We as makers know that finding the perfect enclosure for our projects can be challenging. Many opt for 3D printing or custom manufacturing, but I do not have access to these resources, so one simple and cost-effective solution I found is to use standard electrical boxes as enclosures.

Electrical boxes are used for wiring applications in homes and buildings. These boxes come in various sizes and shapes, but most have pillars in the corners that prevent square PCB boards from fitting inside and smaller PCBs will just waste a lot of the space inside that we can instead use for components.

To overcome this and make maximum use of the space inside, I first created a cardboard template that fit inside the electrical box. This template was used so that I can determine the exact dimensions needed for the PCB board to fit inside the enclosure. With these dimensions in hand, I turned to Altium Designer, a powerful electronic design automation software, to create a custom PCB board that maximized the use of space inside the enclosure.

Altium Designer offers a free trial and a 25% discount for anyone registering through this link.

The final PCBs will be manufactured by PCBWay and you can get 10 boards for just $5.

These boards will typically be used with these modules:

• ESP32 - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DEhchU9
• Arduino Nano - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DF4ak1L
• NodeMCU - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDJaExB
• 5V relay - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmuAJyV
• DHT22 Sensor - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DlczVdr
• TP4056 - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFfG8t7
• Soil Moisture sensor - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DlGPB5R
• DS18B20 - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DnDGUMh