Why Can't I Buy an Outdoor Thermometer

[MineralMan]

that displays Kelvin temperatures. One of those big round ones, like the one I have hanging on my tree in the front yard. It would be ever so nice in Minnesota winters to look out and see 244 K, instead of -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Psychologically, it would make me feel much warmer, I'm sure...

[PoliticAverse]

1. Because here in the US we use Rankine. n/t

[MineralMan]

2. Well that would make me feel even warmer, wouldn't it?

Still, I don't think any thermometers display that, either.

Perhaps I need to think about offering such a thermometer for sale. Yes, indeed. I think I'll stick to Kelvin, though. I'm not sure about the salability of a Rankine outdoor thermometer.

[CloudWatcher]

3. calibration

I believe they're stuck in development ... there's a test & calibration issue for the negative half of the scale!



It's not very big, but maybe this BBQ one would help? You could sit it in a window

KELVIN BBQ AND GRILL THERMOMETER

[MineralMan]

4. Well, I'm getting closer.

I've found thermometer movements available for pretty cheap. They use standard clock hands, so you can fit any diameter. All I'd have to do is design a template for the dial that could be printed. It would be easy to create an 8" diameter dial on ordinary paper, but I don't have a printer than can handle a 12" sheet. However, that wouldn't be too difficult to find a place to print them.

The housing for this could be from a clock, and 12" clocks are easy to find and cheap. I'd just have to replace the dial printout, install the movement and set it to show the right temp. The movement is proportional.

So, maybe I'll just go ahead and do a prototype for my own use.

I think I'll include C, F, and K on the same dial. Maybe, I'll even add Rankine temps, as well. I even found a graphical design for a C & F thermometer for this type of movement, so the angular dimensions are already there.

Cool beans.

[Harker]

5. Somewhere... in an antique store in England...

probably in the window display...

[monmouth4]

6. Try the Vermont Country Store www.vermontcountrystore.com. They carry a lot of stuff like that..

[cstanleytech]

7. Probably because there is little demand for one?

[MineralMan]

9. Science geeks would buy it.

[cstanleytech]

11. No doubt some would but its a small niche still.

[MineralMan]

14. It's a novelty item, really. It would also have F and C scales, of course.

The interesting thing about niche products is that you don't have to sell all that many of them to get a lot of revenue. And, since the number of items that have to be manufactured is small, you don't have to create a major facility to make them. I suspect that an outdoor thermometer with an added K scale might sell a few thousand units if it were marketed appropriately. Since it would be a unique product, you could use Amazon to provide your ordering system.

It would even be possible to base the product on an existing thermometer, which would get modified by simply applying a new printed face overlaying the original one. In bulk, such thermometers can be obtained very cheaply. Conversion would only require removing the hand from the thermometer movement, applying the new scale printout, and reassembling the unit. Once designed, the new scales could be printed even at the neighborhood Kinkos, on self-adhesive material.

Since the item would be a unique novelty product, the pricing could be adjusted up from competing thermometers that did not have the K scale. $19.95 is a price point that easily stimulates impulse buying.

Anyhow, I can see such a kitchen table project generating a few thousand dollars in revenue quite easily and reasonably quickly. The key would be in finding the host thermometers for the conversion at low cost. Since I have purchased such 12" outdoor thermometers for as little as $5.99 at a retail outlet, I suspect I could source the basic unit quite cheaply in 1000 quantities.

[safeinOhio]

8. I found a San Diego thermometer...

Stuck on 74.

[BigmanPigman]

10. That is so true.

It is almost boring. We pay a lot for that temp though, an awful lot.

[safeinOhio]

12. I was going to move there until I looked at housing.

My friend calls it the sunshine tax. At least I can visit once a year.

[NNadir]

13. Put this baby on your window sill. It has the added advantage that...

...in winter you can switch it Kelvin and during unbearably hot days you can switch to Celsius, taking a 105F day and making it "40."

6802 II Durable Precision Dual Channel Digital Thermometer with 2 K-Type Thermocouple Sensor

Given our inattention to the health of our atmosphere, you are more likely to need the latter should you live much longer.