Andrew Ensminger Comments
We've had a great response at the Victoria Farmers Federation Annual meeting in Lorne VIC. related to Kestrel DROP. We're at a grains conference and everyone is excited about the value DROP brings in grain storage - putting the D2 inside the silos. This raises a couple of questions:
The most common application is that people will suspend the Kestrel DROP D2 inside the silo by a chain or steel cable because the friction and power of the grains when they are drained is extreme. Was the Drop tested for and can it handle this strong force?
We performed some tension testing of the D-ring and DROP assembly. Under a load of 110lbs, we found no deformation of the D-ring and a slight opening of the case halves near the D-ring. This loading should exceed the demands in a grain silo.
DROPs are rated to IP67 standards. This means no dust will enter the unit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code
Battery life is highly dependent on several variables: logging rate, connection time, and temperature. For an environment around 25C, with logging rate at 1 pt/hr, and connection once/day, we expect about 4-6 months battery life.
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