Since we have large number of new members on the BBS (the total just from yesterday to today jumped by 10 or so), I thought I'd post another note about cases (this seems to be a popular subject anyway :)

In the past people have mentioned the Pelican products and two models which I know a few people are using are the 1400 and 1200.

Fastrack mentioned to me a couple of nights ago that his brother had just picked one up around here (Toronto) on sale. I hadn't even thought to look at the sale prices. Lucky for me he mentioned it. I picked up a 1200 model for $64 Canadian (that's about $2 US) after all taxes. Ok, it's really about US$40 (or $34 before taxes). The cheapest on the net is US$30 and I was previously thinking of getting one delivered to my hotel in San Francisco next week - this turned out to be less hassle for about the same money. The 1400 model was priced at C$100 which is about US$62.

Here are some links to product information, including dimensions (exterior and interior):

Pelican 1200
Pelican 1400

And now here are two pictures of my 1200. One closed from a better angle than the pic at the store above, and one open with the empeg inside.

Case Closed
Case with empeg (same pic as attached to the left)

My main cause for protection is bumping, not long drops. I have a bad habit of scraping things on brick walls, etc. (a nice Swiss Army watch... My newly upholstered SeaDoo seat... My driver's side door once... :)

The 1400 model will easily allow storage of some RCA cables, ethernet cable, serial cable, the power adapter and the faceplate for a head unit. The 1200 as pictured above is obviously a far tighter fit, but nice for the empeg alone or with remote. I got a little creative and stuffed the small power adapter in the corner - I just have to put the cord in a better place (like at the bottom of all the padding if it isn't going to be used regularly).

Pick-and-pluck foam is a pain in the arse, let me warn you. :) I thought it was segmented on all 3 axis, but it's actually only done on two. So each division isn't a little cube, but actually a tall strip that goes from top to bottom. I found that the best way to deal with it was to forget about trying to "pick" to fit the depth of the empeg - that's a waste of time and will give poor results. It's better to just remove the silhouette of the empeg cleanly from the block. Then all your pick-pieces aren't all shredded. The foam in the 1200 is a little taller than the empeg, so you'll want to add another layer on the bottom. You can do that with pieces of the stuff you just pulled from the middle, or you can put another piece of foam from somewhere else, cut to fit. If you wanted to, you could even now cut the part you removed from the centre cleanly with a knife to get the same type of effect as if you had plucked it piece by piece by hand (but it will be a lot neater - ie. not all torn up)

In any case, it takes a little longer to stick the empeg into the case than it does into a bag, but it's well shielded from bumps, bruises and weather (the case is also water-tight (probably at surface or a few inches only) and should float - I won't be testing that :)

If you test it in the water, don't forget the warranty does not cover against shark bites . Not sure where you'd see one up here in Canada but you never know :)

It might have come in handy when I did a crossing from Long Island, NY to Atlantic City, NJ on my SeaDoo in 2000. Instead I just took a waterproof camera with me. :)

Bruno

hybrid8
Is the trim on your Empeg grey? or am i halluciating?

It's actually silver. :) Take a look at this thread for the info:

Fascia Mod thread

And also this post in the install section showing it in my dash.

Bruno

Pretty cool...

I've never used or seen a Pelican case up close before, I'm curious as to what the round knob in the middle of the handle is for?

Pressure relief valve. Sometimes after extreme temperature or pressure changes, you can't get the case open until you open the valve...

Interesting, thank you, sounds like I need one of these.

here are some shots of the 1400 case and the empeg in the 1400 case. This is when I had the Mk1, but you get idea for the Mk2.

1400 Case Photos

Perfect, it gives a clear example of scale.

BTW, how did you get the bottom of the cut-out area so flat? Did you cut other foam to fit the space? Because I'm assuming you made the cut-out by removing the complete long pick-pieces (which are longer than the empeg is thick).

Bruno

The bottom-most layer of foam doesn't have the undulations of the foam in the lid - it's perfectly flat. If one doesn't want the empeg to "sink" then one layer of "one row" from the plucked out foam can be laid down, this'll make to top of the empeg stick up a couple of millimeters above the foam and be "firm-gently clamped" by the lid foam. Where the edges meet is almost invisible. At http://www.tempsch.org, under the Raw Photos -> Pelican1200 (sorry, can't currently directlink it due to my DNS redirection) there are some raw (large) pics. 114-1428_IMG.JPG shows it pretty clearly. The foam can be cut to height, but it is hard to get a smooth result, witness the rear of the cutout in that picture, where the connectors go...

/Michael

Nice. That is what I thought of doing as well. AFTER I had already destroyed much of the foam by picking and plucking it. :) So I don't have enough good bits to fill the bottom now. I'll grab some foam somewhere else (from some packaging, etc.) to fix it up.

The 1400 case is even deeper and in the pictures above I couldn't tell if the same thing was done.

Bruno

I've been looking for one of those Pelikan case in Belgium too, but they seem near impossible to find. I did contact the european importer once (in Spain), but he never responded. The easiest would be if I could order one of those online and have it shipped to me. Anyone know of an online store that sells these?

Go to the store links I posted in my first message (the first two links). They're about the cheapest place I've found online.

Depending on exchange, check also the Canadian camera store, Henrys - I don't know if they ship world-wide, but worth a look.

Bruno

Thanks.

I've mailed them and asked them. I guess now I'll know real soon. They are really quite cheap also : I have found some prices on those cases once, and the 1200 case was about 4x as expensive as the price listing on the site you provided.

Us military types use these cases regularly...alot of our night vision/communications equipment come with these cases..in olive drab of course :) I like them alot myself....

>the warranty does not cover against shark bites.
>Not sure where you'd see one up here in Canada but you never know :)

I believe the onetime world record Great White Shark was recorded at between 30-40' long in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Nowhere near this guy, though.

Actually, what I did was cut out the basic shape for the empeg. Then laid the block of foam on the table next to the empeg. The distance from the top of the empeg to the top of the foam block was exactly the amount I trimmed from the bottom of the foam. I just used a large kitchen knife, and it cut through the foam like butter. You can’t just pluck the bottom layer off, because the cubes are long and tall. They are not actually cubes, but long pillars if you can imagine. Then I used the same knife (razor sharp) to cut small areas out for the RCA jacks and docking plug in the back. Also, 2 small slots for the screen as you can see in my pics.

Hope that helps. Basically, if you want to fit cables and stuff, get the 1400, but if you want only the empeg to fit, get the 1200. They are great cases!

I have a Cabbage Case that I've been using here. Dunno if
anyone cared but I could take shots of this monster if they
did.

Ed

Well I meant in fresh water :)... Hehe