In this part I build the top part of the enclosure. Materials, MDF, acrylic, souvlaki sticks, glue (wood and hot) and screws.
First I cut 3 pieces of my 8mm MDF stock and glue them to create the top and small sides of the cover.A bottle of Titebond is always needed in a glue up shot! I keep that empty bottle for decoration. Currently I have in stock a Pattex D2 250g bottle that I found in good price.
I did the cuts with the hand saw, so little imperfections in the corners are expected.
Next, I did a test fit to check that it is the right size. Then I drill the mounting holes to both sides for the bottom. At this stage I used souvlaki sticks as dowels to reinforce the joints of the MDF parts. Of course I forgot to take pictures. Nothing fancy, just drill three holes, some glue and insert the dowel. Trim the excess and a touch with sand paper.
Next, I made the hole in the top for the funnel, but I also forgot to take pictures.
Three coats of primer and two coats of polyurethane to shield MDF. Remember this box will be exposed to the elements all year round.
Finally I hot glued the side acrylic panels. The acrylic I have in stock it is not in the best condition, maybe 15 years old. The transparent sides look cool. I supposed if I bought brand new acrylic, after a couple of years in the elements it will look the same. Aged already!
The morning I was gluing the acrylics, it was about 15C and the hot glue was getting solid in less that 20 seconds. The first panel I had to try two times to glue it. The first time the glue was cured before I finish applying the glue on all 3 sides.
The bottom of the enclosure is just fixed with screws and not glued to the acrylics. The point is to be able to remove the top and work with the gauge. Accidentally the acrylics were cut oversized, but I think it is draining the water better away from the bottom piece.
I did some heavy rain simulations in the shower and I didn’t notice any leaks inside the enclosure and the gauge worked (mechanically wise) perfectly.
I see in the video some overflow of the bucket drain inside the box. I have to fix this somehow.
Next step is to build the electronics and the software.
