Enclosure questions for the Ganglion low cost kit

evolution_encoded

Hi all, this is my first post. I am a complete noobie on this forum. I tried searching around but did not find the info I needed.

I just received my Low-Cost kit with the Ganglion, and I am excited to try it out. But, I am stumped with some assembly questions.

• I purchased an enclosure with the Ganglion kit (the "clear board case"). It also came with a beige case with the kit. But, when placing the Ganglion inside the plastic case, it rattles around a bit, and also when trying to close the cover, the port that the on/off switch is in gets blocked. Obviously the little plastic feed that came with the kit won't fit in the enclosure. Is there a reference picture or description of this?
• I also got the little Adafruit lipo charger. I would prefer to not have the circuit board be exposed. I could cover it in hot glue, but I am wondering if there is a better enclosure solution that someone has found.

Thanks!

wjcroft

Hi Evolution,

re: the Adafruit charger

I don't think you need to be concerned about the circuit board being exposed during use. There are only low voltages (less than 5 volts and not microvolts) involved, and no highly sensitive components. Another option instead of hot glue, that would be more removable, would be some type of tape wrap or shrink wrap. Hot glue over your PC board components sounds irreversible to me, and making returns / exchanges impossible.

re: issues with your Ganglion cover

Yes you are correct, the little PC board feet are for use if you do not have the case. You say you have TWO cases, clear and beige? Does either of them fit well? I'm going to mention @Shirley here, who may know the Forum user name for Robert, the case designer. Or can forward this to Robert.

Regards, William

evolution_encoded

Hi @wjcroft, good to meet you. I see you often jump in with advice here!

re: Adafruit
Yes, you are right that hot glue is not removable... and in some cases would prevent heat from escaping. I'm not a fan of electrical tape, but shrink wrap might be a good idea. I will look into that.

re: the cover(s)
Neither of them fit well, but the clear one fits better. I found out something by accident yesterday: how well the case halves fit together depends on if you drop the board in the case "upside down" as if you are attaching a battery. If you do, and put the other half on top of that, much more likely to have the case come together unevenly. But honestly, even if I do it "right side up" the switch is still very difficult to access and the board shakes in the case. I would never attach this to a headband or move it around without something to make it more secure. Perhaps a bead of hot glue in the case would be a cushion around the board, not to bond it to the board, just to prove some grip ... there's the hot glue, again I only need to add tek screws and duct tape and I will be ready for anything.

evolution_encoded

Hi @wjcroft, see the image below. The switch is really buried in there and difficult to turn on/off. Its a little hard to see, but the board is not laying flat, and half of the case is leaning on the little plastic switch itself. In some positions the switch slides under that part of the case, completely inside.
Maybe this can be resolved with a switch cover/plastic slider? Not sure what would fit here.
Also, I am temporarily using the 4xAA battery holder, and the wire is sticking out the side, from the SD card port. When that wire is there, it actually seems to correct the alignment somewhat. This is not a permanent or adequate fix, but it gave me the idea that a couple of well-placed beads of hot glue or something similar to act as a gasket or bumper (not to actually glue the board to the case) may help relieve any strain or pressure on the switch - or other components.

wjcroft

The clear case is really the most recently designed case. Can you include an image showing some of your points such as misalignment of the switch, or board not fitting snugly?

evolution_encoded

Ahhhhh - the clear case, is definitely better. The switch is not being pinched at all and it is easier to reach, and the board inside of the case seems to stay relatively still with a gentle shake test. However, the case halves do not click securely and there is still a bit of rattle on the "back end" where the groove and arrow are: too much play. If I wanted to wear this, I would have to put some sort of closure around it (ie: velcro cable ties). While I am not planning on wearing it, I will still fasten it closed to protect the board.

Thanks for encouraging a second look at it

wjcroft

@evolution_encoded said:

re: Adafruit
Yes, you are right that hot glue is not removable... and in some cases would prevent heat from escaping. I'm not a fan of electrical tape, but shrink wrap might be a good idea. I will look into that.

https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Tapes-Pocket-Gaffers-Remove/dp/B01EN7GZE0/

Gaffer tape, used by stage and movie productions, is designed to stick well, but be easily removable. Might work as well for adding some padding inside your clear case to more snuggly fit the board. Looking at the prices on that page I see the orange one is less than $5. With the others at $10.

evolution_encoded

@wjcroft said:
Gaffer tape, used by stage and movie productions, is designed to stick well, but be easily removable. Might work as well for adding some padding inside your clear case to more snuggly fit the board. Looking at the prices on that page I see the orange one is less than $5. With the others at $10.

Yes, that could do the trick! Thanks William!

evolution_encoded

A little bit of gaffer tape works very well. Just want to protect the dongle from accidental moisture or rough handling.
Now I know the adhesive on this tape is ok for electronics... never used it for that before.