kd7ost
Nov 08, 2008, 11:05 AM
In my adventures I go to a lot of places on an ATV. Some of the terrain is pretty tough to negotiate with a full sized vehicle. I finally put together a case to strap on my front ATV rack to take my AP rig and support equipment.
I selected the Hardigg iM3220 storm case after looking at many off the shelf case options. This is about as big as I want to go and still have it fit on my rack without overhanging the fenders. I purchased it with blank foam so I could adapt the interior to fit my particular needs.
Since it’s going to be carried on the ATV, I didn’t worry about weight, opting instead for rugged durability as well as being water and dust proof. I also wanted to be prepared for extended stays so wanted to install a battery to charge my transmitter and flight cells without using the ATV battery for that.
These pictures don’t show the aircraft install, however I am showing what I did for the power system. The unit has a built in 12 volt 26 Amp hour battery. I built a harness and used a weather tight two conductor plug with a hand made cable to allow me to charge the battery from the ATV while the ATV accessory plug is powered up. It charges while I ride. The system has a fuse at the accessory connector, and one inside the box next to the connector for safety.
The power receptacle inside the box comes off the battery and is on its own fuse. This way any equipment malfunctions from the LiPo Charger or AC charging system would prevent melting down the battery or cables.
I used some gray silicon to seal the chassis mount connector where I drilled the exit hole.
This system is nice because even if I’m heading out where I can take my full sized vehicle, I can just throw the box in the back and my gear is still protected. A longer charge cable will allow me to recharge the 26 AH battery from the vehicle system.
This still won’t fit any plane out there so careful consideration needs to go to that. It will easily fit a Kite style plane like the Hawkeye made and sold by Joel Scholz, (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=882390) or any number of flying wings with removable wing panels. There is ample room for LiPo batteries, transmitter, AP goggles, AV Receiver, Spare fuses, Desiccant packs and what have you.
Dan
I selected the Hardigg iM3220 storm case after looking at many off the shelf case options. This is about as big as I want to go and still have it fit on my rack without overhanging the fenders. I purchased it with blank foam so I could adapt the interior to fit my particular needs.
Since it’s going to be carried on the ATV, I didn’t worry about weight, opting instead for rugged durability as well as being water and dust proof. I also wanted to be prepared for extended stays so wanted to install a battery to charge my transmitter and flight cells without using the ATV battery for that.
These pictures don’t show the aircraft install, however I am showing what I did for the power system. The unit has a built in 12 volt 26 Amp hour battery. I built a harness and used a weather tight two conductor plug with a hand made cable to allow me to charge the battery from the ATV while the ATV accessory plug is powered up. It charges while I ride. The system has a fuse at the accessory connector, and one inside the box next to the connector for safety.
The power receptacle inside the box comes off the battery and is on its own fuse. This way any equipment malfunctions from the LiPo Charger or AC charging system would prevent melting down the battery or cables.
I used some gray silicon to seal the chassis mount connector where I drilled the exit hole.
This system is nice because even if I’m heading out where I can take my full sized vehicle, I can just throw the box in the back and my gear is still protected. A longer charge cable will allow me to recharge the 26 AH battery from the vehicle system.
This still won’t fit any plane out there so careful consideration needs to go to that. It will easily fit a Kite style plane like the Hawkeye made and sold by Joel Scholz, (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=882390) or any number of flying wings with removable wing panels. There is ample room for LiPo batteries, transmitter, AP goggles, AV Receiver, Spare fuses, Desiccant packs and what have you.
Dan