THE BOTTOM BIN
The bottom tilt out bin section measures 16"W x 9"D x 12"H, for 1728cu/in of space.  There is plenty of room for everything.  First thing I did was build some divider panels out of 1/4" hardboard.  The divider panels are all dado jointed tight and secure.
One of the things that sold me on this box over the Black and Decker is that because it is metal, the corners are square and the sides are flat.  Because the B&D is molded plastic, all of the sides are contoured.
You can see how nicely it works to divide the bottom into compartments in order to hold things securely in place.

DSC00937.JPG (105291 bytes)
Now that the dividers are in place, it's time to place the equipment.  I wanted to place all of the heavier items into the bottom bin for tip stability.

FUELING

I mounted the fuel pump onto one of the panels in the left-most compartment.  A couple of coax cable hold downs screwed into the side panel make perfect holders for fueling probes, filters, spare fuel line, and such. 
I routed a pair of AeroTrend fuel lines (red for supply, blue for return) thru fuel dots and out the back of the box for aircraft fueling/defueling.
I then installed a Great Planes 1/2 gallon fuel jug.  This box could easily carry more fuel, but my field box is stored in the garage where the Arizona summers heat it to 115°.  So I store my fuel in the house and refill my 1/2 gallon field box fuel jug as needed.  
DSC00965.JPG (123788 bytes)DSC00967.JPG (99933 bytes)

POWER IT UP
In order to provide adequate power for everything, I knew that a standard 12v 7amp hour flight box battery would not suffice.  I opted to install a high capacity 12v 18 amp hour battery.
Of course I needed a convenient way to keep this battery charged up and in peak condition.  A surface mount 110AC to 12v 500mAh DC charger and a special circuit board did the trick.  The circuit board monitors the battery status and keeps the battery in peak condition.  It will fast charge the battery when drained, yet when battery reaches peak, it will turn the charger on and off automatically to keep it peaked.  
An LED lamp gives indication as to the charging status. 
As a bonus, the circuit board also has a jack to allow you to plug it into a second 12volt source to keep the field box battery charged while traveling
DSC00951.JPG (150098 bytes)
I mounted the field box battery and charging station into the bottom bin right hand compartment.  The battery is contained within the box for safety while the charging station is mounted on top for convenience.
DSC00968.JPG (82409 bytes)DSC00970.JPG (91815 bytes)

click on any picture to enlarge

BACK    NEXT