Why do I need to test the enclosure?
CycleSafe will be used in the outdoor environment. It will be subject for all kinds of environmental conditions, including snow, and vibration. The role of the enclosure is to host and protect sensitive electronic components. So I'd like to understand what will be temperature and humidity inside the enclosure when I expose it to the environment.
Test Preparation
I've been using Home Assistant for a few years and I have a few XIAOMI Mijia Bluetooth-compatible Thermometers 2 connected to it. So I've placed one of them into the HAMMOND 1554VA2GYCL enclosure. I've added an element14 robot there too.
I've closed the enclosure and placed it outside. Fortunately, we've got a weather forecast for snow and rain during my test period.
Test Data
The test data represents two periods when the enclosure was outside (at the beginning and at the end of the graph). There was a period in the middle when the enclosure was inside.
Snow Test
There was a lot of snow coming.
I've prepared the enclosure for the test and set it outside.
There were a few centimeters of snow the next day. So the enclosure was covered with snow.
The next day snow starts melting.
When I zoomed in I was able to see the sensor data - 14.4C and 64% humidity.
Conclusions
The enclosure protected the sensor quite well from rain and snow. The sensor was functioning all the time.
It can't protect from the temperature changes. It actually can increase the temperature inside the enclosure due to solar radiation. It may be good during the cold season and can be bad during the hot season. So, it should be taken into consideration.
The humidity was changing over time. At one point at noon on April 14 during the heavy rain, it reached above 70%. While my sensor was functioning all the time, the specification of the electronics must be validated before placing it into the enclosure and exposing it to the environment.
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