe is that plastic gimbled mounting brackets can be glued right to the side of the pipe. The entire assembly is then mounted under the eves pointing at every outside door and window location (six of them). One receiver is indoors and collects/decodes all the 'alarm' signals. All the materials were very inexpensive, though it took me years to build.
Good idea with the plastic pipes. They are very cheap and you get them in different sizes. Once I planned to put a silica packet in my gateway and bought 500g. But so far it was not necessary.
The wealth of your experience and knowledge is beautiful Andreas! Thank you for so many details and learning from you is fun! Thank you very much again!
Needed this video today...thank you, Mr. Swiss Accent :). I must confess, I am green with envy. Your workshop, supplies, and logical organizational of parts is what is on my hokey pokey ‘vision board’. You’re awesome 😎
Greetings Andre from Colorado, much appreciated ideas for rebutted SMA cables. The PW-8 connectors of 3 antennas was the "complete enchilada" to address weather ingress/degress risks. Just been staring at it and then remembered your tips & and tools segments you've featured in some of your feeds over the years I have been a subscriber and supporter....thanks!
you can use aluminium foil on the wooden plank and connect it to ground. This way you can mitigated some radio frequentie noise of the powers supply side, getting to the rest of the circuit.
I used urethane conformal coating on electronic components. You can get spray on, but I prefer the brush on. I also use marine grade heat shrink tubing in some applications. It has a heat activated glue inside the tubing. It melts and coats what you’re using it on. Forget about getting it off, but for things where that’s not an issue, it works great.
Conformal coating is a good thing. So far I hope I will not need it inside my box. But it is a last resort ;-) I also have such tubes with glue. I did not know they come from the marine. Mine are quite stiff and not transparent.
Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge and testing! I once used containers similar to that to try to keep 3D printer filament dry. Even with a large amount of desiccant in the container, the humidity seeped in and equalized with the environment. I then tried 5 gallon buckets (very cheap and common in the US) along with removable sealable lids. They have worked much better. With 8 ounces of desiccant in the bottom, the humidity inside has been maintained < 15% for over a year even with numerous cracking of the seal to obtain filament.
Interesting idea those 5 gallon buckets. I assume they have to be tight because they are often used for colors an other chemicals which react with humidity.
Very useful tips as always. Thanks for sharing. BTW: you can fill those heatshrink tubes all over with hot glue and even cover the PCBs all over with the glue. Try what happens if "Spiritus" touches the glue... It will peel off without any residues like a charm. Very useful
Nice video as always. I Hope you make a followup after the winther on how well your box survived. A tip is to replace the trimmers on your Buck converters with fixed resistors, this will improve stability and avoid mistakes.
Good idea for the resistors. I have to check if I find a suitable fixed value. I fear less the winter because the box is partly covered by a small roof. Summer is probably more dangerous
A lot of good advice. Must have one of the Bosch toys! You are so right about Chinese ratings. I fried three cheap processor boards because the onboard 12v regulator couldn’t handle anywhere near 12v. You would think I would have guessed after the second...!
Sunday morning and here's andreas, accurate like a Swiss clock. Helpful tips for an upcoming Christmas lights project that needs outside components. Thanks !
Marine grade shrink tubing is also useful as it has meltable glue on the inner surface which then weather seals the ends, great for outdoor antenna cables and power accessories like polarity switches etc. Thanks for sharing Andreas! 73 - Dino KLØS
Awesome Video! Just my two cents that I have been using magnets to mount my projects and my experience has been promising. We even use them in harsh mining environment! Of course you need a higher end one for that.
Good point. I love magnets since they were used the first time by Steve Jobs to close the IPad lid. And I have a few stong around. Much easier than this Velcro.
Very informative video as usual. Have you considered using slotted trunking to tidy up the cabling? Also I have used Pflitsch Uni Split cable glands at work which allow cables with pre-moulded connectors to be easily routed into an enclosure or cabinet. As an example they have a rubber insert that allows for 4 x Cat6 cables to be routed through one M25 gland. They are expensive but save time.
These Pflitsch Uni Split seem to be a good solution. I did not know them. But really they are very expensive for makers :-( So far I was not too concerned with tidy up the cabling. Maybe when everything is sorted out and I remove the power poles and replace them with fixed cabling.
Hi Andreas, as usual another excellent video. In addition just a hint from my experiance : Glue over time changes it's "electric specifications". In my previous job I had several repairs because of "layout repair wires" glued to a PCB. It can start already after a year but it could as well take several years until it will either dissolve the coating of the PCB, change it's conductivity to "conductive" or even worse : both ... So it dissolves the protective coating of the PCB and get's conductive. Especially in HF or low energy ( CMOS ) applications this will get a serious problem. Or in other words : If you are going for a long term solution don't use glue on PCB/electrical connections. For the wire ferrules the color is not really standard, it's mainly up to the manufacturing company, it's just an indication for same size within a batch. Refering to the metal mounting plate you did mention, there are mounting plates with holes for electrical installations which might be an option for you ( for example www.antennenland.net/Montageplatten - a google search for "Lochblech Montageplatte" will show quite a bunch ), the benefit of an metal plate is quite obvious : If grounded it's a barrier for electrical signals. In addition I want to add that there are special versions of those cable screws that allow for example RJ45 plugs to pass through even if the whole would usually be to small (there's a cut out with the shape of the plug), some do have the sealing rubber split to be able to put it on cables where the plug is already mounted. I have seen such things for garage door openers, surviallance camers and other stuff where it's needed to have pre build cables to be water proof mounted to something. ( www.icotek.com/de/produkte/kabelverschraubungen or www.ute.de/produkte/kabel-adapter/wasserdichte-kabel-buchsen-und-stecker/wasserdichte-cat5e-cat6-rj45-steckverbinder-kabel/wasserdichte-cat5e-stecker-und-buchsen/nti-rj45-5ewtp-cb-ua.html ) Cheers from across the border.
When I researched color ferrules I found two standards. IIRC one was primarily used for most of EU and the other primarily for Germany. I think it was the EU standard that used colors for size, while the German standard was entirely different. And of course you can find ferrules that conform to no standard, but those would not be acceptable for inspected work.
Thanks for the tip and links for the "Lochblech Montageplatte". I did not know they exist. Concerning the gland: Another viewer also mentioned them. They are a good idea, but unfortunately very expensive for a Maker. So I probably will stick with the standard ones :-(
Grüẞ Gott Andreas. Gutes Neues Jahr! ... Don't forget heatshrink as a better way to make smaller diameter cables fit larger glands. One, two or more consecutive heatshrink sleeves make for a better waterproof (and less messy long term) seal inside cable glands. Tshüẞ.
Ebenfalls Frohes Neues Jahr! You are right. Unfortunately you still have to remove the connector to add those tubes. Then you can also use a smaller gland. Tape could maybe an alternative.
@@AndreasSpiess sometimes I have used 3:1 polyolefin heatshrink - you get extra diameter to fit over connectors but it shrinks to a much smaller diameter! But you are right, pre-made cables are great but a pain for custom fitting sometimes! The worst is when they are just 0.2mm too large ... Close, but no cigar! 🤔🙄😆 [Edit] forgot to say also, if tape is a must, always have a small roll of self amalgamating tape handy - bonds to itself and forms a perfect watertight seal! www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Self-Amalgamating-Tape-Waterproof-Insulating-Bonding-Seal-Rubber-Repair-/274231822787?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
This is a great video, lots of useful tips. I doubt I will build something so big or a satellite ground station but I learned a lot that can be applied to smaller projects.
Well done, as always! However, when choosing a plastic container material for long term projects, pay attention to the aging of polymers due to UV exposure. Some plastics “burn out” and break down rather quickly, sometimes within months, especially those that have been recycled. I also suggest to add a pack of desiccant (silica gel), just in case :) And you can always use good old "Zaponlack" to cover the components as well. It's probably the cheapet way to protect PCBs, but it's hard to re-solder if needed after Zaponlack is applied. All old military-grade USSR-era PCBs, as well as gun ammo is covered by Zaponlack.
You are right with the UV. I do not hope for a too long live (and we do not have plenty of sun where I live). For the moment I did not add silica. But I have a 500g bag if needed. I will watch the humidity.
