Newbie to agriculture automation here.
I’m working on setting up a MyCodo enabled Mushroom growing chamber, similar to Kyle Gabriel’s awesome setup.
One thing that really caught my eye, is that he left the Rpi HQ Camera inside the (probably very humid) growing tent.
I have the impression that this amount of humidity, over time, would cause significant damage to the lens, if not the camera module itself.
Is there anyone with a similar high humidity setup who has attempted this? I would really be helpful to know if this really does not cause significant damage, because I would not need a custom airtight mount for the camera if this is the case.
My camera did sustain some damage (corrosion) from using it for the several months I was acquiring time-lapses for my build video. I would not recommend using it inside the chamber for long durations without humidity protection. I was willing to sacrifice the camera for the project to acquire good photos, but luckily none of the electronics or sensor was damaged.
I would recommend using some kind of waterproof case, such as a modified clear dry box, or creating a viewing window into the chamber, such as a piece of glass taped to a hole cut in the chamber wall, with the camera mounted outside the viewing window. The nice thing about the HQ Pi cam is the ability to use different lenses, allowing you to get a closer zoom inside the chamber with the appropriate lens.
One of the biggest issues I encountered was condensation on my lens inside the tent, causing images to be obscured. This would likely also cause issues if using a weatherproof box or a viewing window. I reduced condensation by placing a small fan to continually blow on the lens, which facilitated evaporation of the condensation.
Since we aim to have the chamber active over a year, a viewing window with a fan does seem like a safe alternative! Ill probably experiment between the 6mm wide angle and 16mm telephoto lenses to get a good angle.
What about shoving a silica gel pack against the back of the camera? I’m doing time lapse in an aquaponics greenhouse so no issues with humidity to date because it isn’t sealed up like I’d prefer. I do find the 8MP camera quite adequate since I’m capturing 1920x1080 but not fun lens options like the HQ.
That’s also an interesting idea! but I think lenses (especially removable camera lenses) are really sensitive to humidity, since the moisture getting inside will essentially trap some water in there. This later can cause a misty layer on the inside of the lens.
I think the 8MP camera is more resilient to this problem since the lens is just stuck there.