AT: Construction

After a fair bit of deliberation, I finalized the construction details of my proposed design. Initially, my frame was made from galvanized steel. After concerns regarding its weight being expressed, I decided to utilize aluminium. Though not as strong as steel, it is still durable enough for its intended purpose and significantly lighter. I looked into other methods of construction, such as rotational molding, but I couldn't justify these processes as they would make assembly incredibly difficult, and the various sized bus poles would require several molds to be created; an incredibly costly endeavor.

With the electronics housed safely inside on the larger pentagonal mid plate, the solar panels and polycarbonate protective shields bolt onto the frame using dark, anodized cap screws, giving a seamless finish. Being bolt on allows ease of assembly, maintenance, and replacement of damaged panels. The underside features another polycarbonate shield, though tinted to reduce the glare from the LED lights, negating the distracting effects on motorists.

The alloy frame components are easily fabricated from laser / water cut 3mm alloy sheeting. The pieces are then sat in a jig, and a fabricator can weld them together to form a strong and suitable frame. This process can be outsourced overseas for huge labour cost savings, and unlike mass production via rotational molding, will allow adjustments to the frame to allow for fitment to different size bus stop poles.