@@AndreasSpiess 500g is a big bag :) It will be fine with a way smaller bags. In the end, in such projects It will all depends of temperature/moisture inside and outside the container, the "dew point", and the air float. To actually cool the devices in such plastic cases, it needs some airflow with a lower air temp from outside (since it is a plastic capsule). More convection - more cold air sucks from outside, colder air brings more humidity. So it is a question of balance, and even If the device will produce enough heat, that humidity must go (vaporise) somewhere, or to condensate on some colder surface. Anyway, the project is great, and it is always a pleasure to see your projects and hear your marvelous accent ;)
Nice, you always find something that is useful, like "watertight heat shrink tubes with solder". I know that it exist a similar watertight tubes but with crimp only. The latter is often recommended among yachting people, i.e in a saltwater boat environment. I wonder which is most reliable over time, solder or crimp only?
Unfortunately I do not own a yacht. And we have no salt water lakes. So I never will know it. Maybe some other viewers know more? I think the product is rather new. So maybe not a lot of experience exists.
I'm a bit spoiled by oscilloscopes that fit in my pocket(I didn't say good oscilloscopes) so I think my projects should be tiny. Thank you for showing me there is no shame in a bigger case.
Many great ideas in this video, yet another little gem from Andreas. Thanks a lot and keep up the brilliant work! Greetings to Switzerland from the not-so-far east (Austria)!
I love andersen powerpoles, but I think for this I'd have used a few WAGO connectors. Good luck with the enclosure. I've had so many outdoor projects fail that I'm not sure any more that there is a long-term solution. I've found grease in all the connectors to be vital in preventing electrolytic corrosion when condensation forms. Need to use a grease with a higher melting point than your project will survive and then use solvent to make it flow and dip the connector. When the solvent evaporates you have a nicely greased connector. Another technique I am trying now is to use oil and wax and heat (or maybe solvent). It needs a very small amount of a soft wax to avoid becoming an insulator for signal and low-pressure contacts. Purified bees wax and mineral oil seems to work well, is food safe, and safe for most plastics used in electronics. Don't dip potentiometers or variable capacitors! But feel free to use in the kitchen on wooden knife handles and cutting boards. :)
Unfortunately I did not have such big WAGO connectors. But a few are on order now... Concerning contact protection: They sell a spray for that purpose, but I do not know what's in. I guess not "food grade" as you solution ;-)
@@AndreasSpiess :) I've not had good luck with CRCs terminal protection spray on signal connections (like RJ-45 ethernet and similar). It never penetrated into all the little nooks and crannies and consequently moisture found places for corrosion to begin.
Hi Andreas, I really enjoyed the build video. With a lot of the build discussion being around supplying power to the project I would like an objective opinion from you: I use pc power supplies for a lot other than pc's. They provide the voltages needed, the current needed and are an all in one box solution for a mains powered supply for a project. They are freely available and dirt cheap. What am I doing wrong by using this route to power my projects? You can roast me on this one, and maybe I have offended you by suggesting this. I hope not, as I see pc power supplies as a parallel universe to projects requiring 24, 12, 5, 3.3V, etc? But, one should not scorn on others in the community. What works for the maker is good. And I respect that. Kind regards, Duncan
I never looked at them so far. But for sure they are a good choice for higher power projects. This project is one of the first needing mor power than a few watts. It also should be easy do switch them on and off.
as always, amazing video. Why do I see your videos even if I know I don't have the use case at all (in this case, living in a Paris flat, satellites aren't an option ;-) ? Because your videos are full of neat tips & tricks, tools and methods valuable in other use cases. So i know I'll learn something, and I did. Kudos, and keep the good work!
Thank you! I never know when I can use the things I learn. Quite often it happened that I remembered something useful much later. And learning is part of my curiosity which is an important part of my life.
The Powerpole connectors are a very good hint, especially with the fused distributor. It had improved many projects, if I knew them before. Something in return: Often an outdoor enclosure should not only be weather proof, but also portable. Your box might not be stirdy enough for rough transport. Also, if the case bends easily, it is difficult to attach components on the inside without too much stress. I am very happy with Peli cases or Peli case clones, depending on the required level of quality. I've glued (with epoxy) DIN rails (for power installation - you find many PSUs and adapters for "smart home" projects with arduino or Raspi) to the inside in the past, which further strengthens them. You can drill a couple of holes into them and, if you take a series of outdoor connectors that uses the same hole diameter for different connections, you get a versatile platform for various projects. If heat is a concern, look for military surplus cases, made of aluminium, on ebay. Some are ready for 19" rack usage, if that is your thing.
I looked at those sturdy cases and nearly went with one. But because I wanted to have a big one the price difference was very high. And because I do not plan a mobile usage I decided to go with the cheaper solution. Good to know that they can be extended with accessories. I also looked for military boxes, but here they seem to be collectables and very expensive. And they cannot easily be shipped over distance :-(
7:32 Have you considered something that's very popular across factory made audio amplifiers with remote control? One big transformer, bridge rectifier, and voltage regulator for RF part and second, separate tiny transformer for RC part? 2$ chinese module does the job, trafo, big capacitor and bridge rectifier can be easily re-used in your new projects once your friend comes back :) I believe DIY power supply without buck converter noise is valuable project by itself and more viewers will be happy to see such ;) Best regards!
You are right. Linear power supplies are less noisy but usually bigger, heavier, and more expensive. This is why I usually start with a switcher and, if I have problems, go with a linear supply.
@@AndreasSpiess Yeah, I like the color codes so I can see which size it is. For when they are on the table or in a tray which might get mixed etc. And use you're used to it you can grab the correct one quick. But I don't mind others having a different system :)
This is one area i did quite a few things. Try resin potting the whole thing and also using silicone. Clear lacquer and u will find dielectric disturbance is negligible. But this is rf.. so be careful. U can get special resin for this if u want
Wow! This is s wealth of information with so many interesting ideas. I found useful the way you protect the components from moisture and humidity, adding a humidity and temperature sensor, the power distribution, the ip68 cable pass throughs...and everything else. Thank you so much. I was just wondering if super corona dope would be an alternative to protect the circuit boards. I've also seen "Great Scott!" use silicon as an alternative (I haven't tried it). I wonder what's more practical: I will try your method. :)
Thank you for your nice words. So far I did not want to pot the parts and hope, the box will do. But I am not sure. This is why I added a humidity sensor...
There are also XT30 connectors (rated for 30A instead of 60A for XT60), they are much smaller and cheaper than XT60. I'm using XT30 wherever I can, only downside I found is that they require power to disconnect them so in some cases It is hard to disconnect them without damaging smaller things (e.g. on double sided tape)
Thanks for the hint. I did not know them. The power poles definitively are better to remove because they are longer. But this is probably not so important for RC planes...
@@AndreasSpiess XT30 (standard version for wire) can also be mounted on universal PCB drilling 2 larger holes, it is quite easy and both pins can be soldered to 3 pads each so it is robust. BTW there are also XT90 (90A), no spark version (I never tested them), 3pin version, and recently I saw XT150 which are different because they are single pin and I think they can be stacked to make multi pin connector (didn't test them)
Great video! Thank you for sharing links to all the parts you used. Electrical tape may be the better solution but, I always dislike dealing with the sticky residue especially after it has been very warm. Have you considered using the hot glue inside heat shrink, picking the post shrink diameter that was the right size for your cord grip sealing glands inside diameter? Thank you again for making such detailed helpful videos!
This video contains so many interesting little bits of information. Last year I made my own such project and it was hard to find some decent do's and don'ts on youtube. This video fills that gap. Did you add any fuses or current limiting components to the project? Humidity or a short in the fan might cause a short circuit.
Great Minds think in common. I actually have most of the tool you mention at hand. Some day I hope to have a 3D Printer. Guess it would be handy knowing how to use one ? LOL
Hello pulesjet, Hey, Creality is almost GIVING away the Ender 3 (v1). I bought a 2nd one for less than $US 170.00 and received it in less than 3 weeks. If interested, message me and I'll find the link for that price.
Have you had good experience with the solder shrink tube? I was always taught to push the end of wires into each other. Then twist the ends in opposing direction before applying solder, for a good mechanical connection to support the electrical one. So I saw these but often wondered about the longevity of the connection with the cable just laying next to each other in the connection, only joined by solder.
