I had no intentions of putting a fish finder on my tube but was trawling the internet last night and came across a discussion about Garmin Echo 100 finders.
Apparently a national store here in Oz (Dick Smiths) had the finders on sale for $23.98, Guess where I ended up standing at 5 minutes to 5 before the store closed Sunday night.
A quick search of google images using the search "Float tube fish finders" gave me some needed inspiration and I found a unit that I thought I could make.
I will not give measurements as all mine were in millimetres but I purchased a project box approximately 5 inches wide x 3 inches high x 4 inches deep. The exact measurement would depend on your battery size.
I was lucky enough to have a 12 volt 4 Ah battery on hand so based my box on the size of the battery.
I calculated that this battery would probably give around 8 hours of use before it needed recharging.
The Echo 100 runs on a voltage of between 10 volts and i think 24 volts.
Started off with the electronic project box.
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Cut two slots in the base of the box to take a 1 1/2 inch strap to attach it to one of the pontoons.
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Inserted the battery and padded the sides with a bit of high density foam to stop movement.
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Drilled three connector holes for the Fish Finder stand and a larger hole to take a rubber grommet to feed the power cable through.
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Connected the finder stand to the top of the box and fed the power cable through the grommet.
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Connected the battery terminals on and used an automotive plug to connect and disconnect. My charger has a similar fitting so when the battery needs charging just plug it on.
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connected the stand base to the lid.
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Connected the power cables together and zip tied them into the unused space.
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Screwed the box together and turned the unit on, currently running in simulator mode.
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All i have to do now is work out a clip to attach the transducer to the strap so open to ideas but I might have a look at cutting a PVC fitting up.
Apparently a national store here in Oz (Dick Smiths) had the finders on sale for $23.98, Guess where I ended up standing at 5 minutes to 5 before the store closed Sunday night.
A quick search of google images using the search "Float tube fish finders" gave me some needed inspiration and I found a unit that I thought I could make.
I will not give measurements as all mine were in millimetres but I purchased a project box approximately 5 inches wide x 3 inches high x 4 inches deep. The exact measurement would depend on your battery size.
I was lucky enough to have a 12 volt 4 Ah battery on hand so based my box on the size of the battery.
I calculated that this battery would probably give around 8 hours of use before it needed recharging.
The Echo 100 runs on a voltage of between 10 volts and i think 24 volts.
Started off with the electronic project box.
[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]
Cut two slots in the base of the box to take a 1 1/2 inch strap to attach it to one of the pontoons.
[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]
Inserted the battery and padded the sides with a bit of high density foam to stop movement.
[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]
Drilled three connector holes for the Fish Finder stand and a larger hole to take a rubber grommet to feed the power cable through.
[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]
Connected the finder stand to the top of the box and fed the power cable through the grommet.
[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]
Connected the battery terminals on and used an automotive plug to connect and disconnect. My charger has a similar fitting so when the battery needs charging just plug it on.
[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]
connected the stand base to the lid.
[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]
Connected the power cables together and zip tied them into the unused space.
[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]
Screwed the box together and turned the unit on, currently running in simulator mode.
[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][/img]
All i have to do now is work out a clip to attach the transducer to the strap so open to ideas but I might have a look at cutting a PVC fitting up.