How to make this enclosure work

This is from an office that my step mom used to manage and they got rid of it when they got a newer defibrillator. I think any way I try to use this for my control panel I would end up destroying the glass and ruining the look of the whole thing.

The setup Im planning was going to use 3 PID and several switches and lights. I think the only way I could use this would be to do a BCS setup and even then the box is in no way water tight.

nice find..

you can swap the front panel out with some polycarbonate/plastic... and then make your component cuts in it.. then either paint or leave it clear?

and water tight? are you planning on submerging or spray down washing this thing..

aquenne said:

nice find..

you can swap the front panel out with some polycarbonate/plastic... and then make your component cuts in it.. then either paint or leave it clear?

and water tight? are you planning on submerging or spray down washing this thing..

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Replace will polycabonate is a good idea. Yea the water tight thing isnt that important especially where I plan on mounting the panel. I see a lot of people talking about nema 3 and nema 4 boxes being important though.

OMJ said:

Replace will polycabonate is a good idea. Yea the water tight thing isnt that important especially where I plan on mounting the panel. I see a lot of people talking about nema 3 and nema 4 boxes being important though.

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NEMA 3 & 4 are typically outdoor enclosures. NEMA 4 would be used for spray down applications as well.

Both unnecessary for what I think your trying to do. NEMA 1, or 2 will be fine.

You could always put the rubber front door insulation strips (cut to size of course) on the door to improve water resistance. Just for splashes. I used a NEMA4 on mine, but now consider that to be way overkill. I've seen guys make the control box out of Tupperware and be just fine.

+1 on the suggestions so far. I would go for a clear acrylic or polycarbonate front so that you can see blinky lights and things inside. A bit of silicone sealant around the edges of components that stick through.

My personal take is that waterproofing is a good idea provided that you can vent heat from SSRs effectively. It does depend where your controller is mounted. If the controller is mounted on a brewing cart, waterproofing is more of a priority than if it is wall mounted 6 feet away.

I have certainly used tupperware for enclosures but only low voltage.

Enclosures with windows definitely look cool when you fill them up with equipment. Plus, it forces you to make the wiring look good...