Mounting New Radio
 

Has anyone come up with a good method for mounting the new radios? They have feet on the bottom of them that prevent velcro from making great contact. Anyone come up with a good solution? Is there a CAD model for these things yet and is a custom mounting solution possible?

Re: Mounting New Radio
 

Duct tape is a no go? ;)

What about velcro straps similar to the battery mounts?

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I'm old school FRC; duct tape is always a no go with me.... unless it's zebra striped!

I do like the idea of a housing and strap system though similar to these battery mounts: http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-0477.htm

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When we tested the new radio at IRI, we zip-tied it, just like we did with the dlinks.

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Any pictures? We've always used velcro to hold the dlink radios.

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Open-Mesh does sell their own mounting enclosure.
In 2014 558 used a some standoffs and a piece of polycarbonate to make a sleeve for our radio, 2015 we just used Velcro.

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If you leave the status lights exposed, I suppose you could mount the velcro on the smooth top instead of the bottom. Attached are photos of how we tried mounting it this way when it was being gang tested with a 5v switch. It's too unsteady for competition use though. We just wanted easy access to the ports and easy visibility of the status lights. The slightly rounded top worked better with an extra piece of double-sided tape under the "wings" so to speak.

We zip-tied and velcro strapped ours on when it was used in off-season competition matches.

I think for competition we might go with a 3d printed open sleeve emphasizing removability, ventilation, status light visibility, and port/power access.

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We did too, but the specific way we did it was probably not that good.

At IRI we noted that there were some features to wall mount the radio and used these to slide (slowly and gently) a zip tie through from one end to the other. We then used a second zip tie to form a loop and secure the radio to a 1x1 VEX tube.

Later inspection of a radio by Big Al showed that there are small coax segments that we could have damaged if we were more forceful. We lucked out.

So, we should be careful about how we zip tie. I'm thinking of tasking one of the team members to come up with a 3D printed connecting platform that uses 4 short barbs on the sides to grip half-way up the venting slots on the side. A bit like a phone case. If this is successful, I'll have the student share the design.

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Yeah, this is what I would like too.

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Sounds like a challenge for CAD students to put their skills to use before the season starts. I look forward to seeing the many ideas that result.

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Their indoor enclosure is a bit easier to pull the radio in and out, and it has cutouts for the indicator lights.

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How well did that TRENDnet switch work for you? Were there any issues with it at all? It seems like a good choice for adding additional ports.

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Does anyone have a CAD model of the new radio? I haven't been able to find it anywhere. It would make designing a case much easier (especially because my team will likely not have a radio until we get one in the KOP at Kickoff).

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Just a note from what I read so far on this thread...

I don't know about the version of the radio that was used at IRI or other off-season events, but the version that is currently being tested by the Beta test teams is a 12V units and not 5V as it was in previous years.

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We do the same thing as what Mark McLeod said. We Velcro it on the top for two reasons:

1- The feet aren't in the way
2- The PIN is still visible for when need to configure a new network

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Funny guy, right here.

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Something I did was make sure to flag each barrel connector with the voltage it is carrying and the device it is to provide power to. I also flag the positive wire with a red flag at the VRM end to lessen the chance of a miswire there.

I haven't had any issues with it. It's nice and light.
It couples nicely with the radio and one shared VRM, since the radio takes from the 12v side and the switch takes from the 5v side.

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Does anyone know if there are new guidelines for the radio? Is there any part of it that need to be visible for inspection?

We had a slot for the previous radio that was similar to a phone case- a polycarbonate frame with Velcro on the inside. I'm thinking we could do the same with this one but put Velcro on the front and possibly the bottom to hold it in place, the problem with this is the location of the ports.

If anyone makes a CAD for mounting it, please post.

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Make the status indicators visible from the side of the field when you mount the radio.

The power and Ethernet ports at one end are nice for the field staff to be able to see from close up when troubleshooting, too, but they don't have to be visible from far away like the status lights.

There isn't anything else to see on the sides or bottom, but they do have ventilation slots that should get some air exposure, but also be protected from metal dust and shards.

The antennas used are along the sides, so keep those away from close contact with metal and with a clear line of sight outside the robot.

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How tall are those feet?

In the past, we've used Scotch/3m Duallock fasteners to hold our radios down. We've had occasional trouble getting the duallock to stick to our control board or the modem, but not to each other. When we've cleaned plastic surfaces (e.g. with alcohol) prior to use, we've done pretty well. Duallock is nearly 1/4" thick when engaged. If that's not enough, a fairly light spacer (such as a piece currogated plastic sign board) in the mix should be able to fill the gap.

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Are the feet big enough to stick a decent-sized piece of Velcro or similar onto?

Can the feet be removed safely (and legally--but that part will have to wait until next season)?

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Picture of the feet:
http://team358.org/files/programming...Radio-back.jpg

You can remove the little black rubber widgets but I wouldn't modify the plastic housing... or maybe I would... I haven't decided what we're going to do yet.

They are tall enough that engagement of velcro on a flat surface is not ideal. A spacer is a good idea.

EDIT: Removed duallock hypothesis since Mark says that it is a no-go below.

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The feet are 4 millimeters or 5/32".
It's the same spacing as one side of 3M Dual-lock to the tips of the hooks, so a spacer would be necessary. The side of dual-lock can be easily slid under the radio when it's sitting flat on a table with no snagging.

Remember too that there are ventilation slots covering most of the bottom that I'd be loath to completely cover, especially with fuzzy insulation.
I personally like to be able to still see the critical parts of the labeling-power specs, MAC address.

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Now that I've seen it, why not use those key-shaped mounting holes? Two pan-head bolts with spacers behind should be able to engage them, then just add a bracket to keep it from sliding towards letting them out the keyholes. (top in photo). It looks like there's a 3" spacing, so we may be good to go on pegboard without drilling.

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Also a good idea.

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The two mounting holes are 2 5/8" apart center-to-center.
A pan head 5/16" in diameter fits.

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Dual-Lock and a velcro strap would get you 100% of the way there but if you want to make a 3D printed sleeve and post it on the internet for me to steal that works.