You gan push the cable strands that they overlap. And it depends of course on the purpose. If you need only a few amperes they are ok I think. My wires will also not move inside the case. Otherwise crimping would be better.
Thanks for getting back to me so quick Andreas. I'm sure you are right, and for the majority of my maker projects they will be fine. I will give them a try. Great content, I have been watching for over a year now. I enjoy the editing, and approach. With the intro, demo and follow up. Keep it up!
Thanks I learned a few things thanks. two items to consider 1) Is an order in which power must be applied or removed? This has been a big problem in my personal and professional designs. Start up and shut down is always a problem. 2) If battery driven how to shut off one of the power domains to save batter capacity
Very good point. In my project I had to pay attention between the Pluto and the GPSDO. And I am still not sure if I have to change that and switch the Pluto later that it has a stable clock before it starts. I can only add an additional relay in my setup to achieve that. Concerning shut-off: Maybe you saw my video about the "Superpower" project. There we have to deals with that for the Pi board.
@@AndreasSpiess Can be found on some places but not as common. Amazon revieled it quickly to have www.amazon.co.uk/sourcing-map-Shrink-150mm-Width/dp/B082B3JPWN/ But i have seen it on other places. Or Uk for us EU guys :) www.ebay.com/itm/PVC-Heat-Shrink-Tubing-Wrap-RC-Battery-Pack-17mm-150mm-LiPO-NiMH-NiCd-UK/361275492238
8:33 additionally this is the right thing to do with flexible wires in screw terminals, as flexible wires can loosen or break off with time, and adding solder to them is wrong. The screw will push the solder flat over time, and thus will no longer work as intended, resulting in a loose connection. One more thing: Wires conduct electricity as well as humidity via the capillary effect, and via the pressure differences created by heating and cooling in the casing. Every connection that has open wiring somewhere must be perfectly sealed against ingress of humidity too, if you absolutely have to avoid humidity in your project. There are special membranes that allow your casing to breathe while not letting through water, minimizing the pressure difference problems.
Making every thing tight to fighting humidity? Its a fight that you loose every single time! In a UBoat you see immediately where water comes in... in a pojectbox you will never find out. Even when you make every cable tight, one of the overseen problems: The humidity that is already in the box, e.g. if you open the box on a warm summer day there is enought humidity inside to condensate when themprature goes down 10°. Obey a simple rule: "If Humidity comes in, Humidity must have a way out" and its fine. For some applications a almost zero humidity is needed, but those are put into a sealed steel box and have some not so cheap "Membran" Devices to suck the humidity out. But for projects like this, there is no real need for that effort, if the humidity is not higher than in your rooms it is ok. To archive this you simple let the humidity in and out (let your box breath), keeping the hummidity inside lower than outside is simple done by the power dissipation of the content (Its like like a real fight... avoid the fight and you can't loos :) ). E. g. (for the size of this project) drill hole with arround 1cm to 2 cm into the bottom of the box, and glue a 5 cm long pipe (as a water trap) with a fine grill (to avoid insects and break high winds) on the outer side. Keep the box tight the hole should be the only place where air comes in and out, just to keep it simple. There are many other "designs", even some that dont need any heating inside the box or allow cooling by exchange air... and yes this is a real sience, you can spend decades of you life.
There is an awesome bigclivedotcom video on active (magic) solid state humidity pumps that you just apply 3 volts and they create a molecular water pump. For very little energy your enclosure can remain dry as you want. Just don't overvolt or reverse polarity on them :D Edit: link ua-cam.com/video/Vabq-s62IVM/v-deo.html
I have my eye on those membranes for an automation application for agriculture. So far I have been trying to gather info, and checked the gore-tex membranes for automotive. If anyone has first hand experience on them, that would be much appreciated. Thanks for the video, btw.
What was your setup on the power socket side of the power cable ? I can see how the IP68 cable pass through are handling the waterproof requirement on the box side but I'm wondering how best to handle it on the power socket side. I do have IP5x (ou 6x not sure) power sockets on my balcony and I'm under the impression that these loose their IP characteristic as soon as you plug something to it (as the cover is no longer on the socket).
Nice build. But I'm still worried about moist. Moist is very hard to keep out: during the day, the box heats up. The inside air pressure will rise and air might leak out. During the night it cools down and it might suck in cold, moist air. The moist can condensate inside the box. A lot of commercial outside enclosures have a small hole at the bottom that allows for the condense water to leak out and to keep pressures equalized. I'm not suggesting you should drill a hole, because you spent good effort in making it waterproof. Rather, drop in some large silica sachets and keep a close eye to it. You can easily add a condensate water detector at the bottom end of one of the four wood panel support legs. You can wire that in at the Tasmota. The water leak hole can always be drilled afterwards, if needed. After installing and before closing this box, spray the mating surface of the lid with silicone spray. That stuff repels water and will provide for a better seal. It also helps against car doors freezing shut, in winter. Very interesting project. Please keep us informed about this box. I'm very curious what the outside weather will do to the inside climate. Will it be freezing inside, in winter? Will it overheat when it's in direct sunlight? And what will the relative humidity do?
You saw that I am also not sure about humidity. That is the reason for the humidity sensor. I have a gateway out on the roof for about 2 years now and so far no problems the bag with silica bought forbid still is in the lab...
I really like the price and selection of translucent storage boxes from the local hardware store for outdoor projects. However, in California, sunlight will degrade the plastic making it crack-prone in less than 2 years. Perhaps this is a feature not a bug in terms of planned obsolescence.
I do things just like this, but a lot worse! I start with a case that is too small, then poorly, permanently solder all the parts together only to realize later that i need to change something out. Having a good assortment of connectors handy is an understatement. Whether power, or data, doesn't matter, you want stuff to be modular, fixed in place, but not permanent.
Those buck converters get hot ..... also, power supply’s chuck out a lot of RF noise. They may need to have some sort of filtering, have you noticed any distortion in your radio?.
You are right and below 30 MHz it is for sure dangerous. This is why I proposed a metal sheet and ferrite beads. This project works on very high frequencies. So the interferences are smaller.
Sealing a box against water ingress is best done by drilling a small hole. In an air tight box the air will expans and pressure will rise because of the heat dissipated inside. This will force the air out. Then at some point pressure will drop when the internal temperature will fall. This will suck (damp) air in from the outside. Small pressure differences are okay, but the bigger the temperature swing, the higher the pressure difference and the more likely the seal will break at some point. The breathing of the box will have condensate build up in the box. A small breather hole, or the professional solution a labyrinth or goretex plug will overcome this. So a 3mm hole in the bottom will do.
A note on switchmode power supplies. Many provide an output-enable terminal and some a low voltage, always on power supply with milliamp capacity. They could reduce the component count, powering the microcontroller that controls the PSU output.
That would have been a very good feature (actually I would need >100mA for the ESP) and would have saved the relay. I have to have an eye on this feature when I buy new ones.
There's always some water vapour in the air, and it will condensate at certain temperature. There will be small pressure differences between outside air and inside the box, which can move air in and out. Sometimes it's best to have well ventilated case with drain holes for water at the bottom, if a gas tight case isn't possible choice. Nitrogen filled gas tight cases and cables are used in some applications. I don't have much experience in this area, but I think water tight case can be the riskiest choice, since it keeps the condensated water in but never lets it out. I'm not judging Andreas' choice here, he can manage the situation if he sees condensation problems. Time will tell whether anything occurs.
Based on my HAM experience with DIY VHF-UHF antennas and HF baluns, it can be useful to drill a small (1...2 mm) hole into the lowest part of the case. Humidity finds it's way into the box for sure, a small draining hole helps to get rid condensed water but doesn't affect rest of the box much.
Air trapped in the box during assembly contains already some humidity. When temperature drop, it can cause condensation. I wonder if silica gel could help with that?
May be that would be a mistake but instead of trying to keep the box watertight I would ventilate it so that humidity can get out. IMO, it is impossible to keep it completely out in the first instance, for a start you get condensation when it is cold.
I am also not sure. This is why I included a humidity sensor. I have a gateway with a very tight case and it is ok for the last 2 years or so. Switzerland ia also not very humid.
