The requirement
What I like about the DIY projects I am getting is the variety in the requirements and the purpose that they are meeting. My recent assignment is to build an inverter battery case that will house the heavy battery and the inverter stabilizer. Considering the inverter is in the living room, the need was to build a cabinet around the whole thing which will look neat and can double up as a small side table. |
| The inverter |
Making the trolley - Phase 1
One constraint though. The battery needs to be fed with water at least once every two months. So an enclosed cabinet will not serve the purpose. Either the cabinet should open up to expose the battery or the battery should easily move in and out. I went with the latter option and decided to place the battery on a trolley.
The first phase of the project was to build the trolley. I used 19mm plywood board for the trolley and had wooden laminate installed around it. I installed trolley wheels beneath the board and also had a door handle screwed in. The handle is to aid in pulling the trolley out of its enclosure. I tried using it as a skate board for sometime and ended falling flat.
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| 19mm Plywood plank |
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| The trolley |
Yesterday, I had the trolley delivered and installed. The dimensions ended up being perfect and it was really easy to pull the battery around.
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| Battery on the trolley |
Making the cabinet - Phase II
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| Tentative design and measurements |
I have to now build the cabinet around the battery. Since the trolley needs to move in and out, decided to not have any base for the cabinet. It will have one additional shelf to house the stabilizer and will have doors covering the front of the cabinet. While the doors will hide the inverter, they will also have sufficient ventilation to allow for any smoke to sneak out. Adequate ventilation also needs to exist in the sides and rear.
This 3D design that I created using sketchup is very simple and tentative. Once approved I will be starting work on Phase II.
Most countries and states may not understand the need for inverters in the house. But, with daily power cuts being the norm in Chennai, almost every household has one. Do you have one too installed in your home ? How have you covered it up? There are ready made cases available. What did you go for ?
- Somu
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- Somu
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