jeepwm69 7,609 Posted February 5, 2021 Very cool gizmo retro! When are you putting them into mass production? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 5, 2021 Maybe this summer Jeep if I can learn enough about 3D printing to make decent parts. I'll have custom PCBs made for the power supply & relays box that I can buy in bulk, so making harnesses and re-purposing oil temp sensors should be the only time consuming steps remaining once I get set up. As always though, it's ultimately up to universe to co-operate, guide and provide free time required to produce these buggers. So I have plans.... we'll have to wait to see how they pan out. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 7, 2021 As I mentioned, I decided to glue the button strip and PC frame into the cover in three separate steps to insure that the waterproof sealing of those parts is exceptionally strong and all that gluing has finally cured. So today is final assembly time! This is the stuff I use to seal the top cover onto the back half of the display enclosure and I also bond the PC display window to the LED display in the same step. In this photo is 91% alcohol, Ultra Black gasket maker, Liquid Optically Clear Adhesive (LOCA), a UV light curing product that is used to bond the glass onto the LCD touch screen on cellular phones (F-2500 grade viscosity/hardness in this case) and lots of lint-free microfiber cleanroom wipes. The placement depth of the PCB where it is glued down into the back half of the enclosure provides for an interference fit between the display window and the LED display. There is a protective film on the LED display that must be removed as you can see in the photo below. Once the film was removed I snapped the cover on to verify that the interference fit still exists between those parts and if the switches stems are still the right length for the buttons, with that roughly .008" thick protective film removed. In this case the window was snug up against the display LED like I wanted, but the switches stems were a bit too long now, so I filed about .008" off of them which made those tactile buttons work crisply again. Then a thorough cleaning of all of the parts with alcohol and microfiber cleanroom wipes was done and Ultra Black was applied on both the top cover and the back half where those two parts join. The underside of the heads of the four screws that hold the display enclosure together were coated with gasket maker too, to insure that no water can seep inside around those screw heads over time... then a dollop of LOCA was applied to the top of the display LED in a domed dog-bone shape that would force all air bubbles to flow out from between those parts, leaving a very thin liquid film of LOCA between the window & LED when the cover was lowered onto the back half. After lowering the cover slowly while watching LOCA flow all of the air out between the window and LED bond, the four screws holding it together were snugged up which squeezed excess gasket maker out of the cover joint. The gasket maker mess was scrubbed off of the enclosure and excess removed around the screws with alcohol and several more microfiber wipes. Once satisfied that the exterior was perfectly clean the enclosure was hung upside down in a cheap UV light oven that I have used for refurbing cell phones in the past, to begin curing the LOCA glue bond. The LOCA I have on hand cures to a set in about 3-5 minutes but requires more time to cure completely. It's been moved around inside the UV light several times (for about an hour now) to allow light to penetrate the window at all possible angles to guarantee a fully cured bond. It's done for the time being today! There is one more step remaining though. After the gasket maker have cured I'm gonna coat the plastic gizmo boxes with Wipe-New recolor clear coating to put a shine on them. Be back in two days with the end results. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 13, 2021 Alright, I had to start another big electronics project a bit unexpectedly when parts that had been backordered began to arrive earlier than expected. So I been AWOL again getting the initial installations of my new build up and running... I had to jump on that cause I'm being billed for a new service already. Anyway, I got the gizmo done a few days ago and have it boxed up for shipping, which is planned for Tuesday if all goes well. I messed up filing out the display window (filed too much from the lower edge) on this one, so I'm gonna build a 2nd kit for Fishfiles to help correct my blunder. Here is the completed parts... I am putting together a big Mouser order for supplies and parts which I will need to complete my current project and to rebuild my inventory of parts for the next FCU gizmo build. So, in a couple weeks I intend to begin building another one, I'll post about that build here. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 13, 2021 My new project consists of a complete replacement of my home Internet, my audio & music amplifiers and completely new-to-me video/teevee capabilities, all of which I am quite excited about. I been living with 20+ years old tech & slow, data capped Internet for way too long... my offgrid lifestyle is challenged when it comes to having luxury electronics. Nowadays cord-cutter streaming teevee entertainment is possible though, so I have been researching options and I eventually came up with an integrated Internet/Computing/Video/Teevee plan. I think I can get everything done via mashups of certain chosen components using isolated DC/DC converters to power them & also by scratch building/modding a few of the necessary components. My new 5G home Internet package arrived early, so I had to get started on my new build. After crawling under the floor of my shack to run new dedicated 8 gauge wiring from my breaker box and then making a few wiring harnesses I got the basics of my new Internet & entertainment systems up and running on my 12 volts battery bank. I still have a long ways to go though, so I'll be AWOL on & off for a while... y'all have fun! