Thinking of a new gadget...

[Csory_imp]

1. The previous "hiccup" (using an acetone-containing de-greaser spray accidentally) is sorted now. Had to replace the display on the affected modules, which was both costly and a PITA (and had to wait for the replacement modules to arrive). The new ones are on, and all is well (well, almost - please keep reading...)

2. Decided to sacrifice module S/N 1 , and improvised an accelerated aging test. Put it in for about 5 days under UV light (in my PCB etching lab) and cut it open to see the inside. Epoxy resin showed ugly yellowing but no other bad signs (cracking, shrinking etc). However, found that the resin did not reach in between the backlight and electronics modules - probably because of it's viscosity is too high. Yet, it managed to partially block the 6-pin socket (functional, but has an unpleasantly tight feeling when inserting the connector). I simply forgot to take into account that these connectors are open from the rear:



3. To solve these problems made two changes: (a) sealed the backside of the pin connector using silicone glue before casting,



and (b) ordered special UV-resistant ultra-low-viscosity epoxy resin. This one takes 2 days to cure so experimenting slowed down a bit...

4. The biggest bummer was such a stupid mistake that I could not believe myself: normally I use wooden clothespins to temporarily hold whatever needs holding, but for some reason reached for plastic/rubber padded pins this time. Not sure what chemical reaction did this, but the padding lifted the topmost layer of the paint on finished housings. Will try to salvage them by masking the display and spray painting them over again, but it will be a costly bummer (again...) Stupid me



5. But I keep on crawling ahead. Finished the wiring harnesses now, with labels added. Found that 7ft (2.1m) might give enough leeway for bigger bikes, so made them that long (instead of the earlier 5ft).

- continued -
6. I was never 100% happy with the surface evenness of the housings. No matter how long I hand-sanded them, there were always some minor imperfections remaining. Also, the epoxy mid-layer (used to cover 3D printing striations) has an ugly tendency to form shallow humps and bumps when curing, depending on the underlying surface's evenness. Decided to bite the bullet, ditch the epoxy mid-layer and invest in a precision belt sander. It is a small unit, with the belt running on the edge of it (so that it can reach into the backside of the angled mounts). The display housing is for scale:



Using 240 grit belt and some patience, I was able to reach even better surface quality. (I know, I'm a perfectionist...) The angled mount bottom side on the left is made with this new method, the one to the right is the "old" one. Note that this picture was taken in grazing light - all surface imperfections are vastly exaggerated:



While already putting parts together for mailing, started to look for packaging material. Hope to get some decent cardboard boxes - could print a nice logo on them

[GoldOxide_imp]

Some serious persistence Csory. Gotta like that!

I place reliable functionality and durability above cosmetics, but I hear ya when you are the artist and surface finishes are not appealing. There is indeed some invested pride, and postings in this thread clearly illustrates that quality.

[TwoBrothersBusa_imp]

I just can't express how awesome this thread has become. Following this I'm always waiting for the next update.

[Cormanus]

Quite a difference between the two finishes, Csory. Worth the effort in my view.

[max]

That's a nice job my friend, something you can look back on and feel good about.
Some might not realise how much skill goes into these tiny things but when all is added up it's a lot of engineering.
very much like the way it turned out, i buildt a frequency counter many years ago and decided that would be a tidy job, i still have it and can show how it was made when i was 15 years old with some satisfaction, a good job can stand the test of time and the best ones are called art.

[Bazbro_imp]

Well said, Max.

The care that Csory is taking over this is very impressive. Sad that my Number 1 is kaput!!

[Csory_imp]

Thank you all for your comments!

Bazbro: no worries - it will be recreated in all it's glory, with a shining "S/N 001" on the backside

[Bazbro_imp]

Thanks, Csory!

[PowerDubs_imp]

S/N 001.1




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Csory_imp]

Okay, here goes the last update. There are still a few parts/details not shown in the previous posts, let's take a look at them:

1. The wiring loom is made of two parts. A short section of a 4-wire flat silicone ribbon cable soldered into the display module and a round, thicker oil resistant cable that runs back to the battery compartment. These two have to be mated in a neat(ish) way. It is done via butt-soldering and shrink-tubing all non-ground wires, and butt soldering only (no shrink-wrap) the ground wire. This is to shave off some girth... Then the entire joint is shielded with resin-filled shrink tubing.





2. Then the end of the cable is de-sheathed for about 20" (50cm) to allow running the different wires to their final positions, labelled and ring terminal soldered to GND wire. More sheathing can be removed if required - also, the cable can be shortened if it proves to be too long.



3. These are all the parts that go into the package:



4. Found a nice looking, self-locking cardboard box for mailing the BikeGadget. It is about 6x6x2in (15x15x5cm). It will even have a full-face sticker printed with logo and product name The packing tape is "tamper evident", leaving ominous red "opened" warning behind if removed.



5. There is now a (very primitive, still in the works, be warned because it is ugly etc ) [url=https://www.yarvtech.com/]website. Owner's manual and software can be downloaded from [url=https://www.yarvtech.com/support]the support page.

6. An updated version (MkIII?) is already in the works. It will have an external module for connecting turn and brake lights that can be fed to the display module via a 5th wire. Also will contain a wireless transmitter for an optional in-helmet beeper.

7. As a very-very-very long shot, I'm investigating the possibility of building a Gadget version that would connect to the CAN bus of the bike. It would run only two wires to the display module (power over data bus) and yet being able to display all the same data as the current version. Also, should be able to decode and reset ECU warnings. Optionally with bluetooth connection to phones to read out engine parameters, translate error codes and reset ECU warnings. Told you - this is a very-very-very long shot...