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what is a safe temperature for arduinos and other electronic components??

nmmbeginer

ok guys so i have a problem. right now my electronic work area is in the basement and i am running out of space. so i thought that i might move to my shed that is in the back yard. but the shed is not climate controlled and so it gets really hot ( like a max of 102 F) in the summer and cold ( below freezing) in the winter. i guess my question is it this an ok place to keep my arduinos and other electronic things or not. right now it dose get a little damp in there but i can fix that by putting the windows on and keeping the door shut. 

  • 0

    Hi Nathan,

    Your electronics can easily deal with 102 F. The moisture, at least long term, can be more of a problem. Also, if you live in an area where there is seasonal hot and cold weather another problem can be condensation if a cold night is followed by a warm humid day and your shed is not insulated or heated. Most electronics are designed to handle temperatures of 150 degrees F or 65 degrees C without any assisted cooling.

    John

  • 0 in reply to jw0752

    i posted the question on the eevblog form and someone there gave a suggestion to store things in ziplock bags and put silicon gel in the bags to deal with the condensation. the only things i am not sure about are tools like soldering iron and oscilloscopes (which i don't have any scopes yet wanting to get one soon).

  • 0 in reply to nmmbeginer

    Hi Nathan,

    I think your best bet if you are going to use the shed will be to put some effort into insulating and making the shed a comfortable place to work. Long before the temperatures or moisture bothers the electronics they will bother you. If it is uncomfortable to be in the shed you will not enjoy your work with the electronics. For me, even a small space in the basement is better than a large area in an unheated and humid shed. If you are just going to store your electronics then the plastic bags with desiccant will work but that makes them very difficult to work with and as you pointed out what about the test equipment that will not easily fit into a bag. Fix up a nice space where you are comfortable working and it will be appropriate for the electronics as well. Good luck on your project.

    John

  • 0

    John is right on the money there, I just want to add an additional thing

     

    If your using the shed as storage and have suitably bagged items with deccasent etc, that is great but you need to be aware of bringing something from the shed (Cold) into the House workshop (Warm), it will suddently get a large amount of condensation on the packaging as it is moved into the warm house. Give it a few hours before removing or even opening the sealed packaging to prevent the condensation forming on or in the electronics stuff

     

    If your running out of space in the basement, use the shed for storage of infrequently used items and the basement area for the LAB image, if you want insparation of the use of a SHED for a workshop, checkout our own TM web site http://workshopshed.com/ and also http://www.ianjohnston.com/, they both operate from the Garden Shed and have videos on how they setup for use,

     

    EDIT: Forgot to mention, storage temperature range is far wider than operating temperature, gear "STORED" int he shed can happily handle below 0 to over 100

  • 0

    Thanks Nathan,

    has an excellent idea to check out the other members with workshops in sheds. I also thought of one more consideration having stored electronic items in sheds over the years. The mice love to chew wires and to build nests inside enclosures. I have lost several pieces of equipment due to mouse damage over the years.

    John