Building the system for
when it goes wrong

Thinking a system will never fail is equivalent to living in "cloud cookoo land"!

When assembling a system, specifically the physical planning and construction of the various stations, cast a thought towards the repair technicians and engineers. Listed below is a number of issues often forgotten by engineers during the planning phase of a system.


Lighting:
A simple but so often overlooked item, especially at out-door (e.g. mountain top) sites. A simple solution is a 12-volt caravan florescent light fitting and is suitable for both mains powered and solar sites as it can be powered from the 12V standby or back-up battery.

These units typically draw about 0.5A and could comfortably survive through the night on a 10A/h battery, including powering the telemetry module. They are far more efficient than an incandescent lamp although they can create noise on a power supply purely by the means with which they work. Tests must be carried out to ascertain whether or not a small filter needs to be fitted in the power supply to the lamp.

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