Portable Field Stand
in
CAD Design
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edwards6386
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TIME REMAINING: 28 days, 15 hours
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Description:
Design a field stand for our Control Panel & Battery Box. We field-deploy a portable equipment assembly at temporary pumping and water-monitoring sites (bypass pumping, lift stations, streambank pump setups, etc.). Each site needs a control cabinet, a battery box, and a cell/antenna mast set up quickly, then broken down and moved to the next site. We're looking for a new stand or frame to secure and hold this equipment in place at the site — this is NOT a carrying case or transport container for the equipment. The stand does still need to break down into portable pieces for transport between sites, and no single piece of it can weigh more than 50 lbs, but once assembled on site it needs to robustly and securely hold everything in place. Our current solution isn't working, and we want fresh design concepts from this challenge. Bonus points if your design incorporates wheels so it can be hand-trucked across terrain.
The core pieces of equipment the stand needs to secure in place are:
• A battery box — a Pelican 1630NF Protector Transport Case (see dimensions and reference photos below). It's heavy, so it currently doubles as ballast and sits low in the assembly to help anchor the center of gravity.
• An LCU controller cabinet — a Saginaw Control & Engineering (SCE) SCE-2424PC polycarbonate enclosure (see dimensions and reference photos below).
• A toolbox that houses a Starlink modem and electrical plugs. Incorporating this third box into the stand would be nice to have, but it's not required.
Two masts also need to be incorporated into the design: the existing cell antenna mast, which carries 2–4 Wilson directional wideband antennas at the top and creates significant sail area (wind load) that the stand needs to resist, and a second mast/pole holder for a Starlink dish. We currently use cinder blocks for supplemental ballast weight, feel free to accommodate their use into the design, if needed.
Equipment Dimensions:
Battery Box — Pelican 1630NF Protector Transport Case
Width 24.25 in, Depth 17.5 in, Length (height) 31.3 in
Notes: Heavy — typically used low in the assembly as ballast / low center of gravity. Has an integrated telescoping handle and wheels on the case itself.
Controller Cabinet — Saginaw SCE-2424PC
Height 25.4 in, Width 26.68 in, Depth 11.41 in
Notes: Polycarbonate enclosure; front-facing connectors/glands along one side (see drawing photo). Top and bottom of enclosure have a lip flange with bolt holes that can be used to secure a secondary frame (strut channel, etc)
Toolbox — Starlink Modem / Electrical Plugs (nice-to-have) A third plastic box, roughly similar in scale to the battery box, housing a Starlink modem and electrical plugs. Exact dimensions can be provided if a designer wants to incorporate it — treat it as optional for concept purposes.
Antenna Masts (two required) Cell antenna mast: vertical pole supporting 2–4 Wilson directional wideband antennas at the top. Exact pole diameter/height varies by site — designers should treat this as a mounting interface (e.g., a pipe clamp, mast collar, or bracket sized to a standard pipe OD) rather than a fixed dimension, and call out their assumed pole size in their submission. Starlink mast: a second, separate mast/pole holder to mount a standard or mini Starlink dish using the Starlink pole mount adapter. Same approach applies — treat as a mounting interface rather than a fixed dimension.
Must-Have Requirements
• One-person deployable: no single piece/component of the stand may weigh more than 50 lbs, and it must be liftable, positionable, and assembled on site by a single field technician without assistance. (Note: this is a stand that secures the equipment in place at the site — not a case or container that carries the equipment during transport.)
• Must securely hold both: – The Pelican 1630NF battery box (24.25″ W x 17.5″ D x 31.3″ L) – The Saginaw SCE-2424PC controller cabinet (25.4″ H x 26.68″ W x 11.41″ D)
• Must incorporate mounts/interfaces for two masts — the existing cell antenna mast (carrying 2–4 Wilson directional wideband antennas) and a second, separate mast/pole holder for a Starlink dish — and must remain stable under the combined wind (sail) load of both.
• Both the controller cabinet and the battery box must be elevated a minimum of approximately 6 inches off the ground to protect against flooding/standing water — while still keeping the battery box mounted as low as practical on the frame to preserve a low center of gravity and overall stability.
