The previous iteration of this project was a very DIY-looking project. I used some large electrical junction boxes, velcro, and way too many wires to jerry rig it all to my motorcycle. It worked, but it was ugly. Since then, I have made some updates.
Smaller form factor
Rather than look like I am riding around with homemade explosives on my motorcycle, I cleaned up the form factor a lot more:
Since a lot of my devices are one-off and I am constantly changing the designs, I try to use solderless parts where I can to not have to completely redo things when I make a design change. I use a lot of these solderless wire connectors, but in this case that meant a lot of added bulk. Getting rid of them allowed me to get everything in a 5.9×3.9×2.8 inch (150×100×70mm) electrical box.
The box now holds:
- the solar power manager
- the 18650 battery holder (comes with solar power manager) with three 18650 batteries
- the pig tail connector going to the motorcycle cover with a built in solar panel
- the wire routed to the other solar panel (attached to my topbox) for charging without the cover on
- the button to turn the MPU off, plus the wiring to the diode and 10K resistor
- the MPU6050
- the buzzer alarm with its A23 battery holder and battery
- the lilygo
Button to disable the MPU6050
Another thing I did was attach an external button to disable the MPU6050, meaning I don't have to open up the box and flip the switch of the Lilygo anymore when I want to ride around (otherwise the MPU constantly goes off from the motion of the ride).
Normally the INT drops to a logical 0 (low) to signal a change in motion or position. The new circuit uses a diode, a 10K resistor and a toggle button to hold the INT signal from the MPU to a logical 1 (high) when the circuit is closed, preventing the drop to a low.
I used some metal brackets and some clamps to attach the junction box with everything stuffed in it to the pannier rack.
It's still a DIY project, but at least it is now hidden away and less of an eyesore!