I have a built a "magical Christmas box" to control the lights on my house. inside I have a mega YX5300 mp3 player, an SD card and reader, a small amp circuit I pulled out of a little powered speaker and a bunch of relays.
I have a few buttons that run through different sized resistors so they can be detected by voltage.
my electronics are well protected in a plywood box and mounted under the eve of my house where it is safe from any direct rain or snow.
I am near Chicago IL where it may experience varying humidity and temperatures below freezing.
are any of the components I listed going to have trouble with humidity or cold or condensation?
Protecting electronics outdoors is never easy. If the temperature can drop below freezing point You should consider heating to keep temperature above freezing. Freezing causes ice to build up and ice is some day melting…. Also, dont try to make a water proof, tightened box. Air will always come inside and it brings humidity. Make sure that such condensed humidity can escape by a hole in the bottom.
I doubt that any of Your parts are made for outdoor use so You have a tough task to keep it alive.
any suggestions on heating? the box is about 8 x 8 x 16 inches. its not completely air tight. but designed well enough to avoid water leaks. one idea that crossed my mind would be a small light bulb inside. possibly a standard incandescent night light to put out a little heat. any thoughts on heating? the box already has AC run to it, along with a fairly large regulated DC converter.
Why not connect a resistor across the power terminals sized properly will give you heat. That is all heating elements are. This response is to help you get started in solving your problem, not solve it for you.
Good Luck & Have Fun!
Gil
Thank you all. I now have a standard night light mounted in my box with a 4 watt bulb. ive run it about an hour and i can notice a slight difference in the temperature in the box. I'm thinking it should be just enough to chase off a little condensation! I noticed you can get 7 watt bulbs for a nightlight too. if I have any troubles I can step up to 7 watts to make things even more cozy in there.
Thank you everyone for the help, I am feeling confident now to put out my box!
Your electronics produce heat by themselves, enough to keep your box warmer than ambient (a few degrees is enough for that, you will barely be able to feel that with your hands) and thus preventing condensation. That alone is probably enough for years of operation, definitely for a single Christmas.
Drill some ventilation holes in the bottom of your box to let the moisture escape - but of course not in a way that rain or snow can be blown in.
wvmarle is correct! Look at the data sheets for each of the components, I think they are rated at least -25C, that is -13F. If they are rated at -40C that is -40F. This response is to help you get started in solving your problem, not solve it for you.
Good Luck & Have Fun!
Gil
The easiest, cheapest weatherproof Arduino Case I have found is like this:
That's Harbor Freight but Walmart has these...
Nice waterproof gasket. Drill holes in the plastic for cables, seal with Silicone caulk. I save some of those dessicant packs that come in many electronics products, store them in a ziplock bag. Throw a couple in the box. Or some rice in a small brown paper bag works..