Might need to do some rearranging and considering storing the Shapeoko (with enclosure) outdoors. It will be under a shed well away from rain and sun, but will be exposed to the elements such as temperature change etc. WiIl this be a definite no?
The problem is that when anything is cold (like form an overnight cold soak) and warm air hits it, the moisture in the air condenses on the surface. Unless you can completely seal off the entire SO3, there is a chance that it can be damaged by moisture over time.
I guess the answer is - if you don’t have a choice, you don’t have a choice. If you do have a choice, you should definitely not leave it outside.
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My Shapeoko lives in a unheated detached garage with all of my other tools. I have never had a problem with it. I live in a fairly temperate climate in Seattle, Washington, so we don’t have the crazy temperature swings that others have to deal with.
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Hey, Chris, I am just up I-5 in Lynnwood. I have my SO3 in an unheated shed as well, and I don’t have moisture problems either, but I have left items outside on a covered porch.
Outside, where there is a lot of air and moisture movement, the condensation can build very quickly. It only takes for the air temp to rise a few degrees - and the metal to remain the same lower temp - for condensation to build. On electronics with all of their tiny parts with gaps and crevices, the water will accumulate and begin corroding.
I am by no means an expert, but I do work in a lab where we do essentially aircraft HVAC - and I create temp / humidity profiles for testing different conditions. It is neat to watch nearly saturated air turn to fog almost instantly when the air temp is lowered below the dew point.
I am probably being a bit over-cautious, but not by much.
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