diy

Building an embedded device for sailboat racing: power and packaging

A polycarbonate plastic enclosure for the device, with an internal aluminum PCB-mounting board

With the software running on the Raspberry Pi and touchscreen in a “bench test” format on top of my desk, it was time to start thinking about how I would actually package this up into a complete device that I could install on the boat. It needed to be waterproof, powered by the boat’s battery bank, and ideally no larger than necessary.

Weekend Build: Solar Panel A-Frame

I am building a solar-powered outdoor art project and built this simple A-frame to hold my solar panels. In case this is useful to others, here are the steps to build one for yourself. This project can be accomplished by one person with about 6–8 hours of work.