Enclosure specifications: Don’t box yourself in
01 February 2023
The first step in enclosure selection for outdoor electronic equipment is establishing an appropriate specification, and that’s not always a straightforward process.
Enclosures for outdoor electronic equipment must offer simultaneous protection from multiple threats. They need to keep water, dust and vermin out, for example, and resist the efforts of casual vandals or determined criminals. They must permit easy access to authorised users for installation, maintenance, and upgrade work. And they need to ensure that equipment within can maintain a safe operating temperature, regardless of the weather outside.
Some enclosures also need to protect the environment from noise or electromagnetic emissions generated by the equipment.
The cost of the enclosure is likely to be relatively low, compared with the through-life costs of operating critical equipment, and the value generated by that equipment. As a result, it can be tempting to “gold plate” enclosure specifications, but this approach doesn’t always lead to the best solutions.
Read the full article in DPA's February issue
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