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted February 13, 2021 Welcome to the 5G world !!! ---- 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Goober 1,555 Posted February 15, 2021 (edited) Ok got started on the power supply. How’s this look @retro? does the blue tantalum capacitor go into the same holes as the two legs of the voltage regulator? is there an orientation for the electrolytic capacitor? i cut the brass sheet into a folded heat sink that holds the VR off the board and insulates it from the other components Edited February 15, 2021 by Goober 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 16, 2021 4 hours ago, Goober said: Ok got started on the power supply. How’s this look @retro? It's looking good to me! Making these little boards takes a bit of trial & error cutting & fitting, so I'll share with ya what I have learned. Your board is shorter than I make them, which means that you may have a difficult time running hookup wires later, because the headers below the relay will be snug up against the relay. I would make the board taller if I were you.... your board has 10 holes vertically, you'll need a taller board with 11 holes vertically. Sumtin' dat lookie like 'dis... Quote does the blue tantalum capacitor go into the same holes as the two legs of the voltage regulator? is there an orientation for the electrolytic capacitor? i cut the brass sheet into a folded heat sink that holds the VR off the board and insulates it from the other components Yup, just stuff the legs of the tantalum cap into the GRD & OUT pins of the VR, like you have done. The polarity of the tantalum is backwards in your photo though. You have the positive leg of the cap stuffed in alongside the GRD pin (center pin) of the VR, so just pull the cap out and flip it over and stuff it back in. Through-hole tantalums and electrolytics are both polarized capacitor types, the longest leg identifies the positive leg, shorter leg is the negative leg. Electrolytics are generally large enough to have the negative side of the capacitor marked "- - - - -" along the side of the cap nearest the short negative leg as well. Your brass heatsink looks dandy to me too. You can make it even smaller if ya wish. The heatsink is optional, you can omit the heatsink entirely if ya rather... in all of my testing I have never felt the VR chip get warm, as it operates at no more than 15% of its rated capacity. Anyway, if you put a heatsink behind the VR, mark out the location and tin the board lightly with solder & shine up & tin the back side for easy & quick (Crank the heat up) soldering to the board. After the brass have cooled shine up the top side of it and tin the brass again lightly next to where the hole in the mounting tab will be, crank the heat up to about 750 degrees and stick the iron into the mounting tab hole and feed it solder fast, then lift out and let it cool. With your iron heat cranked up you can stick the VR down pretty fast. You'll need to use your free hand to hold the chip down with something while flowing solder behind it. (Note that the metal tab of the VR chip is GRD, same as the center pin of the VR chip.) Here are a few photos of my board which you can refer to for mounting locations for each component and header locations for hookup wiring. After the board is finished you may learn that it won't fit down into the enclosure right. You can nip the short plastic post off in the bottom corner of the box where the arrow is pointing to in the pic below, with a small pair of dykes or whatever ya got handy to solve that interference problem. I can draw up a schematic for hookup wiring on the backside of the board if ya want one? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Goober 1,555 Posted February 16, 2021 (edited) Ok thanks Now to add the headers the electrolytic was good. I swapped the cap leads but had to desolder and reconnect them under the board. grounded the VR. yes would like the schematic, diagram or drawing. But maybe i can figure it out. What size wire for the headers, @retro? Ah gee it was ccccold in the garage where i did the soldering!!!! Edited February 16, 2021 by Goober Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Goober 1,555 Posted February 16, 2021 Thanks also for your explanation @retro Understand much better about soldering down the heat shield. i can make the next boards longer—these two come from the same board. You can tell i did a much better job soldering down the VR mount on one—cranked iron up to 750F. It climbed up in about 30 sec, i nailed it, and the readjusted to 550F. Wow this iron is great! I’ll stop by the electronics store and pick up some 40W relays and some header wire. Looks like .30 copper solid? Won’t be til later this week have to make some venison sausage tonight Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 17, 2021 22 hours ago, Goober said: yes would like the schematic, diagram or drawing. But maybe i can figure it out. What size wire for the headers, @retro? Ah gee it was ccccold in the garage where i did the soldering!!!! Sorry I wasn't able to reply today, got real busy fixing my phone after I made a mistake flashing a rooted boot image into the wrong boot slot and I bootlooped it! Took me most of the day to get the ROM restored & root it, get google kicked cleanly into the gutter & put TWRP back on it and run a backup. I'll try again tomorrow to make a schematic... the solid copper wire I use for headers is probably 28 gauge, but I'm not sure. Anything ya got that will fit through the holes in the board should work though. 