USB and DC Power Cover

thingiverse

I'm a sailor, and in my 30’ Catalina Tall, I have USBed all the things. Basically, rather than using an inverter and 110V AC outlets to power stuff, I’m using 24V DC everywhere I can. As of 2022, the most practical “outlet” for Direct Current power is USB both type A and type C. Most things I need to power can use the 5V/2A USB-A, or use 12V/5A USB-C. So on the good ship Ayame Maru, there is a USB port always in reach, including in the open cockpit. Secondary, for anything not using USB, I’ve put 24V cigarette style sockets around. This was a little 3D design I did to help me do two things. First, I wanted to make a Jig/Template to let me mark out where I needed to cut holes to mount my power points. Second, I wanted to make a little cover to give the power outlets in the cockpit and foredeck a bit of extra weather protection. The heavy lifting on this project is sadly not 3D printed. It uses two things that can be bought off Amazon. One is the mounting plate for the sockets (both USB and cigarette style), the other is a device that will take 24V DC and give me two USB-A ports and one USB-C port. Here is the mounting plate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0179WI9XG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And the USB power device: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092M6S98V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 When buying the mounting plate, you’ll be replacing one of the cigarette style outlets with the USB power device. Sadly I could not find the mount with one cigarette outlet and the other hole blank. More stuff for the junk box… The Outlet Template.stl file gives you a little jig that you can place up against the wall/bulkhead and mark out what you need to cut to allow for the mounting plate and USB power device to fit flush against the wall. VERY IMPORTANT!!! Know what is behind that wall/bulkhead BEFORE you start drilling/cutting, and NEVER drill/cut into the hull of the boat. The definition of a boat is that the water stays on the outside. If you are dumb enough to breach the hull and sink your boat, you make want to consider a different life style than being a sailor. Now, on to Outlet Cover Base.stl and Outlet Cover Lid.stl The cigarette style power plug, and the USB power device both have little flap covers, whose protection from water ingress I judged to be somewhat dubious. In the cabin of the boat, this isn’t an issue, but often I need to charge my phone, speaker, flashlight, vape, dildo, etc, while sailing the boat. For that I need power in the cockpit, where these will get exposed to more water. To that end I designed a “base” and a “lid” that sandwich the mounting plate between them. The “base” and the mounting plate are attached to fiberglass in the cockpit, and the “lid” is held on with 5mm x 1mm magnets when not in use (using silicone sealant under the base and mounting plate to keep water out.) These little magnets are great btw if you are going to be designing anything that needs a simple way to hold something down. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JDBLVBZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I would recommend offsetting the polarity of the magnets so that you can only put the “lid” on in the correct orientation. It really doesn’t impress the ladies when the writing is upside down. I just used a touch of super glue to hold them in. Quick note, the “base” and “lid” do not form a weather proof seal. There is a small ridge on the lid that lines up with a groove in the base to give some protection, but pouring water on this does have some ingress. If you are feeling industrious you can put a very tiny beed of sealant in the groove on the base, but I didn’t bother. Both the cigarette style socket and the USB power device claim to be “Marine”, but I’m not convinced. The base and lid are designed so that the existing flap covers can remain on them, while the lid is attached, so between those and the lid, I feel pretty comfortable about water ingress from rain and splashing. Only time will tell if the parts themselves survive the humidity. PLA does tend to yellow and discolor in UV light, so hitting these with some UV clear coat paint before installing them isn’t a bad idea if you are mounting them in the open in direct sun light. I designed these for myself, and they are installed, so if the whole thing is a bust, I’ll comment back in a year or so to give an update on the longevity. If this works for you, great! Drink some rum and say nice things about me.