Topic: Hardware/Software Tinkerer, buy vs build

[weather34]

Do folks here have any experience with comparing the Rainview 111 vs the Davis version or others?

Several of us. The RW is unquestionably the superior tipper. It has a larger catch, 8" vs 6.5", twice as accurate on paper (2% vs 4%), and is more consistent. Not only, the RW is easily hardwired into the VP2 ISS, works exactly the same as the Davis tipper.

my spare aerocone with a 8” diameter extension , sprayed inside with super hydrophobic laquer, left cured for 24 hours initial test Waiting rainfall  , frequently found in motorcycle shops its used on the helmet visors to allow rain to run off ...

cw2274 as you have a wealth information stored in your experiences, would you say reduce the height of the extension? or is it just bad idea allround , nothing to lose just like dabbling can call me an idiot

the base unit is fitted with the newer single tipper 0.2mm

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[CW2274]

You've changed the diameter of the bucket so it is now out of calibration. Nothing wrong with an extension, although in this case I feel it's unnecessary, but if you do, it needs to be the same diameter or you'll need to completely re-calibrate it, and that involves calculations waaay over my pay grade.

[weather34]

thanks it was just pure boredom , i actually find the single tipper is a good enough improvement over the original . recalibrate is a tedious task and lots of to and throwing .thanks and as the extension just slots in simply reverts back to its original state. all fun about learning.. many thanks..brian

[impala454]

Progress

Thanks for all the wonderful help so far folks.  Given my enjoyment of building things and that I need to use two different locations in my yard, I think I'm going to end up piecemealing a system together.  Here's a component list I'm considering, I wouldn't mind hearing from anyone who's had good/bad experiences with integrating them, alternate suggestions, or knows a better place to buy than the prices/links given.  Also any other interesting sensor ideas would be welcome.

item	purpose	price/link	datasheet
Sensiron SHT85	temp/humidity	$29.22	pdf
MS5611	pressure	$13.99	pdf
Rainview 111	rain	$72.95	pdf
Davis 6410	wind speed/dir	$107.32	pdf
AS3935	lightning	$19.95	pdf

General Design Thinking

I will build a Stevenson screen for the temp/humidity/pressure sensors and likely mount the rain gauge to the top of it.  That whole assembly would then go on a 6-7' post buried with concrete in the most open part of the yard.  Similar to the one at the bottom of this post.  The anemometer would go on the roof of the house on a pole mounted via a re-used dish mount, up above the roof line (trying for the recommended 33 feet if possible).

The items inside the Stevenson screen box would all be read via a single power over ethernet powered arduino, fed from a buried pvc jacketed cable from the house.  The anemometer cable could go straight through an existing soffit hole into the attic into another PoE arduino (or it might actually reach a Raspberry Pi inside my network closet).

The data would all be fed to an existing PostgreSQL database I have which feeds a Grafana UI which already has several other sensors and other bits of data from other devices around the house.  I would also likely try to share the data with wunderground and whichever other major sharing sites there are.

More Questions!

A few more questions that popped up while thinking this through:

• Thoughts on required size of the Stevenson screen?
• Would there be any issues attaching some makeshift bird spikes to the outside of the rain gauge?
• Would anyone forsee issues painting the outside of the rain gauge white (purely for WAF)?
• Would plants around the base of the post affect anything?
• How the heck do you put the anemometer 33 feet in the air and still get it pointed the right direction to start?
   Do folks just kinda eyeball it and turn the pole at the base?
• Is there any advantage to mounting the lightning sensor up high with the anemometer?  Or just keep it in the Stevenson screen box with the other sensors?  I assume it could still do its thing from inside an IP67 box?
• What other weather sharing sites do folks use?
• Does mounting a 33' metal pole on my house make it more prone to lightning strikes?

Here's the sample I googled which is similar to what I'm envisioning:

[galfert]

UV and Solar Radiation sensors?


https://www.scaledinstruments.com/shop/davis-instruments/pro2-integrated-sensor-suite-upgrades-and-add-ons/davis-6450-solar-radiation-sensor/

https://www.scaledinstruments.com/shop/davis-instruments/pro2-integrated-sensor-suite-upgrades-and-add-ons/davis-6490-uv-radiation-sensor/

Optional mounting:
https://www.scaledinstruments.com/shop/davis-instruments/pro2-integrated-sensor-suite-upgrades-and-add-ons/davis-6673-uv-and-solar-radiation-mounting-shelf/

[impala454]

I was researching UV and solar sensors and maybe at some point. The cost scared me away a bit.  It's not like some of the other sensors where I can grab the IC on a breakout board and "cut out the middle man" so to speak.

[pfletch101]

Would there be any issues attaching some makeshift bird spikes to the outside of the rain gauge?