I think the better choice of words here would have been "...makers are typically not concerned with Aesthetics [ or esthetics]". But no matter, Andreas always comes thru with the great technical content! :)
Just another recommendation from me -- if you need Lab Power supply for 3 main voltages( +12V, +5V, +3.3V) and high current output capabilities -- go ahead and buy ... computer PSU. Yes, regular computer PSU is the best and cheapest option to get quality powerful lab PSU with the most frequently used voltages in electronics and electronics DIY. And everything is provided in one "tiny" box. :) Chinease guys have learned from makers about this opportunity, so you already can buy tiny boards with regular terminals for these voltages( e.g. bananas or screw-in) that you connect to regular ATX cables( those that you plug to your mother board). I hope this will be helpful.
This is a good idea. So far I never used one of those because I usually do not need a lot of power on 3 or 3.3 volts. But maybe I will use one the old one sitting in my lab somewhere...
The big transparent boxes are a pain, at least the ones I've got in the UK. They degrade with sunlight and become brittle in just a couple of months and because they need to flex a bit to take the lid off, it just breaks. :(
This. I replace an outdoor enclosure made from a cheap storage bin every year due to sun exposure. Spraying with a UV clear coat (like Krylon brand) helps some.
Not sure about the UV resistance of the plastic in these boxes.. SOME of them, I have seen disintegrate in a fairly short time, there are, I think, some UV-resistant paints, and also UV-resistant clear film, that is used to cover car paint jobs. You could glue some copper sheet to the wood. For safety, and protection from the elements, perhaps use a 32-V -48 V power supply located at a mains outlet, and run that 32-48 V to the box, so that you have a 'safe' voltage on every part of the project that is in the box. The are may quite good buck converters to get the 32 V to 24 V, but follow them with appropriate LC filtering for your RF PA. Personally, I would prefer to run the fan at a lower temperature, or, if possible, to run it at variable speed (although some fans depend on RPM to make the bearings work ;-) ) COOLER IS ALWAYS BETTER. Possibly, run your 5 V supply from Li battery/cell, so that all power coming into the box can be switched off, but the 5 V can run for some days on battery...if you are doing 'smart' switching, you could even switch main power back on from time to time, to recharge the battery. Having all power off, and isolated from mains, and 'ground', should also alleviate most of the potential (pun) for corrosion. What is the thermal resistance of the heat-shrink material? Will it cause any issue for the SMPS? The automotive connectors may not be pretty, but the ones from European or North American suppliers are totally reliable; they have to be, to meet automotive quality standards. Interesting project, good discussion of the issues, and subjects which always have a plethora of possibilities for solutions! Viele freundlichen Grüßen!
Thank you for sharing your experience! As said, I expected a lot of additions from my viewers. This is a big part of the value of this channel, I think! Concerning the thermal resistance of the heat shrink tube: It is for sure not high. But those switchers also do not produce a lot of heat.
No mid roll ads I salute you 🙏
Glad you recognize it.
@@AndreasSpiess and I learned some interesting things in this video 👍
Hi Andreas,
I just wanted to write a few words to one of my favourite UA-camrs. You, along with Great Scott and Ralph S Bacon, have been absolutely wonderful in helping me get through lockdown here in Melbourne, Australia, by introducing me to a new hobby with your expertise and sense of humour. I have had quite the backlog of videos to watch, and still have many more to catch up on.
I'm a programmer by trade, but had never had much to do with hardware and electronics until recently. Three months ago I owned a crappy soldering iron and not much more. Now, with a lot of help from you and the others mentioned above, I've completed a heap of projects, have quite a collection of dev boards and associated sensors and accessories, and even bought myself an oscilloscope, and built a 3D printer. I think my transformation to 'total geek' is just about complete! :)
I am signing up to Patreon now so that I can give something back to you. Keep up the good work!
Cheers,
The Guy With The Aussie Accent.
PS Say hi To Dishka for me!
I am happy to read this comment. Such stories help to overcome some not so productive periods every creator has. And thank you for your Patreon support!
Thank you for the practical ideas. Also very much appreciated that you still leave out the ads!!
Thanks. I still do not like mid-roll ads. So I do not support them.
12:27 Those heat shrink tubes with the solder in the middle are awesome. I'd never seen anything like them.
Lotsa notes written down from this video. Thank you sir!
Glad it was useful!
Not just your videos are great, also you attract a really well qualified group of viewers who contribute even more good content via the comments. Thanks Andreas.
That is what I am most proud of, actually. My very knowledgeable viewer community!
Good video that covers many aspects.
Those in warmer climates would be aware of the temperature rise of any box in the summer will terminate most consumer electronics within weeks. A simple workaround is to put a simple shade roof over the box, spaced to permit free air movement. The roof gets very hot and promotes convection around the box so that it doesn't get much warmer than surrounding air.
Of course there are issues with wildlife everywhere! Even the bipedal! Choose the site accordingly!
Also, sunlight will rapidly degrade plastics without UV stabilisers. Choose enclosures according to the environment in which they will operate.
Of course you are right with the sun protection. For the next 8 month I do not care too much about it where I live. Time to find a solution...
Wildlife also is not an issue here (unfortunately we killed or banned a lot of it).
Tip: Whenever you use hot glue preheat the components until they feel hot. Glue then flows very good and bonds much better.
I use hot glue quite often and I had never thought about this. Excellent tip, I will try that!
Thanks! Great tip
Thank you for this tip!
Nice 👍
Technical solution, easy, smart. lean and highly value generating fucused. Thanks Andreas🙏🏾
Thank you for your nice words!
agreed
I always use "clear protective lacquer" on the boards of outdoor projects, even if i use a tight box. When i access the box in a moist environment, water somehow gets to the components and to prevent corrosion it is a great addition, imo.
Thanks for this tip. I once planned a video on the topic (after my humidity sensors). But it never made it on the top priority.
There is something called CPC, clear protective coating, and I've used this for years protecting boards in the worst environments. I think it is just a spray lacquer as you mention. If you can orient a box, make sure it has a drain hole. Most problems I have seen is that not that moisture can get in, but has no way to get out.
Thanks to you Andreas, I learned all about these AM-Sat Projects and a ton of RF and LoRa related technologies. Look forward to tinkering with this next.
You are welcome!
Lots of information that is essential and can save you $$$ and problems/troubleshooting...etc! Thank you very much!!!
You are welcome!
I'm back. A lot of interesting videos to watch. Thanks .
Welcome back!
Nice to see another QO-100 related video. Thank you for such a wealth of practical tips.
This time if was not a lot about the QO-100...
Yes, thank you for the weatherizing tips and another quality video. The moisture removing silica descant packets frequently found in pharmacy bottles can be useful for small boxes. Even the bottles themselves can be used for smaller board/battery projects. Another idea: I have been using 1-1/2" black PVC pipes to contain my PIR sensors/433 MHz transmitter/Battery combinations. The sensor faces out one end and is mounted inside a matching PVC pipe test cap with the knockout removed to fit the PIR sensor. The PIR is sealed into the test cap with silicon caulking. Another test cap (retaining the knockout this time) is fitted in the other end. The nice thing about using the PVC pipe is that plastic gimbled mounting brackets can be glued right to the side of the pipe. The entire assembly is then mounted under the eves pointing at every outside door and window location (six of them). One receiver is indoors and collects/decodes all the 'alarm' signals. All the materials were very inexpensive, though it took me years to build.
Good idea with the plastic pipes. They are very cheap and you get them in different sizes. Once I planned to put a silica packet in my gateway and bought 500g. But so far it was not necessary.
Andreas, you're the MAN!
:-))
@@AndreasSpiess Man has also being prohibited.
The wealth of your experience and knowledge is beautiful Andreas! Thank you for so many details and learning from you is fun! Thank you very much again!
You are welcome!
Needed this video today...thank you, Mr. Swiss Accent :). I must confess, I am green with envy. Your workshop, supplies, and logical organizational of parts is what is on my hokey pokey ‘vision board’. You’re awesome 😎
Thank you! I also try to be "greenish". But more on the "big tickets" like flying, heating, and using a car...
great tips, thank you!
