Flip over power box

[Corndog]

Here is mine that I finished last night.  I started with a Seahorse hard case from Amazon.
What do you think

Thats a real nice job!

[Corndog]

Being I'm in a Fish Trap, and I wanted something smaller, has anyone seen this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkODsQPWWn0

[Cfilbert]

Being I'm in a Fish Trap, and I wanted something smaller, has anyone seen this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkODsQPWWn0

That looks like it would work great, except one additional thing to carry on the ice.

[JJBat150]

The Berkley Power Pack is a bit low on capacity...  "2.3 amp hours"  according to their website.

http://www.berkley-fishing.com/Berkley%C2%AE-Power-Pack-Battery/1347828,default,pd.html

[Corndog]

The Berkley Power Pack is a bit low on capacity...  "2.3 amp hours"  according to their website.

http://www.berkley-fishing.com/Berkley%C2%AE-Power-Pack-Battery/1347828,default,pd.html

That's what I was thinking. On Cabelas site I found that it says "12 hour run time"
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Berkleyreg-Power-Pack-Battery-System/1878617.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3FrecordsPerPage%3D18%26No%3D0%26N%3D0%26nl%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dberkley%2Bpower%2Bpack%26search%3DSearch&No=0&Ntt=berkley+power+pack

I'm gonna ask a buddy who's wicked smart and see if he can give me more info.

[Corndog]

That looks like it would work great, except one additional thing to carry on the ice.

Agreed,but I was looking at building a power box for my flip over anyway,which would also be an additional item to carry out..not sure if that's what you meant,but I'm looking at it from a safety standpoint. A way to keep my phone charged and operate a 12 volt fan to aid in air circulation. That way condensation and carbon monoxide, from say my propane heate,will be kept at bay.

[KenInSask]

Be careful buying switches from ebay

I bought a few of these rocker switches with LED in it and couldn't figure out why it was getting so hot, hot enough to almost burn my thumb shutting it off. I knew all of the wiring was done correctly. I ripped one apart and found that it isnt an LED in there as advertised but a small incandescent bulb that gets roasting hot.

This is what I bought



This is the light inside



No wonder it got so hot!!!

[matzilla]

Contoura rocker switches often have the same lights in them as well...sucks they said LED's were installed


Here is the box I made for my Recon...Tupperware container with a pair of 7ah batteries, stainless machine screws for charging and hooking up ring terminals to all of my equipment



insulated and installed

[KenInSask]

Yeah, too bad I left feedback already before I realized they were not LED

Ordered some more from a different supplier, hopefully these come LED cause the holes are already cut

[Corndog]

Yeah, too bad I left feedback already before I realized they were not LED

Ordered some more from a different supplier, hopefully these come LED cause the holes are already cut

Depending on what you spent, I would try and file a claim through eBay to recoup the money spent. And you can, I believe, edit or update the feedback you left to reflect your disappointment.
I decided on going with a automotive type battery jumper power supply. I found one at a flea market for $20. It's a Stanley brand. Has usb,12v lighter type port and a household plug type port as well as a light and digital display. I unfortunately do not have a permanent type shanty, just a flip over,so I think this will suffice.

[Corndog]

Stopped in my local Kmart. Scored a oscillating 12v fan and a reflective jumbo auto shade,both on clearance. Fan will help with condensation and heat distribution and will plug right in to the jump starter I got. Cost, $5.00! Saw the same one for $15 on Amazon. The auto shade was $3! Total, $8.56! Bring on the ice!

[FinnHunt3r]

I bought it along with my LEDs so I am pretty sure its the right one??? It has a remote and everything, I bought a couple of terminals for it today that I think may work, so I will give it another shot. It should be simple as black from leds into box, red from leds into box, red from box to battery and black from box to battery. Right???  I bought a simple toggle switch and I think I am going to run each one seperately. That way too I can have both my light box and my shanty lights on if I wanted/needed them too. That 6 prong switch is a pain in my behind

Thanks for the help guys and mattkenzer! Took me a couple weeks (works been insane) but a night and a couple of beers later got it installed and count be happier!!! It was 7f here today, hopefully within the next few weeks we will be seeing ice!

[J_Edwards]

Nice work guys.   I'm itching to get mine out, the lakes in Alaska are capping or already capped and I'm sweating my butt off in 90 degree heat half way around the world.  2 more months and its on.

