Parakeet Beak Case (version 1) by jamorham

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Parakeet PCB beak style case
This is a case for the Parakeet board designed by mzst123
The case measures 5.5cm x 4.4cm x 2.6cm with a "beak" or wedge shape along one side.
It is designed to fit a specific battery, model 523450 (3.7v 1000 mAh) which I measured at 52mm x 34.5mm x 5.3mm. There is a bit of space left for a slightly wider battery, up to 40mm max. I left the extra clearance to ensure the wixel antenna can get a good signal from as many angles as possible.
Battery capacity shouldn't really go much below 1000 mAh because the SIM800 needs the potential for high burst current drain and the charging resistor would also need to be adjusted accordingly. This battery capacity has been giving over 2 days battery life.
I mounted the JST XH battery connector at 90 degrees to fit more neatly and reduce the assembled board height (by bending the connector legs using a hard surface) I also used a flat plastic spacer attached to the underside of the battery to provide extra insulation and physical protection between the battery and the board.
Only the external antenna socket was used with the supplied SIM800 plug in antenna. I didn't solder on the fixed antenna because the flat one has a lower profile and has always worked well for me. There is a small groove allowing for the gsm antenna to be mounted above the wixel antenna at 90 degrees against the side of the case.
The photos show the design printed in White ABS plastic (vapor smoothed) with a 100 micron setting. This gave a really nice result, feeling strong and light and with the LEDs visible through the case. Printed via 3dhubs.
Whenever working with lithium batteries, be sure you have studied and fully understand the safety considerations concerning these. Soldering the battery wires, using a battery incorrectly, short circuiting, using the wrong type of battery for a circuit or damaging the battery can result in a battery fire.
I would only ever crimp connectors, use high quality batteries from a reputable source and ones with built in protection circuits. Always being very careful to protect the battery from short circuit, physical damage or extremes of temperature. Any project you undertake is at your own risk.
Parakeet project page:
https://jamorham.github.io/#parakeet