3D Printed Customised Speaker Box Version 5.0

Above: Design showing lid locking mechanism and cable hole.

Challenge: To produce a weather tight box that could be used to house electronics.
Background: Without sounding repetitive this latest task is a continuation of the process and development for a major creation for our students for a significant national competition.   The essence of it is to have an electronics controller protected against the elements, while also being available for battery changes, modification or repairs as necessary.   The unit needs to be deployed in the New Zealand bush in an area of New Zealand (Taranaki) that has significant rainfall during winter.   This mean the unit needs to be protected against rain/moisture being able to enter and damage the electric circuit.    The unit also needs to have speakers connected to it so they can be deployed outside.   Finally while there needs to be a lid attached to this object that is able to seal it against the elements but allow a light sensor (which is how it will operate) it also has to have the potential to have batteries contained within it.   Ideally a solar panel will be used with this combination however box 1, box 2, box 3,  and into box 4 that are showning development and progression.  Early attempts at the lids

Above; Box shown from above.

depending on development it may be in areas with low level of sunlight which would restrict power options from being used and in this instance rechargeable batteries would be used - so the base of the box needs to have enough space to allow both options.    Design came from the same group of students who have been responsible for all of the boxes in this series.  If you look at the progression of designs from the start of the process the students have perfected the ability to incorporate a design of a locking lid built into the 3D Print design.   Furthermore the other pleasing aspect of the process is that the entire run of prints is being used to one degree or another.  Finally as we have stated before the 3D Printer is the perfect tool for the students to use in this process - it is allowing us to customize the breadboards/chip boards and speaker combination and then build a box to house our potential setup perfectly.  We've been able to demonstrate in the past that the PLA used with the 3D Printers does not weather as we've had outside prints in full weather conditions with no visible signs of any degradation. 
Degree of Difficulty: Medium - this is not for everyone.   The students creating this boxes are a group of ten and eleven year old students who have extensive use and knowledge of the 3D Printers having nearly completed a year in the classroom using them and creating with them.   Little details like dropping down the lid to allow it to lock automatically take a degree of precision to create correctly or the placing of the insert to allow the cable connecting the speakers to the breadboard.

Size: The front of the dimensions of the box measured 80mm wide, 50mm high and the box was 100mm deep.   The thickness of the box (sides) is 10mm.   The insert for the lid to be slid into place was 5mm from the top of the box ensuring that it was strong enough to support the lid.   The biggest potential for the reduction in the box would be the width of the sides of the box - as they could conceivable have been 5mm without compromising the strength of the box. 
Time frame: The base of the box as shown in this box took nine hours to complete.  There was very minimal 'rafting' or waste material this only being the case with the insert where the lid was to be inserted and held in place by the box itself.  It has to be noted however that the sides of the box with this design are somewhat on the thick side.
This has been completed with a 4mm nozzle and a 20% infill.  As has been pointed out in the past on this blog the printers themselves that are being used are now five years old.  One would expect that newer machines would allow a quicker print and perhaps a better quality finish.
What we would do/next steps for students: The student need to complete the lid to complement this design and test this for its effectiveness in wet weather conditions.