After many delays I have made some progress toward the physical mounting of the camera and Solar panel.
The previous blogs detail the plan (and any variations)
Mounting considerations and revision
After a discussion with the Field Manager it was decided that adding a 100x100mm metal post to the wooden corner post would help with visibility during grooming, as sometimes the corner isn't visible.
Groomer pushing snow. The forward visibility is sometimes limited . Location is the pole at the right end of the fence. Dumping snow on the panel and camera is not good.
The camera still needs to be adjustable and along with the solar panel easily removable in the off season.
Solar Panel
I have fitted a wooden backing and used threaded inserts to allow the bracket to be attached.
These come in various thread sizes and you drill a suitable hole and screw them in. In this case using a wide flat screwdriver, but I have others that use an Allen key.
I'm still deciding if the rear should be filled with a high density foam to prevent moisture and therefore ice from accumulating, or left open with two holes for drainage at the base.
Once I've talked with the field Manager about his thoughts, I'll paint the board and rivet the side pieces on.
Camera case
I elected to try this case from element14 (code # 1142261).
http://www.budind.com/view/NEMA+Boxes/UL_NEMA_IEC+NBB+Series
It's a very well designed model with wall mounting brackets that attach to 4 mounting holes separated from the inside and has a rating on the NZ website of IP66.
It has a label inside saying for indoor use only, but according to the datasheet, the Indoor and Outdoor ratings are the same ie IP 65 (which differs from the NZ website)
The site says they were tested to IP66 and the only difference is high pressure water jets, which isn't a problem here. IP Ratings
The important thing about this enclosure/case was access is via two clips, so the screws don't get dropped and lost in the snow.
Every other option I looked at either
- used screws
- was too expensive
- didn't have a transparent front
- or was the wrong size (too big).
Since the camera mount may be in shade until late morning, its important to try and keep any heat generated close to the camera lens.
If the enclosure is too large then the small amount of heat generated may be insufficient, hence the small size.
The one potential weak spot is the upper lip join and seal, where snow may build up and force its way into the enclosure when it freezes.
My first thought was to add a small cover glued onto the top.
This would stop any falling snow landing on the join, but could be subject to the sideways deposits as occurs during the inclement weather, which may result in difficulty even opening it.
I think an application of tape across the joint will be the easiest solution, and guarantee it can be opened when required.
Controller Boards
Rather than try and fit the camera onto the door, I'll make a suitable bracket that holds it in place against the front of the enclosure.
The same bracket can also hold the RPi and SleepyPi, and will eliminate any cable movement whenever the door is opened.
Whatever I decide here is likely to be repeated several more times, as there is a desire to have the existing cameras run longer than the generator.
Using a large inverter and batteries seems wasteful, when this solution eliminates the need for the inverter.
The current plan is to use a RiOT Board as the server in the office, which will be running a weather station program, collecting the various camera images, and sending them to the website.
Since its powered it could be useful to display the status of the Ski Tows and alarm when one stops. (looks like I need to make new controllers for next year)
We still need to power up the satellite link and decide what data gets sent and to where.
This will be another blog once we confirm the criteria. ....
But in the meantime opening day is June 20th ... no time to waste.
Mark
