I've been struggling with the problem of how to separate the control box from the back plate of the OTA in order to mount it on the pier in a fixed position. The main difficulty is that at least 13 wires are required to do it properly.
In the end I settled on a 15 pin D-Sub connector as the required cable is available from Jaycar.
Next I designed a small PCB with 3 connectors that will live inside a small junction box attached to the back plate. This box will also contain the ambient temperature sensor and a status LED.
I will be using an Arduino Uno for the controller as it has nice robust USB socket and voltage down converter.
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