Circuitrocks

Sharing notes from running ~30 sensor nodes for clients over the past 2-3 years. Mix of indoor and outdoor (sheltered) installations.

Survived strongly:

• DS18B20 (waterproof variant), soil temp probes, fish tanks. Mga 95%+ uptime.
• BME280, when properly enclosed (small breathable membrane over the sensor opening). Indoor offices, no problem.
• MPU6050, vibration monitoring on motors. Surprisingly tough.

Failed earlier than expected:

• DHT22, humidity sensor saturation in slightly humid environments. Reads stuck at 99% RH after months. Replace yearly if in PH conditions.
• HC-SR04, outdoor units with even mild moisture exposure die within 6 months. Foam degrades, transducer corrodes.
• Cheap PIR sensors, stuck-open or stuck-closed failures common after a year.

Lessons learned:

• Conformal coating where you can, adds months to sensor life
• Mount sensors in 'replaceable' fashion, accept failure as inevitable, design for swap
• The cheapest sensor is the one you replace every 6 months

Ano yung war stories niyo? Curious especially sa BME280 outdoor, naka-deploy ba kayo nito for over a year sa actual outdoor (rain-exposed)?