I am looking for ideas on how to give basic protection to my TTGO T-beam board. Please post your solutions here on where you find cases or plastic boxes that can be used for this purpose.
My current idea is a 1 1/2 inch clear vinyl PVD tube
I am looking for ideas on how to give basic protection to my TTGO T-beam board. Please post your solutions here on where you find cases or plastic boxes that can be used for this purpose.
My current idea is a 1 1/2 inch clear vinyl PVD tube
Go into any electricanâs supply shop, they stock dust & waterproof junction boxes with waterproof screw in plugs to waterproof the aerial, once you drill a hole in the box. They cost under 10Euro
You can find many shapes and sizes on ebay as well.
My question is what is the best way to have a waterproof port for incoming cables? I have seen IP67 Antenna cables, but not sure how to âwaterproofâ the box with an incoming USB cable for power.
The solution for waterproofing your cables and antennae as above, these boxes are sold with various sized screw in type fittings for almost all practical cable sizes.
These are quite good however they need a bit of space inside the enclosure for the male end sticking out from the module.
This was USB-C for a ZED-F9P.
Iâve used a few waterproof junction boxes using SMA pigtails and the same USB extension as above. This is the smallest box Iâve found that will fit a T-Beam with an antenna extension. If you need several, you can get them cheaper from China on eBay, but for just one, theyâre available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RWZB7CF
Would you we willing to share a link to purchase the SMA pigtails and antenna you use? I really like this solution, as it seems like a good solution. Also, any particular reason you didnât install the USB extension in your smaller box yet? Seems like a pain to have to unscrew it every time you want to charge the battery.
For SMA to SMA, Iâm using these plus a silone o-ring:
For SMA to N connector for commercial high-gain antennas, these are already weatherproof:
Regarding the lack of USB on the smaller case, Iâm just waiting on some more panel-mount USB extensions to come in. This time, Iâm going to use Type C connectors because I think theyâre more robust than Micro USB. In the field, itâs more convenient to use the same cable as my phone and not to worry about about inserting it upside down.
I ordered several of these weatherproof USB type C connectors from China:
As for the antennas, this is the SMA antenna Iâm using for the portable unit. I havenât had a chance to thoroughly compare it against other antennas yet, but I think the 5 dBi gain spec is a lie. To me, it looks like the usual half-wave sleeve dipole, which has a 2.7 dBi gain, but itâs still better than the one that came with the T-Beam.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HLKKHCM
For stationary nodes, it really depends on where and how youâre mounting it. For temporary setups or if youâre mounting the enclosure itself to something, itâs most convenient to use an antenna with a N-Male connector that directly screws into the connector on top.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085S84J7R
If youâre mounting to a mast, sometimes itâs easiest to use an antenna that comes with a pole mount. They all seem to have female connectors, but you can use a use a male-to-male adapter and just let the enclosure hang from it.
https://www.amazon.com/Altelix-6dBi-Antenna-N-Female-Connector/dp/B07DHVWMWP
For either one, if theyâre permanently installed outdoors, be sure to weatherproof the connector with self-amalgamating tape, or something similar. Donât just use vinyl electrical tape, that wonât keep water out, but once the connector gets wet, electrical tape will trap some of the water inside causing it to corrode. Ask me how I knowâŚ
The units I ordered from aliexpress arrived in translucent snap cases. definitely not waterproof, but certainly able hold the board with a battery installed. You will have to drill a hole for the antenna⌠Iâll try to take some pics later.
My T-Beams donât have the SMA on the edge. I think they may squeeze in here. The XXL is 44mm inside diameter, and the XL is 33mm. The Lora32 board might sneak in smaller sizes depending on the battery.
love the creativityâŚ
damn⌠you have it trademarked as well
If you donât mind making a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Then tbeam with side sma antenna fits inside and is âmostlyâ waterproof.
The iSpindel Open Source wireless hydrometer project is using those tubes to house ESP8266s while floating them in fermentation vessels for weeks. Not a terrible test case for water resistance. They have a similar form factor, including 18650 on the back.
I believe thatâs a Ubiquiti Bullet in the pic, but there are other models out there.
I have an ALFA Tube-2H thatâs very similar, that I happened to fry during some soldering adventure I now forget.
The T-Beam doesnât fit, but the Lora32 does.
I wonder if those plastic shells arenât avaiable off-the-shelf for a couple bucks somewhere. I think theyâre IP67. Theyâre set up for 2.4ghz, but the configuration looks standard enough to easily swap out for LoRa antennas.
Theyâre also typically POE, which has some applications in base stations.
haha, I did this too. This was pretty cheap.
I ordered a junction box from Amazon. Iâll let you know how that goes. I want to be able to deploy my second unit for several days in outdoor locations.