You're so welcome!
yes, cheers
Greetings Andre from Colorado, much appreciated ideas for rebutted SMA cables. The PW-8 connectors of 3 antennas was the "complete enchilada" to address weather ingress/degress risks. Just been staring at it and then remembered your tips & and tools segments you've featured in some of your feeds over the years I have been a subscriber and supporter....thanks!
Glad you go back to the earlier videos. The sometimes are useful even for me ;-)
Excellent
Thank you!
you can use aluminium foil on the wooden plank and connect it to ground.
This way you can mitigated some radio frequentie noise of the powers supply side, getting to the rest of the circuit.
Good idea. And a cheap alternative!
I used urethane conformal coating on electronic components. You can get spray on, but I prefer the brush on. I also use marine grade heat shrink tubing in some applications. It has a heat activated glue inside the tubing. It melts and coats what you’re using it on. Forget about getting it off, but for things where that’s not an issue, it works great.
Conformal coating is a good thing. So far I hope I will not need it inside my box. But it is a last resort ;-)
I also have such tubes with glue. I did not know they come from the marine. Mine are quite stiff and not transparent.
Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge and testing! I once used containers similar to that to try to keep 3D printer filament dry. Even with a large amount of desiccant in the container, the humidity seeped in and equalized with the environment. I then tried 5 gallon buckets (very cheap and common in the US) along with removable sealable lids. They have worked much better. With 8 ounces of desiccant in the bottom, the humidity inside has been maintained < 15% for over a year even with numerous cracking of the seal to obtain filament.
Interesting idea those 5 gallon buckets. I assume they have to be tight because they are often used for colors an other chemicals which react with humidity.
Very useful tips as always. Thanks for sharing. BTW: you can fill those heatshrink tubes all over with hot glue and even cover the PCBs all over with the glue. Try what happens if "Spiritus" touches the glue... It will peel off without any residues like a charm. Very useful
Good tip with the spiritus. I will use it next time I want to remove hot glue.
Nice video as always. I Hope you make a followup after the winther on how well your box survived.
A tip is to replace the trimmers on your Buck converters with fixed resistors, this will improve stability and avoid mistakes.
Good idea for the resistors. I have to check if I find a suitable fixed value. I fear less the winter because the box is partly covered by a small roof. Summer is probably more dangerous
A lot of good advice. Must have one of the Bosch toys! You are so right about Chinese ratings. I fried three cheap processor boards because the onboard 12v regulator couldn’t handle anywhere near 12v. You would think I would have guessed after the second...!
Many Chinese boards are ok. Power supply and batteries seem to be a special case where I pay more attention.
I can't remember seeing a video with so many good tips in it, thanks.
Glad you liked it!
It's such a pleasure to watch your content, thank you :)
Glad you like it!
Sunday morning and here's andreas, accurate like a Swiss clock.
Helpful tips for an upcoming Christmas lights project that needs outside components. Thanks !
Good Point! I did not think at Christmas yet. Maybe because Christmas is nearly everyday for me!
@@AndreasSpiess You get mailbags almost daily ?? A TToT (Treasure Trove of Tips) indeed, thanks Herr Spiess !!
Very good! Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Marine grade shrink tubing is also useful as it has meltable glue on the inner surface which then weather seals the ends, great for outdoor antenna cables and power accessories like polarity switches etc. Thanks for sharing Andreas! 73 - Dino KLØS
I have some stiff tubes with glue. But so far I did not use them often. I have to keep them in mind next time... 73 de HB9BLA
Most of the car connector have a shrinking tube plastic.. 8:31
Thanks for sharing your big knowledge
So I just have the wrong ones. I have to check and orde those...
Awesome Video!
Just my two cents that I have been using magnets to mount my projects and my experience has been promising.
We even use them in harsh mining environment! Of course you need a higher end one for that.
Good point. I love magnets since they were used the first time by Steve Jobs to close the IPad lid. And I have a few stong around. Much easier than this Velcro.
"Did you find something interesting?" Lol, of course, every single minute of this video is useful. Good work, thanks and carry on!
Glad you enjoyed!
Very useful: I had no idea what ferrite beads were called or why they were attached to some of my power cables. Thank you!
Glad I could help!
Danke für das tolle Video!!! This is great!!!!
Glad you like it!
Just FYI, I disabled ad blocking just for your video :) Your videos mean that much to me! 🎁
Thank you for your support!
i like watching your tutorials even if i am not interesting in the topic it self ,great job
Good for my statistics. Thank you!
Those temperature switches look eminently useful! I need to buy a few of those... :)
They are very useful and simple to use.
Very informative video as usual. Have you considered using slotted trunking to tidy up the cabling? Also I have used Pflitsch Uni Split cable glands at work which allow cables with pre-moulded connectors to be easily routed into an enclosure or cabinet. As an example they have a rubber insert that allows for 4 x Cat6 cables to be routed through one M25 gland. They are expensive but save time.
These Pflitsch Uni Split seem to be a good solution. I did not know them. But really they are very expensive for makers :-(
So far I was not too concerned with tidy up the cabling. Maybe when everything is sorted out and I remove the power poles and replace them with fixed cabling.
Thanks for everthing
You are welcome!
Hi Andreas, as usual another excellent video. In addition just a hint from my experiance : Glue over time changes it's "electric specifications". In my previous job I had several repairs because of "layout repair wires" glued to a PCB. It can start already after a year but it could as well take several years until it will either dissolve the coating of the PCB, change it's conductivity to "conductive" or even worse : both ... So it dissolves the protective coating of the PCB and get's conductive. Especially in HF or low energy ( CMOS ) applications this will get a serious problem.
Or in other words : If you are going for a long term solution don't use glue on PCB/electrical connections.
For the wire ferrules the color is not really standard, it's mainly up to the manufacturing company, it's just an indication for same size within a batch.
Refering to the metal mounting plate you did mention, there are mounting plates with holes for electrical installations which might be an option for you ( for example www.antennenland.net/Montageplatten - a google search for "Lochblech Montageplatte" will show quite a bunch ), the benefit of an metal plate is quite obvious : If grounded it's a barrier for electrical signals.
In addition I want to add that there are special versions of those cable screws that allow for example RJ45 plugs to pass through even if the whole would usually be to small (there's a cut out with the shape of the plug), some do have the sealing rubber split to be able to put it on cables where the plug is already mounted. I have seen such things for garage door openers, surviallance camers and other stuff where it's needed to have pre build cables to be water proof mounted to something. ( www.icotek.com/de/produkte/kabelverschraubungen or www.ute.de/produkte/kabel-adapter/wasserdichte-kabel-buchsen-und-stecker/wasserdichte-cat5e-cat6-rj45-steckverbinder-kabel/wasserdichte-cat5e-stecker-und-buchsen/nti-rj45-5ewtp-cb-ua.html )
Cheers from across the border.
When I researched color ferrules I found two standards. IIRC one was primarily used for most of EU and the other primarily for Germany. I think it was the EU standard that used colors for size, while the German standard was entirely different. And of course you can find ferrules that conform to no standard, but those would not be acceptable for inspected work.
Thanks for the tip and links for the "Lochblech Montageplatte". I did not know they exist. Concerning the gland: Another viewer also mentioned them. They are a good idea, but unfortunately very expensive for a Maker. So I probably will stick with the standard ones :-(
Grüẞ Gott Andreas. Gutes Neues Jahr! ... Don't forget heatshrink as a better way to make smaller diameter cables fit larger glands. One, two or more consecutive heatshrink sleeves make for a better waterproof (and less messy long term) seal inside cable glands.
Tshüẞ.
Ebenfalls Frohes Neues Jahr! You are right. Unfortunately you still have to remove the connector to add those tubes. Then you can also use a smaller gland. Tape could maybe an alternative.
@@AndreasSpiess sometimes I have used 3:1 polyolefin heatshrink - you get extra diameter to fit over connectors but it shrinks to a much smaller diameter! But you are right, pre-made cables are great but a pain for custom fitting sometimes! The worst is when they are just 0.2mm too large ... Close, but no cigar! 🤔🙄😆
[Edit] forgot to say also, if tape is a must, always have a small roll of self amalgamating tape handy - bonds to itself and forms a perfect watertight seal!
