Author Topic: Budget Test Station in Aus.  (Read 1853 times)

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Offline Phil23

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Budget Test Station in Aus.
« on: August 09, 2019, 08:17:48 PM »
Hi All,

Just considering getting a second station to experiment with running CumulusMX on a Raspberry Pi.

My Davis VP/2 runs off an old Win8 HP laptop & I've considered putting it on a Pi, but don't want to have it off-line while I'm sorting out setups & testing.

So thought I'd get a second WS to experiment with & maybe repurpose it at a different location later.

Not a lot of specifics to offer, but I peruse it would help if it was a model that used a CP2102 for a virtual com port on it's interface.


Suggestions?

Offline PaulMy

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2019, 09:26:47 PM »
A Davis Vue console and the WiFiLogger may be just the thing for you http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=37610.msg387019#msg387019

Enjoy,
Paul

Offline Phil23

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2019, 06:51:19 PM »
A Davis Vue console and the WiFiLogger

Probably outside the budget.
Was thinking more something in the range of my old Fine Offset, maybe something with a Colour screen for the hell of it.

Just want to experiment with the Pi for a bit without disrupting the VP/2 while I'm on the learning curve.

If the USB setup is different, it will only leave that to resolve if I decide to move the Davis to a Pi.

Offline Mandrake

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2019, 09:25:50 AM »
You may need to be patient if you want to use Cumulus MX with one of the current crop of FO weather stations.

I have a very old Maplin weather station that was made by Fine Offset and uses a USB port which I have hooked to a Pi and Cumulus MX.
Works like a dream and I only bought another one after I had a period of lost data when the TX stopped working. Weirdly since I bought new kit its been faultless and is still 100 feet down the garden working away!

The modern FO stations as sold by Ecowitt tend to all use the Internet and the USB does not work for data in the same way.
However there is light at the end of the tunnel, in that if you buy a GW-1000 then this will gather the data from nearly all the FO sensors and upload to the internet. But....as a bonus there is or will be a published API that allows other network attached devices to query the data. So in time someone can extend Cumulux MX to use that API and read the weather sensor data into the MX database.

This has been done already by the Meteohub (Edit - should read Meteobridge!) folks as they have asked Ecowitt for the API and have added it their code so that the hub can read the data. I was tempted by the Meteohub (Edit - should read Meteobridge!) but I like Cumulus MX and am waiting patiently. If you are good at coding you could perhaps contact Ecowitt and get the API and add the code to Cumulus MX.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2019, 04:04:26 AM by Mandrake »
G1ZFO

Ecowitt HP2551A + WH65 Tri-Wing (Wunderground: IGUILDFO67)
Ecowitt GW1000 (Wunderground: IGUILDFO68)
Ecowitt GW1000 (Mk2) test environment driving CumulusMX on a RPi 3b
Ecowitt GW2000 (Test)
Ecowitt WS90 Wittboy - Test
Ecowitt WH51 (x6) Soil Moisture Sensor
Ecowitt WH41 PM2.5 AQM Sensor
Ecowitt WH31 (x8) Thermo/Hygro Sensor
Ecowitt WS80 Ultrasonic Anemometer (pre-prod test)
Ecowitt WH57 Lightning Sensor -test
Ecowitt WH32-EP (SHT35) + Davis 7714 Screen
Ecowitt WH45 CO2/PM2.5/PM10 -Test
Ecowitt WN34 Soil Temp Sensor -Test
Ecowitt WN34 Water Temp Sensor -Test
Ecowitt WN35 Leaf Moisture

Offline galfert

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2019, 02:41:50 PM »
This has been done already by the Meteohub folks as they have asked Ecowitt for the API and have added it their code so that the hub can read the data. I was tempted by the Meteohub but I like Cumulus MX and am waiting patiently. If you are good at coding you could perhaps contact Ecowitt and get the API and add the code to Cumulus MX.

Meteobridge not Meteohub. Different products both by Smartbedded. They were first because I have a Meteobridge and I despised the ObserverIP.

