Watchdog Security Camera Robot

I want to keep water out as much as I can but in reality this chassis was not designed for that, and I need to adapt. When I make my own chassis from scratch in the future I will have a seal, but for now we will settle for waterproofing. I will use Plastidip original formula product so I can paint it on with a brush and applied indoors since it is so cold outside.

the rubber is not conductive but it is great for keeping water off electronics.

Not much to say here, I am test fitting the head for looks and also function as it needs to be close to the axles of the wheels so it rotates withe the robots center axis.

The deck in the background is done by now by the way. The robot all together is coming together and now it is time to get it moving and start testing.

Sensor disk gets the same plastidip gunmetal grey rubber coating. It is not as smooth , probably because of the humidity, the plastidip has seen sub freezing temps so maybe that plays a part. I soaked the inside of the compartment and also the wood bottom as well to protect the wood from moisture or transferring moisture from outside to inside.

I cut the wood disk and now I am figuring out good placement for sensors and boards.

After several coats of plastidip the head will now hold water ! Booya.  I may need cooling vents in the future , but those would be strategically places to avoid insects or water from getting in.

Sensors hot melt glued in place

The small pinhole camera is the 640x480 machine vision cam dedicated for image processing, object recognition, face recognition ect. The lights are IR and black disks are new waterproof ultrasonic range sensors.

I took apart the original wheels which are 4.10-4 Carlisle tires. The are knobby like what off road go carts would use. After some testing I found the harbor freight tires to be slippery when grass gets wet and then the robot is stuck. This solves that problem.

Oh thats mean looking  :)

So next I need to make this compartment usable. I cut out the right and left side of the motor controller mount out and removed the zip ties for the wiring. This has created a slightly deeper and wider space to work with. I believe I will hot glue in some fleece fabric and soak it in resin. If needed I will reinforce from the back side only to keep this area open. I am not worried about weight as this is designed to haul around a 300 pound payload.

Ok great, a couple hours later I have a fiberglass compartment

I sprayed a couple coats of the grey plastidip on the frame both top and bottom , 2 to 3 more to com ,but the look will be the same just thicker.

I am coating the black frame with plastidip after cleaning up some rust spots. This should help with rust protection.

I started filling holes in the top of the aquarium I hacked up to make the round part of the Robot. I taped the front off and filled epoxy from the back. I could use this as a topper for the sensor stalk.

I tried out the plastidip on the body and so far it looks pretty cool and if I want to repaint or change colors it is certainly easier than sanding! In this pic i also fitted some sensors in front of the wheels as non touch bump sensors. Also there is a voltage gauge that is black when not lit.

The plastidip can be used to protect electronics from moisture so I am trying that out on a sensor and leaving it outside in the rain.

I’m testing out the grey plastidip now that all the holes for cameras and the sensors are made. Once you paint something all the little mistakes and rough edges really show, but this is all a trial run anyways 

After it dried the color is getting darker.