[Ice_Addict]

Thanks for all the great ideas everyone! This thread inspired me to make my own portable power station with a few of the ideas from here that will suit my needs. Once I had all the parts, it was a pretty fun build that took about 6 hours. I wanted a clean looking box so I took my time and made sure all the connections were protected with heat shrink tubing and wires were proper lengths, etc. I used a plastic ammo can made by Flambeau Outdoors that I have had laying around the garage for a few years. It has a flip up top on the lid that I thought would be nice to keep my switches protected and from getting bumped when in transport.

This is the beginning, showing the fuse box (10 gang with a common ground) and the main power switch that will turn the whole power supply on or off. (Don't mind the wiring to the main power switch, it has three poles and I didn't have it connected properly at the time of this picture.) Sorry about some of the pics, not sure why they are showing up upside-down.


Voltage display added on left, dual USB port on top left and cigarette lighter port on top right.


Power switch for shack LEDs added as well as a dimmer switch for them. This is wired to posts that are accessible on the outside of the box so I can just hook the alligator clips from my shack LEDs to the posts without opening the box. When I'm ready to leave, just unhook the alligator clips and go.


Top view of the box showing the main power switch and the shack LED light switch on far right, voltage display on top and the two power ports on the left.


Then, I added some LED strip lighting to the outside of the box so that it can be used as a portable lantern. After disconnecting the shack LEDs I'll still have lights while I finish packing up. Or it can be used when checking tip ups. They are also wired on their own power switch.


Wiring all complete. 3 batteries wired in parallel.


Cleaned up a little of the wiring so it wouldn't get caught in the lid when closing the box.


Closeup of the LED lights on the outside of the box.


Closeup of the posts on the outside of the closed box that my shack LED lights will clip onto with alligator clips. Hooked to a power switch.


Closeup of the posts on the outside of the box that my charger's alligator clips will hook up to. No need to open the box, just clip the charger's wires on and wait.

[Crappyfishrman]

I am putting my parts list together today, hoping to find most of the stuff locally. Will purchase anything i can't find off of amazon.

Have you purchased lights yet? I've been searching the internet this morning trying to find the best deal and also trying to make sure they will be bright enough. I believe someone linked some from page 3 or 4. I don't wanna waste my money. Maybe some someone who has had there's for a season can post up their thoughts.

[Ice_Addict]

I am putting my parts list together today, hoping to find most of the stuff locally. Will purchase anything i can't find off of amazon.

Have you purchased lights yet? I've been searching the internet this morning trying to find the best deal and also trying to make sure they will be bright enough. I believe someone linked some from page 3 or 4. I don't wanna waste my money. Maybe some someone who has had there's for a season can post up their thoughts.

I found the best prices from Amazon. We have a Prime subscription so 2-day shipping was free for eligible items. I have a parts list if you're interested. I got a roll of weatherproof LED lights (seen above on the outside of the box). It was $10 for a 5 meter roll. You can cut them down to whatever length you want (can cut between every 3 LED lights).

In my portable (older 2-man Clam Scout) I bought one of the Clam light bars last year. You can either clip it onto one of the existing poles, or some guys actually cut a section of their shack's pole and replace with the light bar. I clipped mine on (with the clips that came with the light bar) because I wanted the option to move the light bar from the top pole to the back pole if I wanted. One really nice thing about the light pole is that you can spin it so the lights face upwards if you want to keep too much light from shining down. I'm very happy with the amount of light that the light bar puts out. It's plenty bright for what I want (also why I put a dimmer switch in the power box).

I also have a wiring diagram I'd be happy to share if interested.

[Crappyfishrman]

Id be interested to see which brand led's you bought off amazon. You can't beat those prices. As far as switches and stuff I was going to compare to things at farm and fleet. If the price is way off i will just order off amazon.

Only reason i ask about the LEDs, there are so many types and the reviews on some say they aren't very bright but one mans opinion of bright and another guys opinion might be different.

Lateseason recommends http://www.amazon.com/SUPERNIGHT-Waterproof-Flexible-Strip-Ribbon/dp/B00BH91W9G/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1388627406&sr=8-7&keywords=waterproof+led+lights+12v

Id love a picture and review of them!! Curious if they are holding up.

[Ice_Addict]

Those are the same LEDs that I ordered. As you mentioned, what I think is bright is different than the next guy.

I'm very happy with them, but they haven't been field tested since I just got them and installed them on my box this past weekend. They come with an adhesive back that seemed to stick to my box just fine. Hard to say how they will hold up over time. I would just have to figure out a new way to stick them to my box if the adhesive doesn't hold up. A guy could use some clear plastic tubing and use that as well. Then you can mount the tubing with regular pipe holders/mounts or whatever you call them. This might be what I do if I use them in my permanent shack, depending where I decide to put them.