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Self-Amalgamating-Tape-Waterproof-Insulating-Bonding-Seal-Rubber-Repair-/274231822787?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
The video has brought me many new ideas that will help me with my own projects, thank you ver much.
You are welcome!
This is a great video, lots of useful tips. I doubt I will build something so big or a satellite ground station but I learned a lot that can be applied to smaller projects.
That’s what intended with the video... so I am glad it helps.
Well done, as always! However, when choosing a plastic container material for long term projects, pay attention to the aging of polymers due to UV exposure. Some plastics “burn out” and break down rather quickly, sometimes within months, especially those that have been recycled. I also suggest to add a pack of desiccant (silica gel), just in case :)
And you can always use good old "Zaponlack" to cover the components as well. It's probably the cheapet way to protect PCBs, but it's hard to re-solder if needed after Zaponlack is applied. All old military-grade USSR-era PCBs, as well as gun ammo is covered by Zaponlack.
You are right with the UV. I do not hope for a too long live (and we do not have plenty of sun where I live). For the moment I did not add silica. But I have a 500g bag if needed. I will watch the humidity.
@@AndreasSpiess 500g is a big bag :) It will be fine with a way smaller bags. In the end, in such projects It will all depends of temperature/moisture inside and outside the container, the "dew point", and the air float. To actually cool the devices in such plastic cases, it needs some airflow with a lower air temp from outside (since it is a plastic capsule). More convection - more cold air sucks from outside, colder air brings more humidity. So it is a question of balance, and even If the device will produce enough heat, that humidity must go (vaporise) somewhere, or to condensate on some colder surface.
Anyway, the project is great, and it is always a pleasure to see your projects and hear your marvelous accent ;)
Great ingenuity !
Thank you!
Nice, you always find something that is useful, like "watertight heat shrink tubes with solder". I know that it exist a similar watertight tubes but with crimp only. The latter is often recommended among yachting people, i.e in a saltwater boat environment. I wonder which is most reliable over time, solder or crimp only?
Unfortunately I do not own a yacht. And we have no salt water lakes. So I never will know it.
Maybe some other viewers know more? I think the product is rather new. So maybe not a lot of experience exists.
I love the way you say "catastrophe"
:-)
Excellent content, very instructive.
Glad you liked it!
I'm a bit spoiled by oscilloscopes that fit in my pocket(I didn't say good oscilloscopes) so I think my projects should be tiny. Thank you for showing me there is no shame in a bigger case.
I love small things, too. But here a bigger box removed a lot of work and increased flexibility.
Many great ideas in this video, yet another little gem from Andreas. Thanks a lot and keep up the brilliant work! Greetings to Switzerland from the not-so-far east (Austria)!
I am glad you like my videos. Greetings to Austria (I worked one for Voestalpine)...
I love andersen powerpoles, but I think for this I'd have used a few WAGO connectors. Good luck with the enclosure. I've had so many outdoor projects fail that I'm not sure any more that there is a long-term solution.
I've found grease in all the connectors to be vital in preventing electrolytic corrosion when condensation forms. Need to use a grease with a higher melting point than your project will survive and then use solvent to make it flow and dip the connector. When the solvent evaporates you have a nicely greased connector.
Another technique I am trying now is to use oil and wax and heat (or maybe solvent). It needs a very small amount of a soft wax to avoid becoming an insulator for signal and low-pressure contacts. Purified bees wax and mineral oil seems to work well, is food safe, and safe for most plastics used in electronics. Don't dip potentiometers or variable capacitors! But feel free to use in the kitchen on wooden knife handles and cutting boards. :)
Unfortunately I did not have such big WAGO connectors. But a few are on order now...
Concerning contact protection: They sell a spray for that purpose, but I do not know what's in. I guess not "food grade" as you solution ;-)
@@AndreasSpiess :) I've not had good luck with CRCs terminal protection spray on signal connections (like RJ-45 ethernet and similar). It never penetrated into all the little nooks and crannies and consequently moisture found places for corrosion to begin.
Fantastic shopping list. Thank you for all your hard work!
Thanks for watching!
Very good set of ideas. Maybe an aluminium foil reflector for summer sunlight? (Avoid heating up the box!) Thanks.
You are right. I assume I have to protect it against sun. But I still have 8 month to think about it.
Great stuff. Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Hi Andreas,
I really enjoyed the build video.
With a lot of the build discussion being around supplying power to the project I would like an objective opinion from you:
I use pc power supplies for a lot other than pc's.
They provide the voltages needed, the current needed and are an all in one box solution for a mains powered supply for a project.
They are freely available and dirt cheap.
What am I doing wrong by using this route to power my projects?
You can roast me on this one, and maybe I have offended you by suggesting this.
I hope not, as I see pc power supplies as a parallel universe to projects requiring 24, 12, 5, 3.3V, etc?
But, one should not scorn on others in the community.
What works for the maker is good.
And I respect that.
Kind regards,
Duncan
I never looked at them so far. But for sure they are a good choice for higher power projects. This project is one of the first needing mor power than a few watts.
It also should be easy do switch them on and off.
Great video, thank you!!!
Glad you liked it!
as always, amazing video. Why do I see your videos even if I know I don't have the use case at all (in this case, living in a Paris flat, satellites aren't an option ;-) ? Because your videos are full of neat tips & tricks, tools and methods valuable in other use cases. So i know I'll learn something, and I did. Kudos, and keep the good work!
Thank you! I never know when I can use the things I learn. Quite often it happened that I remembered something useful much later.
And learning is part of my curiosity which is an important part of my life.
it was all quality information
The Powerpole connectors are a very good hint, especially with the fused distributor. It had improved many projects, if I knew them before.
Something in return: Often an outdoor enclosure should not only be weather proof, but also portable. Your box might not be stirdy enough for rough transport. Also, if the case bends easily, it is difficult to attach components on the inside without too much stress. I am very happy with Peli cases or Peli case clones, depending on the required level of quality. I've glued (with epoxy) DIN rails (for power installation - you find many PSUs and adapters for "smart home" projects with arduino or Raspi) to the inside in the past, which further strengthens them. You can drill a couple of holes into them and, if you take a series of outdoor connectors that uses the same hole diameter for different connections, you get a versatile platform for various projects.
If heat is a concern, look for military surplus cases, made of aluminium, on ebay. Some are ready for 19" rack usage, if that is your thing.
I looked at those sturdy cases and nearly went with one. But because I wanted to have a big one the price difference was very high. And because I do not plan a mobile usage I decided to go with the cheaper solution.
Good to know that they can be extended with accessories.
I also looked for military boxes, but here they seem to be collectables and very expensive. And they cannot easily be shipped over distance :-(
Great tips!
Glad you like them!
7:32 Have you considered something that's very popular across factory made audio amplifiers with remote control? One big transformer, bridge rectifier, and voltage regulator for RF part and second, separate tiny transformer for RC part? 2$ chinese module does the job, trafo, big capacitor and bridge rectifier can be easily re-used in your new projects once your friend comes back :) I believe DIY power supply without buck converter noise is valuable project by itself and more viewers will be happy to see such ;) Best regards!
You are right. Linear power supplies are less noisy but usually bigger, heavier, and more expensive. This is why I usually start with a switcher and, if I have problems, go with a linear supply.
8:38 No, very nice! Although it's not nice they don't seem to match any standard scheme in those assortment boxes...
So we have a different opinion. ;-)
@@AndreasSpiess Yeah, I like the color codes so I can see which size it is. For when they are on the table or in a tray which might get mixed etc. And use you're used to it you can grab the correct one quick. But I don't mind others having a different system :)
This is one area i did quite a few things. Try resin potting the whole thing and also using silicone. Clear lacquer and u will find dielectric disturbance is negligible. But this is rf.. so be careful. U can get special resin for this if u want
So far I refrained to use conformal coating of any kind (because it is RF). But it is the last resort in my mind. We will see (and measure humidity).
Wow! This is s wealth of information with so many interesting ideas. I found useful the way you protect the components from moisture and humidity, adding a humidity and temperature sensor, the power distribution, the ip68 cable pass throughs...and everything else. Thank you so much. I was just wondering if super corona dope would be an alternative to protect the circuit boards. I've also seen "Great Scott!" use silicon as an alternative (I haven't tried it). I wonder what's more practical: I will try your method. :)
Thank you for your nice words. So far I did not want to pot the parts and hope, the box will do. But I am not sure. This is why I added a humidity sensor...
