You could also over-engineer things and try something like
inductive power coupling!  Have an inductive coil on the
inside of the box.  The charging device on the outside would
also have an inductive coil.  An AC current through the
charging coil would be coupled to the pickup coil, where it
would then be rectified and used to charge the device's
betteries.

On Tue, 23 Jun 1998 20:56:45 -0400, Sean Breheny wrote:

>On Tue, 23 Jun 1998, Lewis H. Cobb wrote:
>
>> Not exactly a PIC topic but it's being used for a gadget that has a pic in
>> it - :)
>Hi Lewis,
>
>Hey, I'm probably one of the worst offenders in this regard :)
>
>>
>> I am looking for a small DC power jack - panel mounted - like a 2.1 or
>> 2.5mm "barrel" type that are used in many rechargable devices, that is
>> somewhat "weather resistant".  The existing ones that I have seen are
>> nowhere near usable outdoors as they have openings inside that let moisture
>> and water in quite freely.  I'd like to make a pic device I am working on,
>> rechargable and this would be a simple way to provide a connection if it
>> were moisture resistant.  BTW - the enclosure is metal - hence I can't
>> easily use metal "tabs" that are seen on cell phones - besides - this would
>> a 4 zillion dollar industrial design/injection molding process anyway :).
>>
>
>I think that you are looking for the wrong type of jack. I don't think
>that there are anytype of coaxial power jacks that are really
>"weatherproof". They are inherently exposed to the weather due to the
>fact that they are not locking connectors so the hole in the front is not
>sealed when the connection is made. I have seen some types of Molex
>connectors with plastic "boots" on them to protect them from the elements.
>You might look into those.
>
>I am curious as to why your device needs to be easily disconnectable if
>it is designed to operate outdoors? If you don't care about being
>non-standard, you might consider using connectors designed for outdoor
>120VAC or even coaxial RF connectors. These are likely to be much more
>common and cheaper.
>
>> Thanks for any help people can provide.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Lewis
>>
>
>Good luck,
>Sean
>