Okay, let’s talk about this impact tech crash cage I put together recently. It wasn’t anything super fancy, just something I needed to sort out in the workshop.
Starting Point: Why Bother?
So, I’ve got this little sensor package I cobbled together. Nothing off-the-shelf, you know, just some bits and pieces I needed for a specific measurement outdoors. The problem? The places I needed to put it weren’t exactly… gentle. Think rocky terrain, occasional drops, that sort of thing. Broke a housing already, which was annoying. I needed something tough, lightweight, and cheap to protect the guts.
Figuring Out the Design (Sort Of)
Didn’t spend ages drawing up plans. Honestly, I just grabbed a notepad and sketched a basic box frame. The idea was simple: create a cage around the sensor box, leaving space so any hit would be taken by the cage, not the important stuff inside. I thought about using some tough plastic I had, maybe even 3D printing corner joints, but I wanted something really light but stiff. Remembered I had some thin carbon fiber tubes leftover from an old RC plane project. Perfect.
Getting Hands Dirty: The Build
First up, I measured the sensor box and added about an inch of clearance all around. That gave me the rough dimensions for the cage. Then I started cutting the carbon fiber tubes. This was fiddly. Getting all twelve pieces for a cube shape exactly the same length took a bit of patience and careful work with a small hobby saw. Carbon dust gets everywhere, wear a mask, folks.
For the corners, my initial thought was 3D printing, but my printer was acting up. So, plan B: good old epoxy putty and some strategically placed zip ties.
- I laid out the base square first.
- Used small blobs of epoxy putty at each corner to join the tubes.
- While the putty was still workable, I tightened small zip ties around the joints to hold everything square as it cured. Looked messy but worked.
- Once the base was solid, I added the vertical tubes the same way.
- Finally, built the top square and attached it.
It wasn’t pretty, looked a bit like a spiderweb held together with putty and plastic strips, but it felt surprisingly rigid once the epoxy fully hardened. And damn light.
Putting It to the Test
Okay, cage built. Now, does it actually work? I wasn’t about to stick my actual sensors in there right away. Found a block of wood roughly the same weight and size. Secured it inside the cage with some foam padding and more zip ties, just loosely so it had wiggle room.
Time for some abuse. Started simple. Dropped it onto the workbench from a foot up. No problem. Then two feet. Still good. Took it outside. Dropped it onto the grass from shoulder height. Cage flexed a bit, wood block was fine. The real test: a drop onto the concrete path from about waist height. Clack! One of the epoxy joints cracked slightly, but the cage held its shape, and the wood inside was untouched. The carbon tubes themselves were fine.
Final Thoughts
So, yeah. The crash cage works. It’s not indestructible, that cracked joint proved that. Might reinforce the corners with something better later, maybe wrap them in fiberglass tape. But for a quick job using scraps I had lying around, it does the trick. It absorbed the impact, protected the payload, and cost next to nothing. Kept my little sensor safe for now. Job done.
