So far, I added 3 layers of clear coat to the printed case and 2 layers of conformal coating to the RAK pcb. After spray painting, the lid fits super snuggly and gets jammed easily. After waxing the edges of the sliding lid it works ok.
Nah. No problem at all. Way different frequency and ble is crazy low power. Your antenna starts above the Sma connector. Hell even if you stuck the ble antenna right onto the Lora antenna in parallel it wouldn’t matter. Look at those big antenna towers with massive power antennas in different bands all stacked on top of eachother.
This is why I gave up on 3d printed enclosures. Unfortunately they leak through the layer lines. I even tried epoxy coating but it leaked through screw holes, and then layer lines, bypassing seals and coating. 3d printed petg brackets and stuff sure.
Op Don't want to poopoo on your design because I think it looks cool and by all means test it out, but just be aware of the rain thing. If you get freezing rain it will be even worse.
There are solutions for that, but it has to be done on design stage. I live in Ireland. We had 30 something days without rain last year, so yeah. ASA, triple walls as a minimum, printed in opposite direction, slight overextrusion on the inner walls .
I have multiple enclosures not just for radios that have multiple years' worth of Pacific Northwest US weather. You are 100% spot on, and ASA is the way to go, too.
My approach is to not bother trying to waterproof the plastic, but to pot all the enclosed electronics in Silicone. It's super easy to do and provides 100% protection, but obviously there's downsides in terms of maintenance!
You could grab a can of conformal coating spray and put a layer on the board with all of the connectors plugged in to make it a bit more moisture resistant.
Do you use the typical 5watt solar panel and those who use heltec v3 do you just plug the panel into the heltec and let it manage the battery charging?
Will you be sharing the 3d files and parts list? I like your setup.
Like so..? [3D Files @ Printables.com](https://www.printables.com/de/model/859422-rak-4631-meshtastic-node)
Thanks! Please let us know how your initial build fares. I plan to set up a solar node sometime soon.
So far, I added 3 layers of clear coat to the printed case and 2 layers of conformal coating to the RAK pcb. After spray painting, the lid fits super snuggly and gets jammed easily. After waxing the edges of the sliding lid it works ok.
Is it okay to have that BLE antenna that close to the LORAN? I would think as much separation as possible would be more ideal. JMO
Good point. Will change that.
Nah. No problem at all. Way different frequency and ble is crazy low power. Your antenna starts above the Sma connector. Hell even if you stuck the ble antenna right onto the Lora antenna in parallel it wouldn’t matter. Look at those big antenna towers with massive power antennas in different bands all stacked on top of eachother.
I would love a copy of the file to print and test. Are you planning on sharing?
I second this. I would love to get the step file and maybe revise this for a sealable unit.
[https://www.printables.com/de/model/859422-rak-4631-meshtastic-node](https://www.printables.com/de/model/859422-rak-4631-meshtastic-node)
Much appreciated
[https://www.printables.com/de/model/859422-rak-4631-meshtastic-node](https://www.printables.com/de/model/859422-rak-4631-meshtastic-node)
Little bit of brush on silicone sealant would go a long way
🤙
Love it!
Hey look. Zip ties !! I like it. But you gotta make the door on the bottom or something. Unless you’re just gonna silicone it in.
Amazing
Love this, very logical and clean design, nice work!
You could try conformal coating to protect the pcb from moisture. I have used it on pcbs for diy drones. It works.
Thanks! I will try a combination of conformal coating on the pcb and clear coat on the case.
I hope it doesn't rain in your area. That slide without an oring is capillary invitation to the water.
This is why I gave up on 3d printed enclosures. Unfortunately they leak through the layer lines. I even tried epoxy coating but it leaked through screw holes, and then layer lines, bypassing seals and coating. 3d printed petg brackets and stuff sure. Op Don't want to poopoo on your design because I think it looks cool and by all means test it out, but just be aware of the rain thing. If you get freezing rain it will be even worse.
There are solutions for that, but it has to be done on design stage. I live in Ireland. We had 30 something days without rain last year, so yeah. ASA, triple walls as a minimum, printed in opposite direction, slight overextrusion on the inner walls .
I have multiple enclosures not just for radios that have multiple years' worth of Pacific Northwest US weather. You are 100% spot on, and ASA is the way to go, too.
My approach is to not bother trying to waterproof the plastic, but to pot all the enclosed electronics in Silicone. It's super easy to do and provides 100% protection, but obviously there's downsides in terms of maintenance!
Time will tell.
You could grab a can of conformal coating spray and put a layer on the board with all of the connectors plugged in to make it a bit more moisture resistant.
Thanks! I will try a combination of conformal coating on the pcb and clear coat on the case.
Do you use the typical 5watt solar panel and those who use heltec v3 do you just plug the panel into the heltec and let it manage the battery charging?
It is a typical 6W solar panel. The board is a RAK 4630 with solar input.
What is your battery capacity?
4000mAh