The idea of fitting CosmicPi hardware into a portable rugged case had been floated a while ago, so the opportunity presented by the Transglobal Car Expedition was an excellent boost to get the refit done.
Watch James talk through the re-packaging of CosmicPi hardware into the new splashproof case in the video below.Play
The splashproof case has a smaller inner volume compared with the original case.
Adapting to the new case involved modifying the layout of the existing hardware. The silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) PCBA, which was designed to connect directly on top of the main CosmicPi PCBA via head connectors, had to be displaced to the edge of the main PCBA. This required changing the connectivity, with additional ~10 cm long cables introduced to connect the SiPM PCBA to the main PCBA. These cables carry the tiny amplitude signals from the SiPMs which are extremely noise-sensitive, to the main board. Initial attempts with the rainbow jumper cables shown in the video above failed, and those cables were replaced with co-axial ables.
Once fitted, time for a quick test.
Watch a video of the first test by James below.