Rubber Coating Or Shell For Altoids Tin

Ideas and questions about MintyBoost kits

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
Locked
BobCochran
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:38 pm

Rubber Coating Or Shell For Altoids Tin

Post by BobCochran »

Is there a rubber coating or a plastic shell that I can insert into the Altoids chewing gum tin before I put in the MintyBoost PCB and battery pack? There is a Michael's close to my location and I think I'll stop there after work today.

Using a clear plastic shell as an insert to the Altoids tin would let me cut out a small square in the bottom of the tin and thereby make the low battery LED visible from the bottom. I could also fill the tin with water, freeze it, and drill a hole in the bottom for the LED to shine through. Drilling into the frozen water will prevent bending the tin.

adafruit
 
Posts: 12151
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:21 pm

Post by adafruit »

electrical tape? i just use the foam squares but you can certainly improvise other ways of insulating it

BobCochran
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:38 pm

Clear Plastic, Clear Plastic....

Post by BobCochran »

Electrical tape is an interesting idea -- 3M makes it in different colors; I have a roll of bright orange in my junk box. I might try this with the pads you provided in the kit. Using tape does not provide a "view port" for the low battery light.

I also went to both Michael's and The Container Store tonight in search of some sort of protective shell that would both insulate the PCB and battery holder and make the fit a little tighter. I almost bought a set of children's stickers which are imprints with clear plastic backgrounds that I thought I could put in the Altoids tin. I couldn't find the themes I wanted -- one needed to be Choccocat or similar and the other a flat silvery finish. I was thinking of pressing cut sections of stickers inside the tin, thus providing electrical insulation, a decent view port for the battery LED, and hopefully a moderate amount of rigidity.

At Container Store, I found a bunch of Nalgene bottles and two small "BANNED boxes" with sort-of-clear or opaque plastic that feel like they can be cut easily to the required sizes but will still add some rigidity to the interior of the Altoids tin. I think the battery LED can shine through the plastic. I'll experiment with cutting these up and fitting them inside the tin. If I achieve success, I'll create a web page for your viewing pleasure and provide the link.

adafruit
 
Posts: 12151
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:21 pm

Post by adafruit »

cool! most people just stick it in a tin. i think i soldered a bright enough LED that i could see it glimmer out of the USB-port hole. but let me know if you find a matching plastic box, that would be a fun option!

BobCochran
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:38 pm

I Built A Second Kit, Too....

Post by BobCochran »

I built the second of my kits tonight and this too seems to work fine even though I made a mess of trying to "tack down" the inductor from the component side and I didn't seat the DIP socket very well -- one pin was just barely coming through on the solder side. To my amazement the output voltage is correct.

Each MintyBoost unit has the optional low battery LED and associated resistors soldered in. Took me some time to find the resistors needed, the 100 and 110K come from an SMT resistor kit I bought from http://www.vakits.com/ . For each MintyBoost unit I wiggled one of the batteries in its holder and noticed the LED would flicker briefly. Looks promising.

My next step is to test each unit on an iPod to ensure it really charges, then spend the weekend customizing placement of the PCB and battery holder in the Altoids tin. I will see what I can craft with plastic, electrical tape and glue. Perhaps even bits of ceramic glued down inside the tin.

A stray thought: why not provide stickers when you pack future kits for shipment -- stickers with the logo of Adafruit and your website address that can be put on the outside of the Altoids tin? I'm giving the assembled MintyBoosts away and I'm sure the recipients will show these units off to their friends if I craft them correctly. Said friends may be motivated to visit your website, and the possibilities are very interesting.

adafruit
 
Posts: 12151
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:21 pm

Post by adafruit »

i like that its just a tin, maybe one day there will be stickers :)

Thelobb
 
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:51 am

Post by Thelobb »

another option is to get ducttape, and make a template of the tin. then just cut out an "altoide" tin shaped peice of tape and stick in in.

tyler208
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:15 pm

Why not try Plasti Dip?

Post by tyler208 »

Plasti Dip is a really cool liquid rubber that hardens when exposed to air. I have used it to cover the handles of tools or the feet of metal robotic legs (for grip) so I would assume it could easily be used for any altoids application where you are trying to insulate the PCB and components from the casing. Just pour or paint some in the bottom (and sides if necessary) of the tin and let it cure. I've found Plasti Dip at both Lowes and Home Depot in the paint isle.

Make Magazine published a quick write-up on Plasti Dip here:
http://makezine.com/pub/tool/Plasti_Dip

Hope that helps. :D

JerryM909
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 6:08 pm

Post by JerryM909 »

"Fish Paper" would be my first suggestion and if that is not available I'd cut up a stiff paper File Folder. Cut one oval piece for the bottom and one for the top would be OK too.
For the sides of the tin, cut a strip to the appropriate height to provide the most protection and still get the lid closed, and long enough to cover the interior sides with a little overlap then Scotch Tape it.
You'll of course have to make a notch for the USB connector and a hole for the low battery LED.

joeparker54
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2007 7:23 pm

Performix Liquid Electrical Tape

Post by joeparker54 »

I've played around with Plasti-Dip before with mixed results. On flat/smooth surfaces and certain tools, it doesn't seem to stick very well and peels away after a relatively small amount of use (though that could be do to the fact that my pre-coat prep consisted of a quick wipe with dirty shop rag).
Also, Plasti-Dip forms a rather thick coating (around 1/16 of an inch) which would make it damn near impossible to close the tin, as there's barely enough room to allow it as is.

However, Performix, the same company who makes Plasti-Dip, also makes a product called Liquid Tape.
http://www.thetapeworks.com/liquid-tape.htm
It's basically just a brush-on insulating goop. This is what I coated the inside of my tin with. It takes 2 layers but it works pretty well. Also, when dry, it has a rubberized, grippy feel. If i could get a smooth coat (not all lumpy), I'd coat the outside with it too.
If you want to find it, I bought a 4 oz. jar for around $4 at Wal-Mart.

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “MintyBoost”