Hello,
I am building an arduino data logger for my high-altitude balloon project. Since it is operating at a high altitude, I tested my data logger in my freezer. Will it be fine to reuse the components used in testing or will it be better to purchase a completely new components for the actual flight?
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Hello explorer0907
Take a look at the data sheet for the accepted environmental data.
If your components still work ok at room temperature after the
freezer test it would probably be ok to re-use them. Just my opinion from experience.
Use new components, but test them in the freezer first.
Only then will you know if the new parts will survive.
All jokes aside. A common freezer is only -18C. Most components handle that just fine. It's the moisture/condensation when bringing it up to room temp that you maybe should worry about.
Leo..
Watch for corrosion and connections after returning to ambient temp.
They should be fine, but as for all mission critical devices, trust, insepect, reassemble and tes, inspect again.
Connections especially.
What ambient temperatures and humidity do you expect to encounter, that will determine what tests are needed. I generally worry more about hot then cold.
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I have tested several Arduinos in a freezer never had a problem with them when thawed and dried.
I do put them inside a plastic bag when in the freezer, it stops too much frost forming on the electronics.
I once built a small satellite out of standard of the shelf microcontroller type parts. One surprise when it go into orbit was the extreme temperature cycling it experienced, +30C to -30C on each orbit. It survived about 8,500 orbits before the solar panels gave out.
Thank you all for your help!
I am aiming to operate electronics at -25 to -30 degrees Celsius.
Will there be any other tests that I need to conduct?
Thank you
Frequency stability of any radio transmitters.
Accuracy of thermometers.
And dont charge lithium batteries below 0c.
I am using a Lipo battery to power up my electronics and a solar panel to charge it. What are the potential problems when I charge LiPo below 0 degrees using the solar panel? Do you have any recommendations for rechargeable batteries using solar energy for a high-altitude balloon?
You knacker the lithium battery. Some info here;
Thats the situation for most consumer lithiums, although there are supposed to be ones that can cope with below freezing charging, but I have no specific details.
What type of high altitude balloon and what altitude will it get to ?
Thank you for the reply. It will go up roughly by 25 to 30 km altitude. 1900mah LiPo worked quite well in the freezer test for 3 hours at -24c.
So up and burst.
Flight time is short, why bother with solar charging at all.
Common batteries for such applictions are AA or AAA Lithium Energizers, useable down to -40C, keep to circa 1.5V a cell until almost completly flat.
Condensation and frozen condensation are likely to be more of a problem than cold-dry air at higher altitudes.
Are there any ways to protect electronics from condensation?
Thank you!
Sealed boxes.
Comformal coatings.
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