Case Layout and Prep.
The Pelican 1300 case has plenty of room, But we are going to need it all with this set up, So what I did was set the camcorder in the case, look it all over, move it around a few times, Scratched my head and finally come up with a plan that I hope will work for me.
Basically what I think I will do is sit the camcorder in the bottom like it is, It will look out the side of the case, I will build a mount for the Servo and bolt it to the back side of the case behind the camera. The BG2 Control board I plan on mounting above the camera so the sensor will be above and looking out the side same as the camera. The IR Array will go into a Separate enclosure, and be bolted to the outside of this case, so it don't concern me just yet, what does concern me is that the 12 volt power supply must fit inside this case, I will use either a 12 volt Lead acid battery, or two 6 volt lead acid batteries hooked together to produce 12 volts for the array. So I will build me a shelf above the camera and to the back half of the case just for these batteries. Then I have an External Microphone for capturing sound, What I will probably end up doing is finding an empty spot in the bottom of the case, drilling a hole the same size as the Microphone and epoxy it facing down out of the case to prevent it from filling with water.
So I need to cut the holes for the lens to see out, and for the sensor and drill the holes for the sensor mounting hardware. First the camera lens. The 58mm Step down ring will fit perfectly in an 2.250" (2 1/4") hole, so I get an 2.250" hole saw, drill and ruler.
Set the camera inside the case, measure from the edge of the case to the side of the camera at the lens, now measure the lens halfway point and add these to measurements, transfer them to the outside of the case. Measure up from a bottom edge and do the same for this measurement, I used a piece of tape so you could see where these measurements intersect, this is where the center of the hole will be. Be aware, the hole and UV filter is much bigger than the lens, so if your just a dab off its no big deal, the camera will still be able to see out with no problems.
Cut the hole
Looking good here.
Now the sensor hole for the BG2 Control Board, I like a 1.125" hole, but a 1" hole works well. Print a Template out for these holes, the Template for the BG2 is In the hags house store, or click here once it has been printed make sure it measures 1 3/4" X 1 3/4" in size, if it does tape it to the Outside of the case where you choose the sensor to look out, using a small punch, dimple the case where the center of each hole is to be drilled.. the Template should go onto the case with the single mounting hole being the top, but it don't matter if you put it on upside down either.
Cut the 1" hole in the center out
Drill the Mounting holes with a 7/64" drill bit. And this is what you end up with. Deburr all the holes.
Next step is to dig out your 58mm Step down ring, The 55mm UV filter.
Screw the Filter into the ring, do not glue it into the ring yet.
Mix up some Epoxy, and run a generous bead around the threads of the Step Down ring. The filter is there so you have something to hold onto for now.
Now that you have the Epoxy on the ring (if your using a fast drying Epoxy, you need to work quick, have the case ready) turn your case up, insert the ring into the lens hole, and give it about a 1/4 turn to spread the epoxy. The epoxy will bead up around the outside of the ring, My advise is leave it there always. Now sit the case aside and let it dry. You can come back later and run Epoxy around the inside of the case for added strength.
Once it is dry, unscrew the UV filter from the ring, and mix some more epoxy. Run a bead around the ring of the UV filter to seal it to the Glass, this will help to prevent water from entering around the glass and getting inside the case. I know your now asking about the threads where the UV filter screws into the ring? What I do is, I use Black RTV Silicone Sealant from the Auto parts store, I run a thin bead around those threads and screw it into the ring. this way it is not glued in. Silicone I can probably unthread the Filter out with a little work if I need to, Epoxy, Forget about it, it is permanent.
