This is the approach I’m working on now but using an aluminum box for which Markus has on his build here. Just recently discovered the box leaks (Cheap warped Amaon junk) so have to try a different box. I have followed your builds on Instagram it looks like you use a boat inspection threaded hatch. Have you tried using plastic boxes in the past with success or is the hatch the best way to waterproof?
I’m thinking of going something like this as it has more screws on the lid than my other box and its ip68 rated.
The ride with the back pack is far superior for me. The weight on my internal prone board is balanced but it takes me close to 12kg with batteries etc. With the back pack, the weight off the board makes the board come alive! I can use my standard prone board and I can pump with it almost as good as with no battery at all. Multi pump wave connects is totally possible and feels far more natural and takes a lot less effort.
I haven’t weighed the whole back pack set up but it’s less important. The weight distribution is totally different. I still have the weight of the motor but everything else is on my body. It just turns an 80kg rider into say, 84kg (guessing, I’ll need to weigh it all). That is the big plus that is hard to beat IMO.
I think you may be thinking of acrylic. I have loads of polycarbonate boxes and none have ever cracked. The original Foil Drive enclosures were all polycarbonate and I haven’t heard of many cracking.
Polycarbonate is the stuff police riot shields and some blast protection windows are made from, so good quality PC is definitely the opposite of easy to crack.
Bopla Euromas housings are made from PC, transparent lid and very durable in my experience
For anyone buying a case, make sure it’s made from PC / Polycarbonate, sometimes also called Lexane / Makrolon, from a good source
Avoid acrylic (chemical name Polymethylmethacrylate / PMMA) sometimes also called Plexiglass / Perspex
Good to know. I’m thinking of going the threaded inspection hatch route like kkolli does for his builds. Its more work but it seems to be the 100% waterproof solution.
I have a polycarbonate helmet visor. It can withstand a direct hit from a 9x19mm round. Should I mention it’s 20 times thicker than the cover that cracked? I’m not forcing my opinion on anyone. If you like polycarbonate, that’s fine. But personally, I’d prefer regular plastic.
Ok back to serious
One hint for the hatch: Place it somewhere you won’t stand on… a fried had his basically below his foot when riding, which fatigued and cracked the outer ring with the threads inside. Since that was fiberglassed into the board it was hard to replace.
Was some black ABS part btw, not sure which quality though
If you can’t find a good bulletproof wetsuit, use a polycarbonate police shield.
Black ABS degrades under the influence of ultraviolet light, ABS of other colors also degrades, only more slowly.
Which plastic though as this is a very broad statement.
Polycarbonate beats ABS in every single single strength category. Here’s a table I got Gemini to throw together:
I make a lot of stuff so would be interested if you’ve found something that outperfoms PC and is good value for money. I do use Kydex for a few things and prefer it to ABS.
I agree that Kydex is an excellent material. It’s thermoformable and harder to overheat and damage than ABS. It’s more flexible and less brittle. I’ve made quite a few functional items out of it in my time, some of which I’ve been using for over 10 years now.
I’ve used POM in some enclosures. Printing with it is nearly impossible, so milling is the only option. I don’t have the technical specifications at hand; I’m sure they’re easy to find on Google, but I can imagine the force required to crack a polycarbonate coating, which I can’t imagine with POM. One downside is that it’s noticeably heavier than other plastics.
