Waterproof Lux Sensor

[rnollen]

Hi,

On one of my projects I use the BH1750 Lux sensor to open my sunscreen. Now, to be honest.. I really hate that sensor It is more broken then it is working. I have replaced several over the past year..and now again with the frost it is dead again, where I did not touch it.

The Lux sensor is build in into a waterproof box, facing the sun.. Where the arduino itself is in a shed where it less influenced by the weather conditions. Now the waterproof box is not totally waterproof because of all the cables that are attached to it...

So I basically I want a waterproof Lux sensor where frost and vapour does not effect the sensor.. The BH1750 breaks to fast for me in my conditions.

Does anyone got a suggestion wat I can get, I have looked around on the internet .. but I cannot seem to find anything that is waterproof?

[meanmrgreen]

@rnollen

I am about to set a lux sensor outside any day now (as soon as the debugging is complete that is).
And i am going to place the board inside a glassjar, drill a hole in the top and seal the cables using a gluegun or similar.

Should be waterproof then right?

[alexsh1]

Interesting...
My BH1750 has been working flawlessly for many months. I put it on my window (from inside) to avoid any humidity issues, but the idea was to move it outside with my weather station.

[rnollen]

@alexsh1 said in Waterproof Lux Sensor:

My BH1750 has been working flawlessly for many months. I put it on my window (from inside) to avoid any humidity issues, but the idea was to move it outside with my weather station.

That is the whole issue for me I have placed it in a waterproof box like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/85x58x33mm-Waterproof-Cover-Clear-Plastic-Electronic-Project-Box-Enclosure-CASE-/281390875149?hash=item418434020d
This works, but behind a window is not an option. I want it facing the sun, basically the whole day with as little shade as possible. Otherwise it can happen that the sun is shining, but the sunscreen is not coming out because the sensor is not catching any sunshine
But in this box the sensor dies eventually and I want to have a long term solution for it

[meanmrgreen]

This is what i did, the box should be the mailbox right now but aprently i need to build a few relay nodes aswell.

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[sundberg84]

Its not the best sollution, but I accually have a couple of outdoor sensors in a transparent plastic bag. They have been working fine for a while, very easy to access them to reboot or upgrade if needed and easy to hide. Very unprofessional, but "if it looks stupid but works, its not stupid"

[Nca78]

@sundberg84 so stupid that I didn't even think about it. I have a bunch of small "ziploc" style bags that the aliexpress suppliers use all the time, I'll use this idea for sure !

[alexsh1]

@rnollen This is not a waterproof box. I have the same one and I can confirm that there is a moisture ingress over time (I used this one outside)

[rnollen]

@alexsh1 said in Waterproof Lux Sensor:

@rnollen This is not a waterproof box. I have the same one and I can confirm that there is a moisture ingress over time (I used this one outside)

Yep, I also think it is totally not waterproof. I also say humidity inside the box. I think I do suggestions here, where I place the sensor itself in a little plastic bag to make it more waterproof. I think it will work better then? Or anyone got another suggestion?

[rnollen]

I saw this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Light-Intensity-Sensor-Module-BH1750FVI-Stable-For-Arduino-TW-/131903322284?hash=item1eb60cf8ac:g:t1MAAOSwV0RXqVe9

This one looks better for outside use I think, because the sensor itself is more protected for water.