There are also XT30 connectors (rated for 30A instead of 60A for XT60), they are much smaller and cheaper than XT60. I'm using XT30 wherever I can, only downside I found is that they require power to disconnect them so in some cases It is hard to disconnect them without damaging smaller things (e.g. on double sided tape)
Thanks for the hint. I did not know them. The power poles definitively are better to remove because they are longer. But this is probably not so important for RC planes...
@@AndreasSpiess XT30 (standard version for wire) can also be mounted on universal PCB drilling 2 larger holes, it is quite easy and both pins can be soldered to 3 pads each so it is robust. BTW there are also XT90 (90A), no spark version (I never tested them), 3pin version, and recently I saw XT150 which are different because they are single pin and I think they can be stacked to make multi pin connector (didn't test them)
Great video! Thank you for sharing links to all the parts you used.
Electrical tape may be the better solution but, I always dislike dealing with the sticky residue especially after it has been very warm. Have you considered using the hot glue inside heat shrink, picking the post shrink diameter that was the right size for your cord grip sealing glands inside diameter?
Thank you again for making such detailed helpful videos!
Good idea about using heat shrink tobe to enlarge the diameter of the cables. This should work. I will try it.
Hi, great. Which is the mechanical 3D software you use in min 5:55? Thanks
Fusion360
Very good tips, love the content as always! Curious why and how we might "pimp it up to 27 volts" though?
I assume you would need a completely different design.
This video contains so many interesting little bits of information. Last year I made my own such project and it was hard to find some decent do's and don'ts on youtube. This video fills that gap.
Did you add any fuses or current limiting components to the project? Humidity or a short in the fan might cause a short circuit.
Fuses are always a good thing. I add them here and there...
Excellent video!
Thank you!
Great Minds think in common. I actually have most of the tool you mention at hand. Some day I hope to have a 3D Printer. Guess it would be handy knowing how to use one ? LOL
Hello pulesjet,
Hey, Creality is almost GIVING away the Ender 3 (v1). I bought a 2nd one for less than $US 170.00 and received it in less than 3 weeks. If interested, message me and I'll find the link for that price.
A 3D printer is really a good tool. It works a lot in my setup.
Have you had good experience with the solder shrink tube? I was always taught to push the end of wires into each other. Then twist the ends in opposing direction before applying solder, for a good mechanical connection to support the electrical one. So I saw these but often wondered about the longevity of the connection with the cable just laying next to each other in the connection, only joined by solder.
You gan push the cable strands that they overlap. And it depends of course on the purpose. If you need only a few amperes they are ok I think. My wires will also not move inside the case. Otherwise crimping would be better.
Thanks for getting back to me so quick Andreas. I'm sure you are right, and for the majority of my maker projects they will be fine. I will give them a try. Great content, I have been watching for over a year now. I enjoy the editing, and approach. With the intro, demo and follow up. Keep it up!
Thanks I learned a few things thanks.
two items to consider
1) Is an order in which power must be applied or removed? This has been a big problem in my personal and professional designs. Start up and shut down is always a problem.
2) If battery driven how to shut off one of the power domains to save batter capacity
Very good point. In my project I had to pay attention between the Pluto and the GPSDO. And I am still not sure if I have to change that and switch the Pluto later that it has a stable clock before it starts. I can only add an additional relay in my setup to achieve that.
Concerning shut-off: Maybe you saw my video about the "Superpower" project. There we have to deals with that for the Pi board.
There are transparant for battery as well. Both thin and thick types. Plastic and more rubbery versions. Most battery are thin plastic
Do you have a link? I like the transparent ones better.
@@AndreasSpiess Can be found on some places but not as common. Amazon revieled it quickly to have www.amazon.co.uk/sourcing-map-Shrink-150mm-Width/dp/B082B3JPWN/ But i have seen it on other places. Or Uk for us EU guys :) www.ebay.com/itm/PVC-Heat-Shrink-Tubing-Wrap-RC-Battery-Pack-17mm-150mm-LiPO-NiMH-NiCd-UK/361275492238
Thank you for the links!
8:33 additionally this is the right thing to do with flexible wires in screw terminals, as flexible wires can loosen or break off with time, and adding solder to them is wrong. The screw will push the solder flat over time, and thus will no longer work as intended, resulting in a loose connection.
One more thing: Wires conduct electricity as well as humidity via the capillary effect, and via the pressure differences created by heating and cooling in the casing. Every connection that has open wiring somewhere must be perfectly sealed against ingress of humidity too, if you absolutely have to avoid humidity in your project. There are special membranes that allow your casing to breathe while not letting through water, minimizing the pressure difference problems.
Thanks for the addition!
Making every thing tight to fighting humidity? Its a fight that you loose every single time!
In a UBoat you see immediately where water comes in... in a pojectbox you will never find out.
Even when you make every cable tight, one of the overseen problems: The humidity that is already in the box, e.g. if you open the box on a warm summer day there is enought humidity inside to condensate when themprature goes down 10°.
Obey a simple rule: "If Humidity comes in, Humidity must have a way out" and its fine.
For some applications a almost zero humidity is needed, but those are put into a sealed steel box and have some not so cheap "Membran" Devices to suck the humidity out.
But for projects like this, there is no real need for that effort, if the humidity is not higher than in your rooms it is ok.
To archive this you simple let the humidity in and out (let your box breath), keeping the hummidity inside lower than outside is simple done by the power dissipation of the content (Its like like a real fight... avoid the fight and you can't loos :) ).
E. g. (for the size of this project) drill hole with arround 1cm to 2 cm into the bottom of the box, and glue a 5 cm long pipe (as a water trap) with a fine grill (to avoid insects and break high winds) on the outer side. Keep the box tight the hole should be the only place where air comes in and out, just to keep it simple.
There are many other "designs", even some that dont need any heating inside the box or allow cooling by exchange air... and yes this is a real sience, you can spend decades of you life.
There is an awesome bigclivedotcom video on active (magic) solid state humidity pumps that you just apply 3 volts and they create a molecular water pump. For very little energy your enclosure can remain dry as you want. Just don't overvolt or reverse polarity on them :D Edit: link ua-cam.com/video/Vabq-s62IVM/v-deo.html
I have my eye on those membranes for an automation application for agriculture. So far I have been trying to gather info, and checked the gore-tex membranes for automotive. If anyone has first hand experience on them, that would be much appreciated.
Thanks for the video, btw.
@@frollard i searched EEVblog for this... logical that i cant find when it is on BC-DC's channel :)
What was your setup on the power socket side of the power cable ? I can see how the IP68 cable pass through are handling the waterproof requirement on the box side but I'm wondering how best to handle it on the power socket side. I do have IP5x (ou 6x not sure) power sockets on my balcony and I'm under the impression that these loose their IP characteristic as soon as you plug something to it (as the cover is no longer on the socket).
My power outlet is mounted in a protected area. So I did not care too much about it.
Nice build. But I'm still worried about moist.
Moist is very hard to keep out: during the day, the box heats up. The inside air pressure will rise and air might leak out. During the night it cools down and it might suck in cold, moist air. The moist can condensate inside the box. A lot of commercial outside enclosures have a small hole at the bottom that allows for the condense water to leak out and to keep pressures equalized. I'm not suggesting you should drill a hole, because you spent good effort in making it waterproof. Rather, drop in some large silica sachets and keep a close eye to it. You can easily add a condensate water detector at the bottom end of one of the four wood panel support legs. You can wire that in at the Tasmota. The water leak hole can always be drilled afterwards, if needed.
After installing and before closing this box, spray the mating surface of the lid with silicone spray. That stuff repels water and will provide for a better seal. It also helps against car doors freezing shut, in winter.
Very interesting project. Please keep us informed about this box. I'm very curious what the outside weather will do to the inside climate. Will it be freezing inside, in winter? Will it overheat when it's in direct sunlight? And what will the relative humidity do?
You saw that I am also not sure about humidity. That is the reason for the humidity sensor.
