DIY lid for the electronics

Hi!

Tried a different approach for the lid to the board.
I wanted to work with carbon so I got some 600g cf and a core material named lantor Soric LRC 3mm.

In order to make the lid fit the board 100% I started by cutting out compartments for batteries and so on. After that was done I filled the compartment with styrofoam.

I used self adhesive vinyl as a release layer on the board and then started to work with the vacuum process.

Cut the fiber and the core to correct size. Lay one layer of 600g on the vinyl. Add epoxy.

for the core material I used a brush to help the epoxy to get on both sides of the material before laying it on top the the carbon.

I reinforced the edges with carbon strips and lastly added the final layer of carbon.

Connected my refrigerator kompressor and waited for 12h, I used 720g west system slow epoxy.

The final lid is approx 590x425mm, 8mm think and a perfect match to the board. Weight is 1kg.

It’s very strong and I thing one layer of 3mm would have been enough since I have support in the compartment.

Br

Rikard

10 Likes

Nice , so how many layer of 600g and sonic have you used?

Total amount:

2 layer 600g
2 layer 3mm Soric

I also added strips of 600g, maybe 25mm wide along the outer rim of the lid.

Update!

I designed lid anchors which hold a m5 nut and are glued with epoxy to the board. 12 of them might be overkill but better safe than sorry.

A one-piece silicone gasket will be glued to the lid to make sure the compartment is water proof.

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Anchors are now glued to the board. One more layer of epoxy then sand and paint.

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The board is soon done. Got some paint and stickers on it :slight_smile:

Lid and anchors works fine. I am glueing a one piece silicone seal between the lid and the board.

Still waiting form my Lexan polycarbonate to arrive. I will make a window in the lid for the ampmeter.

Hoping to do a water test this weekend to make sure it’s water proof.

The board is a real “flat nose” due to the rocker of the AHD board I used. I have cut it short, 135cm.

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Great job. I love the piranha teeth on the nose

Water test today. I was lucky to find enough open water to test if the connector between mast and board and the lid was water proof. No electronics mounted.

The connector worked fine, no water intrusion and the was visible marks from the silicone grease used on the o-rings on the female part.

The lid seal needs some love. The 1mm silicone used was not forgiving enough and water entered the board.

I will try a softer seal material that can adopt to the board and lid. It needs to be thin. What do you use out there?

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This is good stuff. Glue together ends with cycoacrylate

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I really rate this stuff. Really strong but nice and soft. In my experience you need at least a 3mm gasket using this.

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2 rows side by side of “JVCC SCF-02 Single Coated PVC Foam Tape [medium density] / Size: 1/8 in. thick foam x 1/2 in. x 75 ft.”
image

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I got 8x2mm “crown seal”. The “walls” just in case :slight_smile:

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Why the superglue? Doesn’t it crack when compressed?

Success! 100% dry in today’s test.

Now it’s time to start mounting the electronics.

Hopefully flying this weekend!

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It melts the foamd together, work lille a charm. Might be better off with only one or perhaps two seals compression along the entire length is important to get a good seal. Some silicone grease on the gasket from time to time is also a good idea, and make sure it’s clean.

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The right tools make the job easy.

A friend helped me make a window in Lexan for the lid. I have a amp and volt meter behind the window to monitor ah usage.

The window is glued to the lid using west systems g-flex.

Getting close to a test run…

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Where do you find your 2 mm thick EPDM gaskets? I don’t find…thank you

It’s a local store here in Stockholm, Sweden. Küntze is the name, not very Swedish :). They don’t do webstore and the webpage is only in Swedish.

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What’s the cost of the gaskets?

Not much, my guess is under 25 euro for 10meter. I could buy and send it to you guys if you want to.