Weather Display is next to have this support. I'm already working with Brian on this. Great progress has been made (not finalized yet). The GW1000 is a really nice piece of hardware. The beauty is that you can run multiple software simultaneously. I'm running Meteobrdige and Weather Display at the same time and both are talking to the GW1000 over the network simultaneously with no data loss. All software get Live data from the GW1000. You don't even need to do anything to the GW1000...other than it needs to be on the network. You don't use the "Customized" server option. That is the power of the API method of data acquisition. Much better than getting data from WU API and better than getting data from AmbientWeather.net API. Because those web connections require the Internet to be up...there is delay in data and that data is not Live in the sense that you are getting minutes old data.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2019, 02:48:28 PM by galfert »
Ecowitt GW1000 | Meteobridge on Raspberry Pi
WU: KFLWINTE111  |  PWSweather: KFLWINTE111
CWOP: FW3708  |  AWEKAS: 14814
Windy: pws-f075acbe
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Offline Phil23

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2021, 05:21:13 PM »
Re-Visiting this Idea despite now having my CMX on an updated reborn Win10 Laptop.
In this instance though, planning on Gifting it to a Relative once I've finished playing with.
(rPi & CMX Website included.

GW1000 is the first thing that pops up the list, but would prefer to be gifting a unit that has it's own stand-alone display; maybe Colour even.

They have had a few very low budget stations in the past & the display unit sitting on the bench was always an attraction.

So would like to provide that along with website access via CMX.

Offline galfert

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2021, 08:33:44 AM »
You'll just need both a HP2551 display and the GW1000. The GW1000 will be essential to get data into Cumulus MX.
Ecowitt GW1000 | Meteobridge on Raspberry Pi
WU: KFLWINTE111  |  PWSweather: KFLWINTE111
CWOP: FW3708  |  AWEKAS: 14814
Windy: pws-f075acbe
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Offline Phil23

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2021, 05:38:51 PM »
You'll just need both a HP2551 display and the GW1000.

Thanks,

I understand the GW1000 is a key component of CMX integration.
It's discussed a lot on the forum, but been of now relevance until now.

What you mention stretches the budget here a bit, Ie
https://www.amazon.com.au/ECOWITT-Weather-Station-Powered-Forecast/dp/B07FMKKBX5
~$280.00

What about this?
https://www.amazon.com.au/ECOWITT-WH2910C-Weather-Wireless-Forecast/dp/B07FD3DSXJ
~$180.00

I understand in both cases that the GW1000 would be an additional cost.
https://www.amazon.com.au/ECOWITT-Gateway-Temperature-Humidity-Pressure/dp/B07JLRFG24
~$45.00

Add a rPi (3 would do but full kits seem scarce).
https://www.amazon.com.au/Raspberry-Model-Complete-Starter-Pack/dp/B082VPZKPP
~$150.00

So two totals end up @ about
$475.00 Vs $375.00

Rather not be pushing up near that $500 mark; considering it's basically going to be Gifted on.

Offline galfert

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #8 on: June 10, 2021, 11:37:56 PM »
You've pretty much got it. What you've listed are the two options for displays. Another option is to for now get the GW1001 which comes with outdoor sensor array and then at a future point add just the display (either one). That way you start off with Cumulus MX and no display. Smaller initial investment and then add the display later.

Good choice on Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB and skipping the Pi 3 at this point.
Ecowitt GW1000 | Meteobridge on Raspberry Pi
WU: KFLWINTE111  |  PWSweather: KFLWINTE111
CWOP: FW3708  |  AWEKAS: 14814
Windy: pws-f075acbe
Weather Underground Issue Tracking
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Offline Phil23

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #9 on: June 14, 2021, 05:13:53 PM »
One Last question before I order, the 3 items I linked are all 433MHz.

Assume that's fine out here in Aus as I already run a few HC-12's between Micros.

Phil.

Offline galfert

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Re: Budget Test Station in Aus.
« Reply #10 on: June 14, 2021, 08:04:44 PM »
Yes 433 MHz works for Australia. But 915 MHz is also acceptable in Australia.
« Last Edit: June 14, 2021, 08:06:28 PM by galfert »
Ecowitt GW1000 | Meteobridge on Raspberry Pi
WU: KFLWINTE111  |  PWSweather: KFLWINTE111
CWOP: FW3708  |  AWEKAS: 14814
Windy: pws-f075acbe
Weather Underground Issue Tracking
Tele-Pole

 

anything