I have started working on the 'Mini-Din Radio Box' as I will call it. I am spending a bit of time on it now to plan out how I will use it but after that, based on what I have done so far, I could make the box in about an 90 min or less total spread over two evenings. So I will show folks how to make one if they want one. Simple, small, easy. Here is what the end product will look like:
So to make this box you will need to gather all the parts in order to build it. Small Plastic Enclosure 8pin or more Mini-Din Waterproof cable Firing boards to support your weapons plan Firing Boards for pumps (they turn on relays) Radio Receiver Wire as needed to connect firing boards to receiver Wire as needed to connect firing boards to Mini-din wire Solder / Flux Goop or equivalent Materials to waterproof the firing boards and receiver a handful of small zip ties Ice cold Dr. Pepper You can get a small plastic project box at any place that sells resistors and relays and such, Amazon, online electronic stores. You can get whatever size you want but I found that the types that are a little larger than a pack of smokes are just right as they will fit in the bow of most any Class 3 or 4 ship, and of course anywhere in a big ship. The design of the box will be for a ship with up to 4 firing positions. If you have more than one gun in a firing position you would account for that in the 'Trigger Harness' that we will make later. It will also be designed for two pumps however relays triggers are connected in the same was as solenoids and for this purpose will be considered the same. If you have a ship with only 3 guns and 1 pump.. leave a few wires in the connector unused or for lights .. etc. The firing boards I will be using are the dual and single firing boards from Battlers Connection that were designed by Snipehunter. I will be using the Pololu Rc Switch with medium low-side mosfet boards to control the pump relays. I also use the pre-terminated jumpers and housings from Pololu in making my own plugs for the receiver to save space and simplify connections. Once I finish the project I will edit this post with the ideal lengths, types of wire etc., as well as many links for products as I can find. Should be a cool project. Lets get started!
Step 1: Fit and cut the mini-din cable for the box. I started by choosing the connector with the pins, which we will call the male end, and laying it across the box. The cable is a pig-tail with approximately 6 inches of wire available. I make sure that the wires are long enough to reach across the box, mark it and strip it at a point approximately 1/4 inch inside the box. Step 2: I do a test fit of the components to see how they will fit, how will the wires lay, and can I close the lid. I also determine if the wires are too long, where can I reduce size, or make the wiring more efficient. Step 3: Now that we know roughly how things will fit in the box AND from the picture you can tell the wire will enter the box best from the upper left corner. I took all the parts out of the box and I measured the outside OD of the wire which was 1/4 inch and drilled the same size hole in the side of the box. Step 4: I take the stripped end of the cable and push it through the hole which should be a slightly tight fit. Once in place I will secure it with a nylon cable tie on each side of the hole in order to hold the wire firmly in place. If the wire is a bit loose between the inside and outside.. just push the front cable tie closer to the front of the box. The cable ties also help provide an object for the goop to stick to. I will stop here for now and pick up at the next point where I will goop the box and begin connections. (I think I am going to shorten the jacket inside the box a bit and replace the cable ties. I don't want that much of the jacket in the box. )
I am in holding pattern while I wait for wire in matching colors to arrive. I will provide an update very soon.
How thick/robust is the wire jacket? I am thinking one crack and it will fill the boat via the wire loom?
I like what you are doing. How about casting the top in clear resin to see if the water gets inside? https://www.smooth-on.com/product-line/crystal-clear/
Its very tough. I am not very worried about it but .. I keep all my stuff waterproofed anyway. I could goop between the wires also for extra protection.
good idea but might be more work than it is worth. The top fits very precisely and I have not had a leak with the one I have been using, even with no gasket or seal. I suppose it depends on how good the molding comes out as to how well it works if a clear top was molded.
Here's another route you can take. Panel mount waterproof connectors. Up to twelve conductors. https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...utomotive-connectors/1926132_32481999470.html
I looked at that but for my purposes it was too long. Mounted on even a small box, in a rigid placement, it would limit where I can place the box. The cable I am planning to use now will allow for a variety of mounting orientations and the cable is flexible enough to move around. If I were to use a large box in a large box the panel mount would work great but that is not the purpose of this thread.. which is building a small box.
May i suggest using an automotive panel grommet around the cable where it enters the box, you can get them in a multitude of sizes either blanked off (No hole in the centre) or with a hole in the centre of various diameter, if you get one a tad small, then glue it to the cable with either a rubberized goo (Gasket goo) or possibly even a 2 part epoxy (Check glue on a scrap piece first as i cannot vouch for whether it will eat through the wire coating or not) I can say the gasket goo will do fine with the under water pressures too as we frequently use it to seal off engine cases with 90PSI oil pressure going through them, we also use it on 1 BAR cooling system components Another Note, can i suggest using a different type of box ?? im not sure what the equivelent in the US would be, but i use the following to house my electronics in outdoor skirmish and we play in torrential rain in the middle of rain forests and i have NEVER had water in the box using the standard seals, Box in question: http://www.altronics.com.au/p/h0325-ritec-145lx105wx45hmm-ip65-sealed-abs-enclosure/ Slightly smaller box: http://www.altronics.com.au/p/h0320-ritec-65lx60wx40hmm-ip65-sealed-abs-enclosure/ Looking good though, have heard about the waterproof mini DIN cables through the skirmish world but never thought they would seal well enough for our use, if it works well for your box may consider using them, Cheers and keep up the good work
Thanks for the info. Those boxes are much larger than what I am working with in this thread. I have gooped cables with success for a while now so I will stay with it. No need to pay more for a gasket or panel mount at this time. This thread is not so much a request for assistance but a demonstration of how to build a small waterproof box at an affordable price. I wanted a system for my local newbies or any other interested captains that was easy to do, FAST, and didn't require too much planning. I have already tested this platform for over a year and am very happy with it. As far as costs, I have $4 in the box and $4 in the cable (not counting electronics), and depending on how I handle the battery, rudder servo, and ESC connections, may only cost another $8 more. I think I will use the other low cost connector I have in order to see how it behaves, this will save on servo extensions which for some strange reason tend to be very expensive. If I use the crimp connector I will be able to use my lower cost wire that has some moisture protection built in. Thanks again for your response. Cheers! Johnny