Below are links to most of the parts. They were all eligible for Amazon Prime so shipping was free and I got them in a couple days.

5 Pack of Switches - $5.36
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007B86Z94/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_7

Dual USB Port - $19.47 - if you want to keep the cost down, this is probably the best thing to cut and just stuck with the cigarette lighter port (or two of them)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0082CXEI8/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_5

Cigarette Lighter Port - $7.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U4ZZPK/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_4

LED Light Strip (5 meters) - $9.98 - same as the ones Lateseason recommended
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BH91W9G/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_6

10 Gang Fuse Block - $21.95 - you can get a smaller one, but I knew I needed 5 and thought I could expand if I wanted in the future
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N9PJ7W/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_3

Voltage Display - $6.69 - not necessary, but it gives a good idea of when your batteries are getting low
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KY5ULW/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_2

Dimmer Switch - $5.99 - also not necessary, but may come in handy to dim the lights if needed
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYXGEEQ/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_1

[Crappyfishrman]

Well pulled the trigger. Got the LEDs, cig lighter, USB charger ports and led dimmer coming!!! Local store had switches at a very reasonable price and found a ammo can that i really liked to for like $2 more! Can't wait to put this together!!!

[Crappyfishrman]

Got everything in the mail!! Now I don't know how i want to put it together haha. Can't decide how many lights i want in the shack. Can't decide how i want to set up my box etc
Etc.

How many strips of lights did you guys put in your shack and how long was each strip of LEDs? I'm gonna go tinker in the garage and do some testing. Just curious what you guys did. Thanks

And everyone loves photos.

[matzilla]

I see someone's been to Farm and Fleet

What do you have for a shack?

[Crappyfishrman]

I have a frabill trekker.

[matzilla]

I'd use 3 of these or similar

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Seasense-8-LED-Multi-Purpose-Utility-Strip-Light-White/16651496

I have two 4" strips in my recon and it is pretty well lit... pictures here http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=293004

[Crappyfishrman]

I mocked up the LEDs in the shack. I was curious how bright they were! They aren't too bad. I think i will do 2 strips on 2 bars in the ceiling. And I will also wrap the LEDs around the tool box like someone else did on IC.

[Ice_Addict]

I use the Clam light stick in my portable. You can either replace a portion of one of your shack's poles with the light stick, or the smaller light stick comes with some S-clips that you simply attach to whichever pole in your shack you would like. The pic below shows what it looks like and the different S-clips that come with it. (different sizes for different pole diameters)



I have my light stick attached to the top pole. When I want the light to be dimmer, I simply twist the light stick to point the LEDs upwards. Now that I have the portable power box with the dimmer switch to power the light stick, I will really be able to control the amount of light I have.

 

[pheasant16]

Hey guys! I'm looking to build myself a power box. I only need something pretty basic. A USB charger and a few LED strips and puck lights with switches. Any pointers on where to start? 

[thewyler]

Breaker (7a is probably good)
12v ciggarette outlet x 2
5v 7ma usb outlet on switch
Live post terminals on switch with optional dimmer( i would recomend putting the dimmer on the sled)
Led strip lighting around the sides of the box for lighting on a switch
16 ga wire should do the trick
crimp connectors ( get two tools one specificly for crimping connectors its well worth it)
Red to red ....black to black ....theres not too much to a 12v curcuit

[Ice_Addict]

Hey guys! I'm looking to build myself a power box. I only need something pretty basic. A USB charger and a few LED strips and puck lights with switches. Any pointers on where to start? 

I have a pretty detailed wiring diagram (very easy for a novice to follow) that I will try to get posted for you. You can pick and choose which items you want your power box to include.

Pics of my build are in this thread on page 13. I also posted a list of most of the parts that you can order online. I am very happy with how mine turned out. It's going to be very handy to have!

[Bits]

Hi Ice_Addict--
I didn't see what size plastic box you used, could you please post the physical dimensions?
 
Thanks much & good fishing!!!!

[Ice_Addict]

Hi Ice_Addict--
I didn't see what size plastic box you used, could you please post the physical dimensions?
 
Thanks much & good fishing!!!!

Below is a pic of the one that I used. You can get them at Wally World for about $12-$15. I like the shallow top part that closes and keeps the switches/ports clean and dry. Dimensions are listed as:

9.0 L x 14.0 W x 20.75 H (the height listed has to be with the lid open - it's only about 10-12" high with lid closed)