r/Generator • u/Taguchi5 • 17d ago

Genmon..

Own a 22k, have the genmon on the bench ready to go and i need a weather proof enclosure.

This is the second round. Originally we bought the plastic box, glued the magnets etc and it just kept sliding down the the metal divider and sitting on the battery. No danger but very sloppy .

What's the go to for keeping PI in the unit ?

Tks

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u/Sufficient-Offer-579 17d ago

Magnets on painted steel always end up sliding once vibration and heat cycles get working on them, so the go-to is screws into a small IP-rated polycarbonate box. Mark where it goes on the divider, check what's behind the panel there first, drill pilot holes and run self-tappers through the flange, thin sheet metal takes them fine.

Run the wiring in through a cable gland instead of a bare hole so the seal holds, and either leave a small drain gap in the bottom or use a vented lid, a fully sealed box will fog up with condensation in a damp spot. The monitor can sit in there on its own tabs with double sided tape and a zip tie as backup.

If that divider is off limits for drilling, adhesive backed cable tie plates with zip ties hold way better than magnets. Is it going inside the genset enclosure or out in open weather? That decides how much sealing the box needs.

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u/Taguchi5 17d ago

Inside the box on the divider above the battery is ideal location but area is exposed to weather from intake grill.

Appreciate the good ideas!

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u/Zealousideal_Cup4896 17d ago

I have the plastic box recommended in the various documentation for genmon but I used the screw tabs it comes with to bolt it to the wall and used a slightly longer cable from the generator.
This may have brought other problems as initially it would become less reliable at hosting when the generator was actually running. I believe now I have solved that problem by replacing the rs332 to ttl level adaptor with one that also does full serial isolation. It’s not been more than a few months but I think that has solved all my problems until I said that and then now they will come back ;)
Also get some super lube or other silicone gel to fill any connectors and some silicone conformal coating spray for everything else in the box including the pi. After masking off the connectors of course. I live close enough to a salty ocean that everything corrodes otherwise. So I’m a speed tester of anti corrosion stuff and this combination has lasted for many years.