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  • Author Author: rscasny
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Poll: Are You Currently In Need of an Outdoor Enclosure for Electronic Devices?

I have been in discussion with some suppliers who would like to offer the element14 community outdoor-rated enclosures for electronic devices. These enclosures have high ingress protection ratings and offer features that are great for protecting electrical or electronic equipment from inclement weather, high temperatures, humidity. dust, corrosion, etc.

 

At this point, I'd like to get a feel for members who are currently in need of this kind of enclosure. It would also be helpful to know if you generally use an enclosure that is sold off-the-shelf with standard sizes and features, or, if you usually use custom-design enclosures.

 

If you have any other thoughts regarding enclosures (or what element14 would need to add in an "enclosure activity") that would be helpful as well.

 

If you have the time to participate in this poll, I'd like to thank you for doing so.

 

As always, I appreciate your participation in the element14 community.

 

Sincerely,

 

Randall Scasny

RoadTest Program Manager

  • I usually design custom enclosures and 3D print them, which is amazing, because everything just fits perfectly. Unfortunately, size and ingress protection are big issues. It's not feasible to 3D print large enclosures, and making them water/temperature/etc resistant is a big challenge. For some projects, RF shielding is also required, which is again, not possible with 3D printing(well, technically conductive filament would work, but it's very expensive)

  • I am definitely looking for an enclosure that would survive under water at a depth of 5 meters for an indefinite amount of time while allowing the connection of 4 2.5mm² cables grouped in a flat setting (ie, the four are side by side in a row).

     

    Apart from this very specific project, as a hobbyist, I always use "off the shelf" enclosures that I either adapt to my needs (ie, cut through them) or for which I adapt my design.

  • I do have several projects in my bucket list that require outdoor operation and good ingress protection. I would use commercial-off-the-shelf enclosures if they are suitable. Designing a custom enclosure is only considered if nothing else suitable is available. I wouldn't likely use an external custom design service unless somehow the price was very attractive. Unfortunately enclosure requirements are often weird and custom is the only option.