Since many people are discussing how to move their Bobcats outdoor on Discord, I decided to order one Rak Bobcat Outdoor Enclosure from the RakWireless Store to do a test.
Order and Shipment
I ordered it online July 16, the DHL started to ship it on July 27 and I got it on Jul 29, 13 days in total. The DHL express was very fast, there was a long wait before DHL started to send it out.
Open the Box
I was so eager to set it up and forgot to make an unboxing video 😆 . I only took 1 photo to show you what’s included.
There isn’t any installation guide inside the box. I tried to scan two QR codes on the card, and it showed me two 18 seconds videos. What ^_^?
But it looks like pretty easy to install because there is an image in their order page:
Test
I placed the Enclosure to the same place where I tested my DIY Enclosure.
Right after I came back from the roof, I checked the temperature.
The CPU temperature was about 80 °C! And it lasted for about 2 hours until the wind came. I left it on the roof until about 5PM and finally the temperature went down to 73 °C. After opening the Box, I tested the surface temperature of the LoRa chip, it was about 66 °C.
I’m not sure if it was caused by the heat or not, but during the test, the hotspot nearly didn’t have any activities.
Analysis
Will this Bobcat Outdoor Enclosure work as expected? I think it depends on where you live and your setup. According to the Bobcat Miner Datasheet, the Operating Temperature is 0 °C to 60 °C. Since the Storage Temperature is -40°C to 85 °C , I don’t think very low and very hot temperature can break Bobcat easily. However, it might not operate as expected if you put the Enclosure under the sun directly. It’s not only the LoRa chip / CPU, there are also many other chips in the hotspot, you don’t know which one will be broken in a Hot/Cold environment.
(1). The small space inside and lack of air circulation will cause an overheated CPU and LoRa chip temperature in Summer. As you can see, today isn’t the hottest day in CA, it has reached 80 °C. I suggest you open the cover of your miner, use heatsinks and place the Enclosure in the shade. The Cover is black which may absorbe heat quickly. It can be a Bobcat killer if you place it under the sun directly in California.
(2). The Enclosure is using metal material. In Winter, the Bobcat will be very cold if you live in a cold place and it may reach a temperature below 0 °C. So to use it, you need to use a cover to keep it warm.
To get some DIY hints, visit DIY Enclosure.