Topic: Controller Housed Outside

[vinesweather]

Hello
Bit of advice, please.

I want to ask opinion on housing the controller outside? I have limited options in the house we are renting at the moment. The plan is to secure it in a plastic container to protect from the elements and store it in a shady spot. My biggest concern is that can get very hot here in Perth Western Australia.

Any thoughts on this much appreciated.

Chris

[Cutty Sark Sailor]

I wouldn't, I don't, and don't wish problems for other folks.  I've wept, rolled eyes, tried to help with folks who've gone 'outside' the main 'network' room with Blitz H preamps and controllers... Keep it as simple as possible. Keep the heart of your system near at hand! That forces virtually everything else to also be extremely weather proofed, etc. Plus you no longer have immediate access to the controller.  You may wish someday it was next to your 'computer' setup... you don't have to fool with things like hooking it to WiFi, other troublesome 'expansions'...

Having said that, I know several operators have had good luck remotely.  But I know MORE who've wrestled with various issues, such as encapsulation, water damage, communication, etc...
Your H field antennas don't need to be outside, just away from noise sources. 
E probe DOES need to be outside, away from noise and objects etc. That leaves you with 1 Coax to E probe to run outside. You can also, since you're renting and possibly may move again, view E probe as an option, disable it, and forget the coax, operating H channels only.
I sneaked all my outside cables (Cams, Blitz Es, etc) through an HVAC floor vent hole, and out through the crawl space. No Problem.

At worst, you only need the E probe coax to run outside!
Have you discussed your issue  with the landlord?

 Mike

[vinesweather]

Thanks Mike, much appreciated. I'll have to come up with a new plan. The house is not a very good layout. 

I also have to take into consideration the GPS.

I'll see what the landlord is willing for me to do.

Thanks again

Chris

[Cutty Sark Sailor]

...
I also have to take into consideration the GPS.

I'll see what the landlord is willing for me to do.

Arrrgh  yeah... I forgot about GPS... probably since my antennas are inside in the window... never think about 'em ... duh......

 

[miraculon]

Both my RED and Blue are out in the unheated garage. So, temperature isn't a problem, although I don't think that the components are "industrial" temp spec. I have seen temps as low as 4°F out in the garage.

They are however, out of the "weather" and not subject to precipitation. My GPS antennae are in weather protected PVC end caps and are outdoors.

Greg H.

[vinesweather]

Both my RED and Blue are out in the unheated garage. So, temperature isn't a problem, although I don't think that the components are "industrial" temp spec. I have seen temps as low as 4°F out in the garage.

They are however, out of the "weather" and not subject to precipitation. My GPS antennae are in weather protected PVC end caps and are outdoors.

Greg H.

Thanks Greg. Mine would be subject 40°C+ so my problem would be overheating. I'm looking at other options.
Cheers
Chris

[meteodelta]

Several meteo stations that use LoRa chirp protocol (433 or 868 Mhz) to communicate from sensors to dashboard/gateway, sometimes are mounted outdoor if dashboard signal is far from sensors. In such case glass has better visilibility then plastic so a transparent window on case from gateway to sensor might give only 10% signall loss which is OK.

In same housing red/blue BO systems might also be housed, but keep in mind that either permanent forced ventilation, or another temp/humidity sensor coupled with case ventilator might be needed.

If blue/red systems are mounted inside such outdoor case, it should also be smart to isolate the box from electric/electronic noise which is not always easy but can be done. If you want a picture of such box, let me know.

[miraculon]

In same housing red/blue BO systems might also be housed, but keep in mind that either permanent forced ventilation, or another temp/humidity sensor coupled with case ventilator might be needed.

I was going to mention the same thing. The parts in the BO controller are at least rated to 70°C. If the electronics can be held to less than a 30°C rise above ambient with ventilation, you should be OK. I think that some of the parts might be better than 'commercial grade', but I don't remember. You would need to use the rating of the worst case, probably the electrolytic capacitors.

You could search the Bill of Materials (BOM) for the parts and look at the data sheets to confirm. There are reasonably cheap temperature controllers available that you could use that would eliminate the need to run the fan(s) 24/7.

Greg H.