slim sealed enclosure for repackaged router?

Bill Kearney · 2006-07-27T03:23:24+00:00

HiAnyone know of a slim box suitable for repackaging the motherboard ofsomething like a linksys wrt54g wifi router? I've only got a limited amountof space in which to cram this unit. It's in the radar arch of a boat.There's about 4" of depth and about 10" width but it'd have to fit throughan 8" circular access panel. It's a dry environment, well dry in that itdoesn't get direct exposure to moisture, or sunlight for that matter. Butgiven that it's on the top of the arch it can get pretty warm in thereduring the summer month. Thus far a router left out in direct sunlight forseveral days didn't overheat so I'm not anticipating it'll be much of anissue. I won't be using the boat during colder months. This being themid-Atlantic region.Most of the NEMA boxes I've seen are too bulky to consider. Or is theresome homegrown solution I should consider?Thanks,-Bill Kearney

Jul 27, 2006 27 Replies

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Bill Kearney 20 years ago

Yeah, thought about that but on examination of other metal surfaces inside the arch I do see a bit of corrosion. Mainly on what appear to be some cheap screws holding down the satellite (sirius) antenna. So while a spare WRT54G can be had relatively cheaply I'd rather not destroy them with corrosion. At least not 'right away'.

I've been meaning to pickup one of those foodsaver vacuum sealers for the house. Seems like this is as good an excuse as any to go get it.

-Bill Kearney

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Jeff Liebermann 20 years ago

snipped-for-privacy@XReXXslimX.usenet.us.com hath wroth:

Heat from warm components might melt through the bag.
Condensation when the radio is turned off. When running, the heat from the radio will prevent condensation.
The air in the bad will outgas when hot, but form a partial vacuum when cooled. This partial vacuum will suck any water that collects on the seals into the bag.
Abrasion through the bag when underway.
Difficulty sealing with multiple cables.
Mechanical damage if not properly secured to the vessel.
It looks cheap and doesn't impress the other boat owners.

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Bill Kearney 20 years ago

Yeah, figured as much. Question is, what's worse; corrosion from being left bare or condensation. I suppose I'll have to experiment. I guess it'll just get mounted (secured) bare first and I'll check on it in a month. If it's toast, well they're cheap. At this point a lot less than the effort/cost to fab some sort of enclosure. Certainly less aggravation.

True, the amount of vibration in a powerboat is definitely a concern. I didn't plan on leaving anything loose.

It's inside the arch, there ain't nothing to see from the outside.

-Bill

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Peter Pan 20 years ago

For my boat, I put it inside a small cooler (cheap at walmart), drilled a hole in the top for the wires, threw in a couple bags of silica gel (to absorb any moisture sealed inside), closed it up, and used silicone seal (liberally) to seal up the hole. At least if the boat sinks, it will float :)

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SMS 20 years ago

Depends on where you are, but in my area there are plastic stores (TAP Plastics) which can cut you some plastic pieces to the exact size you need to construct a custom enclosure.

Is there a reason that you don't want to use one of the smaller routers instead, i.e. the D-Link DWL-G730AP?

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John Navas 20 years ago

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 05:15:27 -0700, SMS wrote in :

TAP will actually cut to order.

I've been wondering the same thing.

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Bill Kearney 20 years ago

I'm out on the east coast in Maryland, so there's no local TAP stores.

Programmability and availability. I'm interested in doing some scripting within the devices to assist in using them on a boat. Smaller might be nice but programmability is more important. That and I've already got several of the WRT54G and GS devices. I've got their travel router too but it's, as yet, not able to run 3rd party firmware.

That and I've had less-than-satisfactory experience with various d-link devices over the years. I've little desire to repeat those experiences.

-Bill Kearney

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