I have a gateway out on the roof for about 2 years now and so far no problems the bag with silica bought forbid still is in the lab...
I really like the price and selection of translucent storage boxes from the local hardware store for outdoor projects. However, in California, sunlight will degrade the plastic making it crack-prone in less than 2 years. Perhaps this is a feature not a bug in terms of planned obsolescence.
You are lucky in California with the sun. You you deserve a small disadvantage. Otherwise we would be too jealous ;-)
i solder wires togeter with a bic lighter, cause its instand hot and can handle corrosion better than any clams long term
An often used tool. Temperature control is probably an art. But with some experience you can manage to not destroy things...
the system you're using to protect those buck converters is the same one Julian Ilett used for his PWM5
You are right. But he used them outside and was not happy if I remember right.
Would some copper or some other conductive foil do anything on the wooden separator to help block interference between the power and radio?
Yes, it will. Some viewers suggested aluminum foil.
Hello,
do you plan anything about UWB technology ?
Thank you.
The devices were prohibitively expensive when I looked at them last time
@@AndreasSpiess They are cheaper atm ? I didnt folow prices, but it doesnt look so bad.
I do things just like this, but a lot worse! I start with a case that is too small, then poorly, permanently solder all the parts together only to realize later that i need to change something out.
Having a good assortment of connectors handy is an understatement. Whether power, or data, doesn't matter, you want stuff to be modular, fixed in place, but not permanent.
After a few projects like yours I changed my style a litte...
Those buck converters get hot ..... also, power supply’s chuck out a lot of RF noise. They may need to have some sort of filtering, have you noticed any distortion in your radio?.
You are right and below 30 MHz it is for sure dangerous. This is why I proposed a metal sheet and ferrite beads.
This project works on very high frequencies. So the interferences are smaller.
Sealing a box against water ingress is best done by drilling a small hole. In an air tight box the air will expans and pressure will rise because of the heat dissipated inside. This will force the air out. Then at some point pressure will drop when the internal temperature will fall. This will suck (damp) air in from the outside. Small pressure differences are okay, but the bigger the temperature swing, the higher the pressure difference and the more likely the seal will break at some point. The breathing of the box will have condensate build up in the box. A small breather hole, or the professional solution a labyrinth or goretex plug will overcome this. So a 3mm hole in the bottom will do.
Good point. Thank you. I am also not sure how it will work. This is the reason for the humidity sensor...
Would Al foil on your wood not get you most of the desired effect of a steel plate?
Probably a good idea. Thanks!
A note on switchmode power supplies. Many provide an output-enable terminal and some a low voltage, always on power supply with milliamp capacity. They could reduce the component count, powering the microcontroller that controls the PSU output.
That would have been a very good feature (actually I would need >100mA for the ESP) and would have saved the relay. I have to have an eye on this feature when I buy new ones.
There's always some water vapour in the air, and it will condensate at certain temperature. There will be small pressure differences between outside air and inside the box, which can move air in and out. Sometimes it's best to have well ventilated case with drain holes for water at the bottom, if a gas tight case isn't possible choice. Nitrogen filled gas tight cases and cables are used in some applications. I don't have much experience in this area, but I think water tight case can be the riskiest choice, since it keeps the condensated water in but never lets it out. I'm not judging Andreas' choice here, he can manage the situation if he sees condensation problems. Time will tell whether anything occurs.
Based on my HAM experience with DIY VHF-UHF antennas and HF baluns, it can be useful to drill a small (1...2 mm) hole into the lowest part of the case. Humidity finds it's way into the box for sure, a small draining hole helps to get rid condensed water but doesn't affect rest of the box much.
Thank you for the tips. I tried to avoid anything laying on the floor. But a small hole for sure is a good idea.
Does capton tape have a low thermal resistance ?
It is very thin. So heat dissipates fast. Not for cooling, of course. Just for measuring.
@@AndreasSpiess ok thanks. I thought the (mechanical) thermal fuse will not work then.
It works for slowly increasing temperatures
Wonderful tips for rapid prototyping a case for local high voltage powered project. Do you have a good solution for mobile projects for e.g. 5v 5a ?
Can you be a little more specific?
I would recommend to add some bags with Silica gel inside and exchange them from time to time
Good idea. I still have 500g from my gateway project. There I planned to use it, but it was not needed. So I can use it here.
Air trapped in the box during assembly contains already some humidity. When temperature drop, it can cause condensation. I wonder if silica gel could help with that?
You are right. I have a 500g bag of silica around from my gateway project and I can use it if needed. I try to monitor the humidity first
Can you please put the link to the fusion 360 case Design in the discription? Would be really nice
You'll find it linked at ua-cam.com/video/lBK0UBjVrYM/v-deo.html :)
Thanks, Peter
May be that would be a mistake but instead of trying to keep the box watertight I would ventilate it so that humidity can get out. IMO, it is impossible to keep it completely out in the first instance, for a start you get condensation when it is cold.
I am also not sure. This is why I included a humidity sensor. I have a gateway with a very tight case and it is ok for the last 2 years or so. Switzerland ia also not very humid.
May I get an accent translation at 8:50 ? It is the first time I haven't been able to understand that thick swiss accent!
aesthetes or esthetes. Not an easy word for me ;-)
I think the better choice of words here would have been "...makers are typically not concerned with Aesthetics [ or esthetics]". But no matter, Andreas always comes thru with the great technical content! :)
Thanks for the info..👍
You are welcome!
Just another recommendation from me -- if you need Lab Power supply for 3 main voltages( +12V, +5V, +3.3V) and high current output capabilities -- go ahead and buy ... computer PSU. Yes, regular computer PSU is the best and cheapest option to get quality powerful lab PSU with the most frequently used voltages in electronics and electronics DIY. And everything is provided in one "tiny" box. :) Chinease guys have learned from makers about this opportunity, so you already can buy tiny boards with regular terminals for these voltages( e.g. bananas or screw-in) that you connect to regular ATX cables( those that you plug to your mother board). I hope this will be helpful.
This is a good idea. So far I never used one of those because I usually do not need a lot of power on 3 or 3.3 volts. But maybe I will use one the old one sitting in my lab somewhere...
The big transparent boxes are a pain, at least the ones I've got in the UK. They degrade with sunlight and become brittle in just a couple of months and because they need to flex a bit to take the lid off, it just breaks. :(
Good point. I hope mine will last a little longer. Maybe I put a cloth around it against sun. It does not stand completely in the rain.
This. I replace an outdoor enclosure made from a cheap storage bin every year due to sun exposure. Spraying with a UV clear coat (like Krylon brand) helps some.
Not sure about the UV resistance of the plastic in these boxes.. SOME of them, I have seen disintegrate in a fairly short time, there are, I think, some UV-resistant paints, and also UV-resistant clear film, that is used to cover car paint jobs.
You could glue some copper sheet to the wood.
For safety, and protection from the elements, perhaps use a 32-V -48 V power supply located at a mains outlet, and run that 32-48 V to the box, so that you have a 'safe' voltage on every part of the project that is in the box.
The are may quite good buck converters to get the 32 V to 24 V, but follow them with appropriate LC filtering for your RF PA.
Personally, I would prefer to run the fan at a lower temperature, or, if possible, to run it at variable speed (although some fans depend on RPM to make the bearings work ;-) ) COOLER IS ALWAYS BETTER.
Possibly, run your 5 V supply from Li battery/cell, so that all power coming into the box can be switched off, but the 5 V can run for some days on battery...if you are doing 'smart' switching, you could even switch main power back on from time to time, to recharge the battery. Having all power off, and isolated from mains, and 'ground', should also alleviate most of the potential (pun) for corrosion.
What is the thermal resistance of the heat-shrink material? Will it cause any issue for the SMPS?
The automotive connectors may not be pretty, but the ones from European or North American suppliers are totally reliable; they have to be, to meet automotive quality standards.
Interesting project, good discussion of the issues, and subjects which always have a plethora of possibilities for solutions!
Viele freundlichen Grüßen!
Thank you for sharing your experience! As said, I expected a lot of additions from my viewers. This is a big part of the value of this channel, I think!
Concerning the thermal resistance of the heat shrink tube: It is for sure not high. But those switchers also do not produce a lot of heat.