Air By Numbers (Air Comp Project, Part 2)

The last time I worked on my custom hard case air compressor box, I was left with this:

After staring at that blank panel on the left side for a bit, I went online and ordered a handful of electronic components from Amazon while simultaneously sketching up a quick wiring diagram in Adobe Illustrator:

As seen in the illustration above, the plan was to add LCD info display screen (volts, amp draw, etc.), an LED light strip, and a couple of control switches to that otherwise blank, bare area of the panel on the left of the compressor box. All of the steps needed were pretty simple (cutting plastic, simple soldering) so there wasn’t any need for special equipment. It just took some slow working to ensure the component fitment was nice and clean. With Dremel in hand, I started by cutting out the large opening for the LCD display panel, followed by some hand filing to get the cutout to the exact dimesions:

Next were the two holes for the main cut-off and LED light switches:

The LCD panel is actually a digital multi-meter display that shows voltage (dc), current (amps), power (watts), and energy (Wh). Becuase it had an ammeter function, it required a shunt for measurement. I chose a spot underneath the panel to mount the shunt:

With the hardware parts in place, it was time for some soldering. Lots of wires, but not too complicated:

With the panel in place and the wiring completed, here’s the result: