CyberCart

Thank you very much for your help installing the lights on the carts. They really do make a difference in helping the carts be seen. Unfortunately, our carts live a hard life and so it takes a bit of work to install the lighting equipment so that it will survive being banged around in the back of a vehicle or someone ramming an umbrella into the back of the cart. Please use the completed cart as a reference. You'll see the T-Rex tape does a good job of securing and protecting the vulnerable connections on the 4 port USB hub.

Step 1: What You Need

You should have the following parts:
1 USB powerbank
1 USB switch
1 USB 4 port hub
3 LED strips with USB connections
Please check they are all working fine before proceeding.

You should also have the following materials:
T-Rex tape
2 cable ties
1 piece of Velcro

You will need the following tools:
Drill - I used a 3/8" bit
Scissors for cutting tape

Step 2: Cut LED Strips to Size

The full strips are too big, too bright and consume too much power meaning that the batteries will not last long, Please cut the strips so there is 6 visible LEDs, about 10 cm from edge of the strip. Cut along the line.

Step 3: Drill Holes in the Cart

Remove the panel from the top shelf so you can get access for your drill. Drill a hole in the left corner that is big enough to feed the LED strip through from behind. Then drill holes underneath the top and middle shelves.

Step 4: Install the Top LED Strip

Feed the LED strip through the top hole, remove the tape from the sticky backing and position it so it's in the middle, about 13cm from the inside of the top shelf.

Use two strips of T-Rex tape to secure it. Check the photos in the next step for better detail. As the tape may be slightly visible on the top shelf, I used a strip of black tape on top to make it less obvious.

Step 5: Install LED Strips on Other Shelves

With the cart upside down, feed the LED strip through, peel the backing off and position it in the middle about 15cm from the edge of the cart. Or use the top LED strip as a guide. The glue of the strips doesn't last long so we need to securely tape it on the the cart. Run one strip of T-Rex from the edge of the first led to just past the hole. Then put another strip, running from the front of the shelf to the back, to full secure the cable and cover the hole. Finally, to help secure the LEDs, put another piece of tape at the other end of the LED strip.

Do the same for the bottom shelf.

Step 6: Secure Wiring

I put the cart facing down for the next steps. Starting with the bottom wire, run it towards the top of the cart and secure it with a couple of strips of T-Rex tape as per the pictures.

Before you tape the rest of the wires, you're probably best plugging the LED strips into the 4 port hub. We plan to use the extra port in the future to power a light for the board so please wire it as per the picture so we know where to cut a hole in the tape to access the free connection.

I used a small bit of tape to secure the excess cables and then ran a one longer strip to cover some of it. This will be completed in the next step.

Step 7: Install the Hub

As mentioned in the previous step please connect the LED strips to the 4 port hub as pictured, leaving the port nearest the top of the cart free. Secure it in position with a bit of tape. Then, as per the photos, run a long strip of tape one side of the hub, the other side and then over the top. Run 2 more strips over it again to make it really secure.

Please use the completed cart as a reference.

Step 8: Install the Battery

To put the battery in the right location, I found it easiest to position the switch first, connect the battery to it and then put the battery on the cart. The tape on the Velcro is VERY strong so you want to get this right first time!

Step 9: Install the Switch

We've had problems with the switch being bumped and carts being left in the store with the lights on and draining the battery. Hopefully, this position should avoid that but still be easy to access.

With it connected to the battery, secure it in position with 2 cable ties and then cut off the tails of the cable ties. I used one piece of tape to secure it and then wrapped tape around the top and bottom of the switch. I'm not very happy with how it turned out but it is secure. Hopefully, your taping skills are better than mine!

Check all the lights work and everything feels secure and that should be it!

Once again, thank you very much!