Why is no one making / selling top mount enclosures?

[Venom121212]

I think these look sleek but wonder how securely they would mount.

[eBoosted]

The pelican or similar boxes have the next features:

already available in the market
waterproof
different sizes
Very strong
doors with latches that seal perfectly when closed
great inner space
Cheap/affordable

A custom made enclosure will have to tick all the afformentioned features plus being pretty, this is why it’s such a difficult task for any enclosure maker that might take a lot of time and versions which will drive the price up or start to untick boxes

[Venom121212]

@EreTroN

I don’t like the look of peli case (it reminds me of my work too much )

You guys trying to trigger him?

[Sk8tedad]

I think that is going to be hard to get away from in the end some things are hard to improve on , 3D print or CNC to fit the cells and slope the sides would look better but be prohibitively expensive for consumers . Or make a mold of the batteries and cast a solution, that would be a sleek box. Personaly I like the pelican case, but there is no accounting for taste. If you ride at nite solo, none of this is an issue,also, I don’t look down. But I’m a NOOB so go figure EDIT I MENT TO SAY KNOB

[glyphiks]

Yep. Its definitely a predicament. I hate pelicases personally, but as a business i wanna start selling some ready to go, plug and play top boxes. It took me a long time, but i finally got over my ego. Look what arrived today…

[brown5tick]

@glyphiks

Its got hard corners. That doesn’t tick my box of ‘looks good’

Oh, it absolutely isn’t ‘good looking’. I mean, that was the run of the thread I linked to - there just fucking aren’t any good looking top-mounts. I do agree with @PixelatedPolyeurthan that it makes for a promising basis though.

What would need to change? If a less 2D lid could be made/manufactured - maybe something machined & anodised like the 3DS stuff or 3d printed, would that make enough of a difference?

[Venom121212]

I 100% get the appeal and am on your side. Cheap, waterproof, easy, to work with, comes in tons of sizes, readily available. Lots of check marks.

…diy junction boxessss…

[Sk8tedad]

I hope building for a business is still fun, people assume operating an excavator with a thumb that for all the world looks and functions like an extension of my hand is fun. It was at the beginning, now it’s just a job, but I do LOVE when the kids gather and watch like I’m some kind of mechanical robot pilot (the satisfaction of their joy when I stop and wave or on rare occasions can let them sit in the seat for a pic NEVER GETS OLD) if you love your work you are a rich man

[EreTroN]

Sitting at work next to this while reading this thread

Exactly what I have tried to avoid

[glyphiks]

@Venom121212

diy junction boxessss

There’s one box i didn’t put on my box list, but it k8nda falls under ‘functional’… it needs to be tough! I like the idea of junction boxes but i just can’t see how they would be strong enough… keep in mind, i am prone to crashing at high speed

@brown5tick

What would need to change? If a less 2D lid could be made/manufactured - maybe something machined & anodised like the 3DS stuff or 3d printed, would that make enough of a difference?

I’ve toyed with the idea of adding rounded corners to these hard edged boxes that could maybe be printed with TPU or cast with polyurethane or similar to serve the purpose of both aesthetics (by breaking that hard edge) and toughness (by protecting that hard edge).

The problem is that adds complexity and it no longer is as easy to make because it adds a whole new component(s) to the box.

But yeah for sure, i think the addition of stuff like that could be an improvement in some areas

[b264]

@SabreDynamics

It would be nice to have a streamlined top mount enclosure made from carbon fiber/composite

Carbon fiber is usually a poor choice for skateboards. Try glass fiber, dyed black if you wish.

It’s also comical how often this comes up. Just a short search reveals:

@b264

Besides the part about it being silly to use a radio-blocking material, on a vehicle where your life depends on the radio signal. Besides that — glass fiber is actually more flexible and less rigid and has properties better suited to skateboards than carbon fibers which are extremely rigid and inflexible.

You’re basically saying “put the radio blocking stuff only partially around the antenna” when your life depends on that radio. And also when the radio transparent stuff just seems to work better for this anyway. So why use the carbon at all?

This discussion constantly comes up over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Carbon sounds and looks cooler, this is the real reason methinks.

@b264

Fiberglass is better than carbon, as it’s transparent to radio signals. A full carbon deck and enclosure isn’t a great idea unless you intend to mount the antenna on the outside somewhere, preferably on top.

@b264

Carbon fiber in general is bad to use when you have radio devices inside the enclosure.

Carbon fiber is not transparent to radio like fiberglass is.

@b264

Is the deck lid fiberglass or carbon fiber? Typically these style decks have a fiberglass lid for radio transparency.

@b264

Carbon fiber is opaque to radio signals as an electrical conductor and in this regard, fiberglass is much preferred, being transparent to radio.

@b264

Just forget about carbon fibre. It looks pretty, but it conducts electricity and is opaque to radio. Use fiberglass instead.

@b264

Fiberglass is better than carbon fiber for enclosures

[glyphiks]

Haha yeah i love what i do or I wouldn’t do it. I’m broke as fuck right now but i wouldn’t change it for the world.

[glyphiks]

Forged fibreglass is beautiful

[EreTroN]

This one should fit 18s100p

Bottle for comparison

[Sk8tedad]

trailer mount

[b264]

@glyphiks

…

Forged fibreglass is beautiful

This is truly beautiful, except for the fugly bolt cutouts.

[glyphiks]

I’m glad you think so, the whole project left me scarred and i hate it and its currently sitting unfinished i learned some stuff tho!

[jack.luis]

Pelican cases / harbor freight cases are practically the best option you can get for the reasons Damon mentioned. But I completely agree that they are ugly and weigh more than they need to.

A bunch of people on here are working on top boxes, really talented folks we just need to give them more time and we are going to have so many cool options.

[EreTroN]

But I don’t have time. You want to tell me to stop my next build. Dude I am addicted

[Venom121212]

I was worried too but my enclosure on my jump deck has been crashed and ground to bits and is still rock solid. No cracks or splits. I’d love to see your crazy friend crash one around.

It’s the pvc that makes it solid. Avoid that abs crap obviously. A pvc formed enclosure would be smooth and shapable but smelly as hell to work with.

I still like my modular lego brick buck idea for vacuum forming. If only I had the time and space.