• Must be compatible with standard cinder blocks as supplemental ballast at the base (we already have these on hand and can continue using them if the design benefits from added weight/anchoring).
• Must break down, fold, or disassemble easily for transport and storage — this is the main failure of our current stand.
• Must include a way to organize excess cabling — e.g., S-hooks or similar points to hang coiled extension cord, pump cable, flowmeter cable, valve cable, and other site cabling — rather than leaving it loose on the ground.
• Must hold up to outdoor field conditions: rain, mud, sun, and unimproved ground (grass, gravel, streambank, dirt pads).
• Must look clean and professional at customer/field sites — this is a customer-facing appearance concern, not just function.
Nice-to-Have Features
• Tool-free or minimal-tool assembly and breakdown in the field.
• Wheels, so the assembled stand can be moved into place with a hand truck/dolly.
• Adjustable mast height or tilt-down mast for easier antenna installation/service at height. • Space or mounting to incorporate a third box — a toolbox housing a Starlink modem and electrical plugs — into the assembly (not required).
• Compact folded/stored footprint for transport in a truck bed or trailer.
Wants:
Based on how each design approaches the required must-have features and incorporates additional nice-to-have features while maintaining simplicity and ease of use.
Don't Wants:
The stand pictured in the reference photos below is what we use today. It works well enough as ballast for the battery box, but it does not break down easily, isn't practical for one person to deploy, and looks unprofessional and cluttered in the field — there's nowhere to organize or hang cabling. We want a design that solves those problems.
Ask for Sample:
Submit concepts that can illustrate a functional model, the best concept will be asked to complete the project.
Entries
#7 StrutGuard™ & TerraLink™
by NextGen_IoT_LAB
Download Files
#6 Concepts for protable field stand
by muhammadaarijk
#5 Modular Portable Field Equipment Stand – Foldable One-Person Deployment Concept
by samkenny
Download Files
#4 PORTABLE FIELD STAND / FRAME
by cadcamservice
Download Files
#3 Modular Portable Field Equipment Stand – Foldable One-Person Deployment Concept
by samkenny
Download Files
#2 Modular Portable Field Equipment Stand
by jonesw
Download Files
#1 Транспортировочная платформа - трансформер
by yukhymm
Discussion
Thank you for your feedback and clarification. I understand your concern about AI-generated concepts that aren't mechanically feasible. If the contest is funded and I have the opportunity to continue, I can develop a proper, buildable mechanical CAD model with detailed assemblies and manufacturing drawings rather than just a visual concept. I believe that will better demonstrate the functionality and practicality of the design.
Hello, with all respect. If you don't make the contest blind and funded like alirezaemamian says, you probably will just get crap ChatGPT good looking fantasy concepts, or worse, just visual traps like put an IA generated image pasted in a solidoworks environment.
Regards
Regards
Hello,We request you to make this contest pre funded and blind.Thank you
Thank you for the clarification. Yes, absolutely. My concept will be based on real engineering principles and manufacturable components. If selected, I can produce a complete mechanical CAD assembly with detailed drawings, dimensions, exploded views, and a buildable design not just a visual concept.
The 10-ft mast height and 1-1/2" diameter are very helpful. Thank you!
The 10-ft mast height and 1-1/2" diameter are very helpful. Thank you!
I see some of you have some cool concepts here. They look a lot like concepts I've received from ChatGPT. The issue I have with many of ChatGPT's designs is that upon detailed investigation of the design, much of the design isn't actually functional and ChatGPT cannot explain how to actually build the illustrated mechanism because it doesn't mechanically make sense - it just "looks nice" at first glance. If awarded, would you actually be able to produce a mechanical assembly CAD/drawing package that is functionable?
Typical height of the cell mast is 10-ft, diameter is 1-1/2"
Thank you for the detailed brief. I'm working on a concept now. Could you please share the typical height of the cell antenna mast? This will help ensure the stand is designed for proper stability.
Hello,We request you to make this contest pre funded and blind.Thank you
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jonesw
Designer