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On 9/16/2021 5:29 PM, toy4trax@... wrote:
> Looking to do an install on my ATV and/or Motorcycle. While the unit
> itself is going to be in a waterproof location, I'm looking for cabling
> thru to the battery which will be exposed to water. I'm not having much
> luck with finding waterproof mini-din 6 connectors.
>
> Ideally, I have the MTT4BT's Mini Din 6 cable routes to a central
> location where i can split off to power, and Serial cable to the GPS.
>
> Thoughts?
>
A LONG boring list of ideas and techniques follow (you've been warned!):

I like the idea of a water-tight box in a central location to split off
the various signals and power leads.? I've used a former style of
plastic Kodak 35mm film "cans" for the "box," the kind with the black
plastic "can" and the grey plastic lid.? I drilled multiple undersized
holes for individual cables in the soft plastic lid, stuffed the
unstripped cables through the holes, slipped pieces of unshrunk
heatshrink tubing over the parts to be spliced, stripped and soldered
the required connections, shrunk the tubing over the connections, pushed
the bundles of connections together and either shrunk some much larger
heatshrink over the whole bundle or tied the bundles together with waxed
nylon lacing tape, pulled the slack out of the cables through the lid of
the can, filled the lid with silicone rubber and after everything was
set up, snapped the lid on the "can."? But, in case that's not feasible
for you, here are some other considerations that you may try...

First of all, I'm not very familiar with the MTT4BT, but if by "mini-DIN
6" you're referring to the "mini" line of cylindrical DIN connectors
commonly used in Europe (especially Germany) for primarily consumer
AUDIO and/or video connections, I think "Coax-Seal" and black electrical
tape could be your answer.? I bought a Grundig portable 3-inch
reel-to-reel audio tape recorder in the 1960s and also made some MIDI
cables a couple of decades ago that used them, although in both cases it
was the full-sized versions.? I've also used the "mini" sized versions
as well but can't recall where or when.

The insulation covering most electrical cabling is completely
water-tight if undamaged, so it is only between pieces of cabling joined
together that's the problem where the original overall insulation is
broken.? First of all, if you can, make the connection somewhat rigid to
minimize bending, and especially stretching or compression of the
connection.? Ordinary heat-shrink tubing and maybe some waxed nylon
lacing tape can usually do that (there are web pages that describe how
to tie lacing tape - It's very useful stuff -- you may give up nylon
tie-wraps).? Then cover the whole connection with electrical tape from
overlapping the original cable insulation on all ends and overlapping
each turn of the electrical tape with itself.

The electrical tape is not for waterproofing, but just to make it easier
to remove the next layer should that become necessary in the future.
This next layer could be the Coax-Seal mentioned earlier (just because
they call it "Coax-Seal" doesn't mean you can't use it for sealing other
things than coax!).? This is best done in a warm environment because you
want the warmth of your hands and fingers to soften the Coax-Seal to let
you form it into a smooth conformal seal and have it stick together.
Just like the electrical tape, overlap the ends of the electrical tape
with the Coax-Seal and the original cable insulation and each turn of
the Coax-Seal with itself, and push it into the crevices so that it
won't look much like "tape" any more, but just a smooth unbroken covering.

This isn't a good solution if you need a way to frequently disconnect
the connections, and the seal to a chassis-mounted receptacle may be
unreliable, depending on the configuration of the receptacle and how
well the receptacle itself is sealed against the chassis or box.

If you do sometimes need to remove the whole mess to disconnect the
various parts, just dig through the Coax-Seal until you reach the
electrical tape, then unwind the electrical tape taking the Coax-Seal
with it.? The Coax-Seal will protect the electrical tape through the
ages, and it should remain pretty fresh, pliable and easy to unwind.? It
shouldn't be nearly as tenacious as the Coax-Seal would be if applied
directly to the cabling and connectors, especially the connectors.

I understand there is a heat-shrink-able TAPE available now, but I
haven't yet had a occasion to try it, and I have no idea how hard it is
to remove.

You should also consider the application of liberal amounts of silicone
rubber sealant (Loctite Clear Household Silicone Adhesive/Sealant, P/N
30808 several years ago or Plasi-Dip [plastidip.com]).? Be sure to allow
these materials access to air so they can set up before sealing the air
away with other materials.? Plasti-Dip can be dipped or brushed on, in
multiple coats, and provides a slightly cushiony but tough surface, BUT
it comes in a large can like a beer can where the entire top comes off
to allow dipping tool handles, but is impossible to tightly seal the can
closed, so it'll likely be hardened the next time you want to use it.
The snap-on thin plastic lid isn't even remotely air-tight and the beer
can shape leaves a large volume of air in the container to dry out its
contents. It's a good product packaged poorly, although I can't think of
a better way.? Multiple coatings are needed to provide substantial
protection, and the stuff in the can will usually stay flowable and
brushable long enough to coat a few things multiple times if done
quickly, but you'll probably end up throwing most of the can's contents
away.? Too bad, otherwise it's good stuff.? By the way, Plasti-Dip comes
in several different fairly high-visibility colors, if that's of any
interest.? I bought the red color.? It makes my pliers and wire-cutters
easier to spot in my jumble of hand tools.? It primarily made the ends
of the elements of my PVC pipe & steel tape Yagi antennas easier to see
and avoid poking myself and others in the eye.

The electrical tape layer MAY be useful with these coatings as well.
The silicone rubber brand & style mentioned above produces a more
durable coating than the typical GE window & tub caulk that comes in
caulking gun refills and produces a thick rubbery-soft coating, but it
doesn't seem to be as capable of being applied as smoothly as the
Plasti-Dip.? Both may be useful in this kind of application: a first
coating of the thin GE silicone to get into the cracks and crevices
followed by a coating of the Loctite stuff or Plasti-Dip on the outside
for durability (and maybe all of it preceded by a layer of electrical
tape for removeability).? I'm also unsure of the "contact" compatibility
of these various products. YMMV. It might be that you simply can't
"paint" one over the other.? You might have to spend a few dollars and
try it yourself.? If you do, please report back the results.

There's also another product from the PlastiDip people called Liquid
Tape that might be worth a try.? I don't know anything about it.

THE END!

Barry
N4MSJ