The bathroom thing completely slipped by me. You've already thought about exhaust fan covers. Something from an automotive ventilation system maybe? My Ford company pickup has vents about 4" in diameter.
I'd like not to have to go into business making "covers". So, would prefer to find something that can easily be repurposed (and, if part of someone else's product, just approach them to buy that component from them directly)
Yeah, you have to think real hard about *all* aspects of a problem instead of just taking the easy/obvious route to a solution! :-/
[Many years ago, I designed a medical instrument whose full, lengthy name abbreviated to "PID". Apparently, bad choice: "Pelvic Inflammatory Disease". So, we had to change the name so it didn't conjure up the wrong impressions in the market we were addressing!]The smoke detector is the ideal "model" for what I'm after. In a sense, it "samples air". It is intended to be unobtrusive. Can be encountered on a wall or a ceiling. Typically mates to a standard Jbox.
I just need something that's very similar -- without being "the same" (hence the "russian" unit I mentioned... unlikely any US homes or businesses will ever encounter one of *those*!)
Check with Maico (or a similar manufacturer) if, after checking their product for useable parts, you find it could be useable. Often you can buy the shole thing for way less than the cost of the parts and just drill out a few rivets or spotwelds, or cut off a part with a band-saw and have what you need.
As I said, I'd not like to have to go into business making covers. Making two or three (or even ten) "by hand" as a "one time deal" is not a problem. What *is* a problem is having to make hundreds at a time -- and having to do so for "the foreseeable future".
It's much easier to find someone who is already using a "component" (cover) that is suited to my needs and then approach them to just "add X units" to their next purchase (as most folks don't do their own injection molding but, rather, contract that out to a "supplier").
The downside (for this "someone") is that they have to deal with my added needs, billing me, separating "my" part of the shipment from
*theirs*, etc. So, they should expect to make a bit of money on the transaction.The upside for them is they look like a bigger customer to *their* supplier and don't have any real "obligations" to me (as their customer) beyond just passing along the items.
The upside to me is I can get the benefits of hard tooling without having to incur that cost. And, avoid even soft-tooling costs as well!
The downside to me is I'm captive to a particular "supplier" -- who may opt to redesign that product (or, this *part* of that product) and leave me stuck looking for an alternative supplier.
OTOH, I can always take a sample piece of the cover (with or without their consent) and create tooling from it. It's not like they'll have any (legal) protections against that (assuming I don't incorporate any patented features or any corporate logos).
[But, then I'm back with the tooling costs to address]Don Y posted for all of us...
How about a Maxwell House coffee can with holes punched in it? How about a pill bottle with holes in it? How about a weather sensor cover? How about a tampon? How about a CCTV cover?
Oren posted for all of us...
He's just installing a fart sensor so "What difference does it make?"
Maybe an air scoop from a AMC Pacer?
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