13 hours ago, Goober said: You can tell i did a much better job soldering down the VR mount on one—cranked iron up to 750F. It climbed up in about 30 sec, i nailed it, and the readjusted to 550F. Wow this iron is great! They look fantabulous! Lotsa extra power in those Weller irons huh! 🙂 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Goober 1,555 Posted February 17, 2021 Thanks again. No hurry at all @retro If i get stuck I’ll holler. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 19, 2021 Here is the back of my power supply board with the hookup wiring & headers labelled. Also included are pinout images taken from the datasheets for the voltage regulator and the onboard relay for reference. Hollar if I can help ya! 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted February 23, 2021 Retro's Gizmo arrived in the mail yesterday , Thanks Retro ---- went right to opening it up and familiarizing myself with it , ran into a little twist , the monitor is not going to bolt up with out making some kind of bracket , there is a mounting lip on the back side , but , I think double stick tape with be enough to hold it in place ---so the question is : What is the best double stick tape that will hold when wet and in hot summer temperatures ? ----or any other ideas on mounting the monitor ? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,567 Posted February 23, 2021 how about Velcro, that's what my meters came with, it was cheep stuff, so i purchased some better, so far it's worked well, and allows me to pull the meters off to change out the batteries. on the top two. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,609 Posted February 23, 2021 I was going to suggest velcro as well. That's what I'd use 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted February 23, 2021 I bought some Scotch Mount Extreme double-sided tape ---holds 24 pounds , I should be good with a few ounces ---- the Velcro was thick, would have been 3/8 inch plus thick and it might have had a little jiggle to it ----- hope to get some time this evening with the installation ---- did a quick look around on where to mount the electrical box , looks like the truck storage box would be the best spot , right next to the second battery 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 23, 2021 Ahh dadgummit, I thought that I had that bracket nailed. But I can see now that your switches plate is shorter than I guessed. Sorry about that Fishfiles! One other thing... I doubt that the relays box harness is long enough to connect to the display if the box is mounted in the trunk? When I made the 4-wire harness I assumed that the box would be mounted up front (and down low) somewhere, like maybe underneath the winch mounting plate or thereabouts? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted February 23, 2021 The double stick tape seems to have the monitor rooted down --- could put the control box on the front rack or even inside the dry box as it is more than big enough for the controller , phone , cigarettes and lighter , would just have to unpin the plug connector to get it thru the box and water tight ---also had it stuck up under the fan , would need to make a mount ------------ on top the battery would be out the way and it slides in there snug ------let me ask you this Retro , what's the part number or description of that plug in the battery pic , male and female ends , I could make an extension male to female 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_Wilson_™ 6,567 Posted February 23, 2021 4 hours ago, Fishfiles said: little jiggle to it yep, your right it will, i covered only the sides, and not where the panel is, plus these little meters don't weigh much at all where is that meter retro built, is built hardy (heavy duty) to last, but was thinking after you get yours installed, i might be getting one of his meters myself, but I'll keep the runleader meter, to keep track of engine hours, and rpm. so the Velcro .. was kind of a temp attachment, for the meter in the center , but the runleader,i have to be able to remove it for battery replacement, I've been thinking of some of mechanical mount, just won't it nice and clean looking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 24, 2021 3 hours ago, Fishfiles said: let me ask you this Retro , what's the part number or description of that plug in the battery pic , male and female ends , I could make an extension male to female Those are china connectors that I buy by the 10-pack. I can make ya an extension harness... how long does it need to be? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted February 24, 2021 Thanks , I don't want to put you thru that , if I do go the battery box route , I'll just cut the wire , solder in an extension ----- going to think about it some more ----- under the winch plate like you mentioned is kind of busy ---- under the fan cover might be the best spot , in this pic you can see the grey control box under the tee of the snorkel pipe , that looks like a good spot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
retro 4,048 Posted February 24, 2021 I don't mind making an extension Fishfiles. Probably take a week for you to get it the way the postal service is running... let me know if ya want one and I'll make it up real quick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,609 Posted February 24, 2021 That 450 is starting to look like a Transformer @Fishfiles! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted February 24, 2021 " Transformer , ATV in disguise " ---- I made a bracket and stuck the controller under the fan ,think it came out peachy keen , but got a couple of jobs and have to leave , will load some pic later 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
