Waterproof Radar Detector Box - the Hillbilly Version!

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Seems like every time I've ridden in the last month or so with my Valentine 1 radar detector on my dash shelf, it has managed to rain. This has caused me to have to pull over somewhere and yank it off. I finally decided it was time to get a waterproof container for it, but when I looked on the web, no one carried the one I wanted which was this:




The outfit that use to carry these clear plastic, custom shaped boxes was Cyclegadgets.com but they went out of business in 2011. I did manage to find an outfit in New Zealand that had them but with shipping, it was possibly going to be more than I wanted to pay. Soooo, being the tightwad I am, I cobbled one up myself.

To make a container, I needed to find the right plastic box so every time I've been in a hardware store, 2nd hand store, or container store lately, I've looked for a clear plastic box that was close to the size of my V-1. Last week I finally struck pay dirt at Lowe's. Whatever the heck the thing was, it cost me about $10. Didn't want the contents, just the plastic container:

<click to enlarge pics>

PlasticBoxPurchase_800.jpg


... and the V-1 fit almost perfectly inside it:

BoxTestMeasureDetector.jpg


The first thing to do was to fix the box so it could be mounted to the bike. This means velcro because my dash shelf is covered both top and bottom with hook velcro. I like this temporary system because it allows me to attach farkles anywhere I please, then yank it off if the need arises:

B_Dash_800_Anonotated.jpg


...so whatever is going on it must have the fuzzy velcro loop. So, I put plenty on the bottom of the box:


BoxBottomVelcro.jpg


In order to secure the V-1 inside the box and keep it from flopping around, I put hook velcro in the interior (the V-1 has loop velcro mounted on the bottom of it):


BoxInteriorVelcro.jpg


I know from experience that the V-1 gets pretty hot if confined. Since heat is the enemy of electronics, I did what I could to create a small amount of ventilation. This consisted of 4 small holes on each side. These holes are small enough that water shouldn't easily enter the box considering that it will be mounted on the shelf under the windscreen (tooth picks in holes):


BoxVentHoles.jpg


In the unlikely event that a little water does get in the box, I made several small drainage holes. These holes also allow a little bit of incoming, cross ventilation to feed into the upper vent holes. Again, I've stuck tooth picks in the holes so their position can be seen:

BoxDrainHoles.jpg


Next thing was to create an opening for the power wire which on a V-1 is essentially a telephone wire. I initially made a slot just wide enough for the wire to slip in vertically. I wanted it to be that way because it would keep the opening small and lessen the chance of water getting in. As it turned out, the plug stuck out a bit too far to allow this so I had to make the opening wide enough to accommodate the wide dimension of the wire (horizontal). My Exacto knife kind of got carried away so the opening is not a nice pretty rectangle:

BoxSideEntranceHole.jpg

Here's what it looks like mounted on my shelf:

BoxMountedLSide.jpg

BoxMountedRSide.jpg


Some may wonder about all the holes but I'm not too concerned about it because the windscreen is pretty good at keeping appreciable amounts of rain from coming into the dash area.

I've yet to test it out but if for some reason I'm not satisfied with it and have to start all over, all it will cost me is $10.
 
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Very nice enclosure. I had my escort max wrapped in clear plastic and taped on bottom. I was also thinking to re- do it somehow for this season. That's a very good idea what you did with yours.

Mark



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If you have to start over, you can return the box with the hub to Lowes and get your $10 back:bow1:
 

amorley

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...and how much did you spend on that Valentine? $399.99?

I think she might be feeling she deserves a bit more protection ;)
 
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OP
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Mick
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...and how much did you spend on that Valentine? $399.99?

I think she might be feeling she deserves a bit more protection ;)

Actually, though it may not be as "pretty" as a store bought RD box, my design accounts for something that I haven't seen on commercial RD containers, and that is the amazing amount of heat, generated by the detector, that can build up if confined in a small space. If it's going to be in a small container, it would seem to need at least some cooling and that is what I did via the vent holes.

If you have a radar detector, place it in the map pocket of your tank bag or somewhere else small and confining. You'll be surprised by how hot it gets when enclosed in a small space. Not good because heat is the enemy of electronics. You would think that a design that does not take that into account would adversely affect the longevity of the unit.

I thought about buying the one sold by Cyclegadgets.com several years ago before they went out of business (pictured in my original post), but I could never get around my concern about heat. Because the Valentine is so expensive, I didn't feel like paying money for someone else's container and wind up risking my $400 investment.
 
OP
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Mick
Joined
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'16 Versys 650LT
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It was nice and sunny yesterday so I did a test run to check on how hot the RD got.

On the first test, the air temps were in the upper 60's. This run was on city outskirt roads where I'd get up to 50 mph for about a mile or two, then hit stop lights. The detector was fairly warm but NOWHERE near as hot as it gets when stuffed in the map pocket of a tank bag with no venting. Air temps were in the mid to upper 60's.

The second test was after being on the road for about 3 hours at 60 to 70 mph with air temps in the mid 70's. The detector was noticeably cooler than the first test.

The last test was after being on the road for several hours at 65 to 70 mph in air temps of 60 to 65 degrees. I was very surprised as the detector was just barely warm.

So, the initial test of detector heat buildup on the case looks good. The real test will come when temps around here get in the 100 degree range but so far I'm pleased with it. Wish I'd been able to quantify the detector's case temperature.

Next up is to do a test in the rain.
 
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