LiPo Battery
Each SpokePOV is drawing its power from a LiPo Battery.
These are 1/3 the weight of the standard AAs (based on using three of them).
Also, they are rechargable, and keep their juice for ages.
They plug into the board via a little connector soldered to the board at J1.
These are attached to the board with velcro pads and a cable tie through the holes for the AA battery clips.
I wanted to go with just velcro, so I could pop the batteries off for recharging, but it didn’t feel secure enough.
Waterproofing
I applied several coats of Silicone Conformal coating to seal the board, and checked it with a UV lamp.
Hopefully this should be OK to protect my SpokePOVs from Vancouver’s not-so-dry climate.
I also covered the LiPo Batteries in heat-shrink tubing and closed-off the ends with silicone sealant (the stuff you’d use for a bathroom).
Where the LiPos plug into the board, I made a little jacket out of heat-shrink that slides over the connector (I can post more pictures if anyone is interested).
Finally, I bought connectors to cover the I/O ports and plugged any gaps in them with the sealant.
Security
After all that work, I didn’t want my SpokePOVs nicked, so I tried my best to make it difficult for them to be removed.
At the top connector, where the spoke is a little fatter, I bolted the SpokePOV to the wheel with a nylon cable clamp.
Then, at two of the other connections I used metal wire and threaded it around the spoke using a technique similar to one I found via the Monkelectric website.
Now thieves will at least need a screwdriver, scissors, pliers and a lot more time to relieve me of my goods.
Let’s hope they don’t just decide to cut my spokes…
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