There shouldn't be, provided they are no bigger than the spikes that (now) come with the Davis device.

Would anyone forsee issues painting the outside of the rain gauge white

The (very theoretical) reason for having it black is that it should absorb sun on cold days and contribute to melting any ice or snow in the bucket. In reality, the effectiveness of this is probably minimal. If you want measurements from melted ice or snow, you need to install active heating.

How the heck do you put the anemometer 33 feet in the air and still get it pointed the right direction to start?
 Do folks just kinda eyeball it and turn the pole at the base?

You can eyeball it initially and then, once it is fixed in place, take a compass sighting through the horizontal arm (which should be pointing North) and put in the appropriate correction in your software.

[impala454]

The (very theoretical) reason for having it black is that it should absorb sun on cold days and contribute to melting any ice or snow in the bucket. In reality, the effectiveness of this is probably minimal. If you want measurements from melted ice or snow, you need to install active heating.

I can count on one hand the number of significant snowfalls we've had in Houston in my lifetime, so this is probably no big deal.  Though it does make me curious, is the melted snow into the rain bucket how snowfall is actually recorded?  Either way the WAF I think would win out over the very slight possibility of measuring snow properly in Houston, Texas.

Thanks on the other two answers, makes sense.

[pfletch101]

I can count on one hand the number of significant snowfalls we've had in Houston in my lifetime, so this is probably no big deal.  Though it does make me curious, is the melted snow into the rain bucket how snowfall is actually recorded?  Either way the WAF I think would win out over the very slight possibility of measuring snow properly in Houston, Texas.

When '10" of snow' is reported, a reliable observer has usually stuck a measuring rod into an undisturbed flat area of snow. It is sometimes useful, however, to know the 'rainfall equivalent' of a fall of snow (particularly if you are a hydrologist or otherwise interested in the local or regional water supply). This is what you get from a heated rain-measuring setup. You can't deduce snow depth from the amount of melt you collect, since the water content of a cubic inch of fresh snow is very variable.

[SnowHiker]

I don't have personal experience with a heater, but I suspect trying to measure moisture from snowfall with a heated rain gauge is less accurate than measuring rainfall, as there will be a significant amount of evaporation before the melted flakes make it to the tipper, especially with lighter snowfall.  I think I've read reports to this effect on this forum also.

[Bushman]

I was researching UV and solar sensors and maybe at some point. The cost scared me away a bit.  It's not like some of the other sensors where I can grab the IC on a breakout board and "cut out the middle man" so to speak.

Lots of UV photodiodes around for that part of the sensor suite.  You could also look at 1-Wire (using 1-wire to I2C if needed)

As for the Stevenson screen, go to Lowe's or HD and buy 4 wooden louvres/shutters.

[pfletch101]

I don't have personal experience with a heater, but I suspect trying to measure moisture from snowfall with a heated rain gauge is less accurate than measuring rainfall, as there will be a significant amount of evaporation before the melted flakes make it to the tipper, especially with lighter snowfall.  I think I've read reports to this effect on this forum also.

I don't have personal experience, either, but I believe that the trick is to get the temperature of the collecting cone enough above freezing to melt snow within a reasonable time, but not enough substantially to raise the melted water's vapor pressure and cause excessive evaporation. Thermostatic control would be ideal but is (I believe) not the rule.

[impala454]

I was researching UV and solar sensors and maybe at some point. The cost scared me away a bit.  It's not like some of the other sensors where I can grab the IC on a breakout board and "cut out the middle man" so to speak.

Lots of UV photodiodes around for that part of the sensor suite.  You could also look at 1-Wire (using 1-wire to I2C if needed)

Cool that helps, now that I've found a few (like the GUVA-S12SD (pdf)), any ideas on a project box with a glass lid?

[Bushman]

Pretty easy to grab a small project box and glue https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32789723228.html on

[badhairday]

I enclosed my home brew sunlight sensor in a tiny glass jar to protect if from the elements.  Since I only wanted to see how many hours of sunlight my vegetable garden received, the sensor was a small solar cell from a calculator and a 1-wire A/D converter.  Later, I realized how useful it would be for determining when my indoor lights should come on.

Last January, after more than 15 years, I retired my home brew PWS for a Davis VP2 and opted to get the solar sensor, even though I think it crazy expensive.   The UV level has never really interested me and don't know why others get them.

Chris

[impala454]

I really like the glass jar idea because I could use the lid as a mounting, then just unscrew the jar to clean it.  Thanks!

As far as "why UV level"?  I think it's partially just nerd data to track and partially a "do I really need sunscreen?" kind of thing.  Not to mention if I can get the sensor for $6.00 why not?