Update on Outdoor Monitor Production

[Achim_AirGradient]

I am opening this topic to keep you informed about the production status of the new open outdoor monitor.

So far we run on schedule with the production:

a) PCB design is 95% complete and the first board worked flawlessly. We just need to make a small adjustment on the LED size. We already ordered all components for the 1st production run.

Here is a picture of the PCB we currently testing:

b) USB C cable has been tested and ordered. We decided on a 4 meter long cable that we tested to ensure that enough voltage gets through. The 4 meters should be long enough for most applications.

c) Packaging box has been designed and ordered.

d) PM sensors have been ordered.

e) Mold manufacturing is on track. We expect to get the first samples end of this month for testing and fitting. If the enclosure works, we can produce the parts in March in parallel with the PCB production.

I’ll keep you updated here. In case you want to pre-order one, you can get it in our store.

[airgrad]

You happen to have the specs in terms of working temperature range? Interested to know since I live in “extreme” cold area during winter.

Then I was wondering if it would be possible to add a small heater but I read the power cable might be a problem. Would the unit “shutoff” if T drops too low?

Thank you.

[Achim_AirGradient]

I checked with the manufacturer. The manufacturer sees no problem with operating up to minus 20 Celcius but beyond that they do not know exactly.

[Achim_AirGradient]

Currently the plastic injection company is doing the color matching for the first production samples:

The bottom part will be the AirGradient Blue and top part White.

We will use ASA plastic that has great UV resistance and doesn’t yellow.

[rrrus]

The description of the Outdoor Monitor says it monitors temperature and humidity, yet the build instructions don’t appear to include such a sensor.

[Achim_AirGradient]

The built uses the PMS5003T pm monitor that has a built in T/H sensor.

Having said that, I believe the primary use case of the T/H measurements will be for compensation algorithms in order to increase the accuracy of the pm measurements which are overstated in high humidity.

Exact meteorological temperature and humidity measurements are probably difficult because of heat up in the enclosure.

[rrrus]

bummer about the low accuracy of the temp / humidity sensors. i suppose I could always add an SHT 30 sensor to the SHT slot. i’ll try out the PMS5003T first and compare against other temp sensors I have.

thanks for your speedy response.

[Achim_AirGradient]

The problem is not the accuracy of the sensor but the heat built up in the enclosure.

[Achim_AirGradient]

A few information for the ones who already ordered the outdoor unit. The store description contained some old information and I updated it. The main differences are:

• The board will contain an ESP32-C3 (instead of an ESP8266). So it will have a more powerful processor
• The kit will come with a 4m USB cable instead of a 2m cable
• The board will have an external hardware watchdog chip. This will automatically reboot the device in case it crashes and enables very long up times
• The MCU can be flashed directly through the USB C port

Important: The current AirGradient TVOC module does not fit into the slot. So in case you ordered a TVOC module together with the outdoor unit and want to use it in the outdoor unit (and not a previously bought indoor kit) then please get in touch with me.

The PCBs for the 1st batch of pre-ordered units have been ordered, all other components are already sourced and the boards will be produced at the beginning of March.

For the enclosure I expect the first samples next week.

[dominic]

A stevenson screen is IMHO the best choice as enclosure for this purpose.

When I build my outdoor weather station I printed one based on a design I found on thingiverse. I was afraid that an internal temp sensor would be impacted by head radiation as well so I designed the board in a way that the temp sensor is on the bottom and all other electronics are above separated by the battery. In addition I added a DS18B20 outdoor temp sensor which i placed outside of the enclosure. The result was that the outside sensor was very much impacted by sun, wind and whatever. I did add various shields and protection afterwards but still, the internal temp sensor has a much more stable measurement. And comparing both together I can’t see any impact from heat radiation. I assume all the air gaps let a constant draft go through the enclosure combined with the low power ESP32 S2 and heat radiation isn’t an issue.

[Achim_AirGradient]

Today I received the first samples of the plastic injected enclosure from the factory. It looks really nice and the sensor modules and PCB seem to fit very well.

We will do some tests in the coming days and if things look good give the factory the go-ahead to continue with the final steps of the mold production.

By the way, we also have already made the packaging of the monitor and started the assembly of the PCB (see above). So far everything looks to be on track for shipments at the end of March.

[Achim_AirGradient]

The factory now did the T1 sample with the texture and some minor improvements. They send me this picture and it seems to look great.

I hope I will get these samples early next week and if they are good, we are ready for the production run.