Note that I chose the Pelican 1300 case as it’s the smallest size that will fit all the components. This was based on using a Canon DSLR and a 2.2Ah SLA battery from a local supplier that just fit the width of the case. You may find that this might or might not work for you, depending on the dimensions of the components you are using.
- Pelican 1300 case.
- 77-82mm step-up ring.
- Manfrotto 357 mount with plate.
- 1/4" x 1/2" bolt or screw.
- Nylon cable entry gland, or similar. (e.g. Cabac GN12S)
- A ruler and pencil.
- Power drill and drill bits.
- 3” hole saw.
- Sandpaper.
- Glue. (I used Gorilla Glue)
- Something heavy (while gluing).
- Silicon Sealant.
- Band-aids.
Because the sensor and lens are not dead centre on the camera, you'll notice that I shifted the mount 5mm to the side inside the case. Not doing so would potentially lead to the side of larger cameras fouling the case as you move it forward and backward in the mount. Luckily all the cables connect on the other side of the camera where there was plenty of room.
The mount is also quite a long way forward in the case purely so the camera can be removed while attached to the plate. Coincidentally, for this to work the rear edge of the mount ended up right in the middle of the case. If you need to use a longer lens, you may decide to use the shorter Manfrotto 501PL plate in the mount (an added expense) or even cut the 357 plate down a bit. This will allow you to install the mount further back, but you will then need to rearrange the other components to make everything fit.
- Measure and mark the front of the case as below. Use the underside of the lip and the two triangular reinforcing bits as your reference.
- Drill a pilot hole where the centre of the lens will be.
- Using the pilot hole as a guide, drill the hole for the lens using a 3” hole saw. Be sure to hold the case and drill firmly to keep the final hole as close to 3” as possible. (I actually tested the hole saw size on a spare piece of plastic sheet beforehand to make sure I wasn't about to drill a hole in an expensive case that I couldn't fill.)
- Clean up the hole with some sandpaper. The 77-82mm step-up ring should fit neatly into the opening without falling through.
- Carefully apply glue around the front of the opening and glue in the step-up ring. Be careful not to get any glue on the filter thread inside the ring. Apply some weight to keep everything in place and allow the glue to dry.
- Clean up any excess glue around the step-up ring and apply a bead of silicon sealant around the outside edge for extra water protection.
- Measure and mark up the base of the case as shown below, using the moulded feet as references.
- Drill a pilot hole for the 1/4” mounting bolt.
- Drill the final 1/4” bolt hole.
- Apply a small amount of silicon sealant to the base of the Manfrotto mount for extra security and water proofing.
- Screw in the mount with a 1/4" bolt or screw. Pay attention that the front of the lens sits as close to parallel to the front of the case, to avoid any potential reflections in the case.
- Allow the glue to dry.
The exact location of the cable entry gland isn't critical. Just be sure that it - and the cable - won't foul any of the internal components or the case's catches. Also consider how easy it will be for the cable to the solar panel to accidentally move in front of the lens once it is deployed.
I ended up mounting mine just above the pressure valve on the case which was fine until I tried to use the handle - so you might want to choose a different location.
Hopefully you won't really need the Band-aids. I did, but I'd rather not talk about it.