Searching for a good outdoor case for Pi Zero W & Enviro+

Discussion Raspberry Pi
1

Hi, I’m searching for an outdoor case that can enclose a Raspberry Pi Zero W and the Enviro+ sensor without having to worry about moisture, bugs, etc… Has anyone considered designing (or 3D printing) such a plastic case to encase both units together so that “the elements” don’t get to the metal components when it sits outside? I’m not sure if this is overcome if the device is consistently energized when plugged into an outdoor wall socket.

Thanks in advance!

2

I used one of these

It houses a Pi A+ and Sense hat. Its a portable setup. I have holes drilled into the case to let air in for cooling etc. Strategically placed so air can get in and out but rain etc can’t get in.

Build pictures are here,
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AjOYwiwlwDtpgsVkT5HBIxQCP8tEMw?e=G9oGfF

3

Electronics doesn’t last long outside in the UK in my experience unless it is conformally coated or in a completely sealed box. Obviously the Enviro+ won’t work in a sealed box.

The outside air is too damp and just corrodes anything metallic.

4

Yeah, if the case is air tight your sensor readings aren’t going to be usable. Even with my vent holes my temperature read high on my sense hat. My portable setup has a BME680 mounted externally on the bottom of my case. Its placed so rain or snow can’t land on it but it gets good access to the air around it.
It’s been out in some very damp conditions, rain and snow. It’s usually back indoors in dry conditions that very same day so I haven’t had any issues with oxidization etc.

5

I mean, I could envision a case where it covers everything but the holes needed for the Enviro+ device to operate but in places that have high humidity, there’s still that problem. You could probably design a case with enclosed plastic or rubber seals to expose only what you need to, I’m just not sure anyone took this into account during the Enviro+ design phase.

6

One way to do it is to set it up to do indoor out door. Have the Enviro inside where you can read the display. Then wire up a BMP680 etc and mount that outside in an upside down plastic container or something. Then just replace the outdoor sensor if it eventually fails. As long as the outdoor sensor has a different i2c address from what’s on the Enviro it will work.