[chbot] Wanting real data - How best to mount sensors outside in the elements?

[Quentin McDonald]

I would second the waterproofed one-wire sensors, they seem pretty robust.
Have been measuring ground temperature for a while now. I've also had
reasonable luck with Sistema food storage containers as a cheaper solution
compared to true weatherproof enclosures. They do eventually pick up some
UV damage but are so cheap it hardly matters.

I do have a question of my own. I want to augment my weather station with a
UV sensor and an infrared thermometer module to measure sky temperature.
But how to weatherproof them? From what I gather some types of acrylic are
UV transparent but how does one know which? And for IR  - can you even have
something between the sensor and the object you are trying to measure? I
did wonder if perhaps just a long thin tube to collimate it (since I only
want to measure a small section of the "sky" anyway). Then just hope for
the best with rain getting in...


Quentin

On Fri, May 29, 2020 at 2:17 PM Robin Gilks <robin at gilks.org> wrote:

>
> > Hey all list dwellers,
> >
> > I'm looking for advise, suggestions and general pointers to what other
> > have done in order to get various types of sensors working out in the
> real
> > world - that is beyond the bench.
> >
> > What sensors perform better / marginal, what methods provide the best
> > mechanical / environmental protection.
> >
> > Where should I position say an outdoors temperature sensor?
> >
> > Mostly I'm after less of the theory and more of the I tried this but it
> > mutated a spider which ate my cat kind of thing. So don't do that.
> >
> > Thanks for reading, stay safe. Wash your hands.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Andrew
>
> I've been using 1-wire ds18b20 for some 15 years and the ones that are in
> a sealed stainless tube seem very reliable outside - I have one on the
> roof of the pump shed in full sun to get the sky temperature and one in a
> hedge for the shade temperature on my irrigation controller. They is used
> for frost detection. Hadley down at Nicegear has them in stock, in fact
> the ones I'm using at present I got from him some 5 years ago.
>
> The BME280 I use in my weather station does temperature, humidity and
> pressure and is fine so long as it is kept out of direct influence with a
> Stevenson screen (its a bit delicate). I made mine from upturned flowerpot
> saucers, threaded studding with spacers between like this:
> http://gilks.ath.cx/gallery3/Building-a-PJ-inverter/IMG_5661
>
> Other sensors, I would go for automotive types are they are going to be
> very robust to start with!
>
> --
> Robin Gilks zl3rob/g8ecj
> Internet: g8ecj at gilks.org    http://www.gilks.org
>
>
>
>
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