Dave and users, a few observations on the controller kit. These are some points I have experienced and are not necessarily criticisms but more things to watch for. In any case constructive criticisms are good...brings about constructive change and I know you are a pro-active person generally more than one-step ahead!:
1. The power PCB jack is 2.1mm centre +ve. I stick to 2.5mm centre ....mixing sizes can be a real pain in the field...especially if you fit a 2.5 centre plug in a 2.1 jack...you get intermittent power drop-outs. It's not an issue using 2.1mm however if you want 2.5mm they can easily/cheaply be changed prior to install....it's just users should be aware of this. We all have out favourite sizes and we all differ.
2. The PCB DC jack is recessed in the case (as are all connectors apart from the the motor DB9) so you need to bore a wide enough hole so the the power plug fits thru the case to the jack. The PCB power jack is designed for a 10mm shaft connectors...but...you can get these connectors in 14mm shafts! Thus if you use a longer 14mm power plug shaft (see
here and
here) you do not need to bore the power jack hole so wide...just to fit thru the case!
3. I found you need to bore the temp and hand controller mini DIN holes in the case larger than mentioned. I found the case walls are at a slight angle and to allow straight plug entry you may need 13~14mm holes.
4. I found the supplied LED clips distorted when the LED's were fitted, I had some Jaycar 3mm LED clips that worked better. I also needed to bore the clip holes larger than the 4mm.
5. I have had issues with the fly LED PCB holes. I damaged a few fly leads when testing (broke off the fly leads) un-soldering the left overs was a real pain and I damaged one via, obviously my fault!
I couldn't solder wick (with flux) out the remaining solder so I had to bore the holes with a .6mm drill and this damaged the hole via feed thru. This is not a design fault just clumsy hands.....but..in light of that I would really like a header and plug system for these LEDs instead of the current system. Yes I know the constraints of size and height (for the case design) but maybe a small header/plug (not the std 2.54 size SIL) ...I've seen on fleabay....somewhere?
6. Mounting....obviously as with most DIY mounting is a thing you work out yourself. I have designed stuff and had the same attitude. However, I found the flanged lid version of the case allows itself to mounting better than the original case, see above pics. If you want to replace the case then element 14 has cheap flanged lid cases (
here).
The above is not a name a shame it's just things I experienced in building the controller that others may come across. Oh, I'm anal when doing things like this (due to my background) so what I say may be frivolous to many!
Might I say..."Damn this system works well".......keep up the good work Dave, I'm a devoted fan and you know we speak similar language.