Author Topic: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS  (Read 35331 times)

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Offline Bushman

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #25 on: October 15, 2011, 07:24:31 PM »
If I was doing an anemometer from scratch I would use a CD ROm motor/casing
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Offline linuxfreak

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #26 on: October 16, 2011, 02:17:13 AM »
There were plans out there back in the late 70's early 80's when I was in college from a British magazine, believe it was Wireless World, for a vane/anemometer using optical wheels for encoding, pretty high tech at the time, for sail boats. The design had a wheel that gave a lot more pulses per rev than just one or two, and was used as the system clock for determining the bearing for the vane by counting pulses from a fixed point till a pulse was detected from the vane, for example: anemometer disk - 360 pulses/rev, trigger pulse at the North point, count anemometer pulses until the vane disk hole causes a pulse, number of pulses is the direction in degrees from North.  ;) I fell in love with the accuracy and simplicity of the design, self clocking and no "special" potentiometer needed, all digital, no magnet and reed switch either.

Just wish I had photocopied the article at the time.  #-o ](*,) Maybe someone might be able to track that project down.

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Offline DanS

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #27 on: October 16, 2011, 02:32:55 AM »
Both of my LaCrosse anemometers (2310 & 2810) use optical disk encoding for the vane position indicator. Not set to read like you describe which sounds a lot more detail and precise. These read 16 different points around the dial and provide the position data to include with the speed data before sending it out to the ISS.

I found an old Heathkit online that uses optical disk encoding for both speed and direction.  http://books.google.com/books?id=zQWNinpbFx0C&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=optical+encoder+disk+anemometer&source=bl&ots=7TlI9olKHQ&sig=K34tn2ufMPeBw_BzOzir0Kwrscc&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false
« Last Edit: October 16, 2011, 03:25:47 AM by DanS »

Offline Skywatch

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #28 on: October 16, 2011, 05:24:15 AM »
It would be cool if there was a station where the anemometer, rain gauge, thermo/hygro, and other sensors were seperate, but each sensor would transmitt to the thermo/hygro sort of like lacrosse stations but without the wires. The thermo/hygro would function as a repeater so the anemometer and rain gauge could be placed in a more ideal location.

  If each worked off of a 433Mhz like most cheaper units do, and each sensor had 330Ft range, The anemometer, rain gauge, or other sensor could be placed 660Ft the thermo/hygro in between. Easier and probably more reliable. And the repeater was capible of multi-sensor input. Not just additional temperature and humidity sensors, but additional wind, rain, and any other sensors like solar, UV, or light intensity.
I live in an apartment and for the moment am not a home weather watcher.

I am a storm chaser.

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #29 on: October 16, 2011, 06:12:56 AM »
Good idea to use the sensor transceivers as repeaters.
Attached is an image of a 5 bit gray code disk optical shaft encoder.  This one gives only 32 positions.  For a 1º resolution, we'd need 360 positions and 9 bits.  I can do the pattern in a flat to be rolled into a drum shape.
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #30 on: October 16, 2011, 06:25:48 AM »
An optical disk pattern for a quatrature encoder.  The circuit can determine the direction the vane is rotating, then counts pulses as it rotates.
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.

Offline xykotik

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #31 on: October 16, 2011, 11:43:02 AM »
Looks like I wasn't too far off in this post.  Very Jungian.


Facit solem suum oriri super bonos et malos et pluit super iustos et iniustos.

Springtime in Seattle...  March comes in like a lion and out like a wet lion.

Offline Skywatch

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #32 on: October 16, 2011, 12:07:27 PM »
An optical disk pattern for a quatrature encoder.  The circuit can determine the direction the vane is rotating, then counts pulses as it rotates.
Looks like one of those eye teasers where you have to look at it in a certain way and creates an image.

  I had an old Acu-rite 00594w. After a storm took it out I salvaged what I could. I saw a disk with the same pattern as that first image and the circut board had the optical componets on it.
I live in an apartment and for the moment am not a home weather watcher.

I am a storm chaser.

Offline kered

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #33 on: October 16, 2011, 04:20:15 PM »
How about the basics, a decent fan in the console so you can put the light on without afecting the data like my pro2 does.
.     Updated every 15 minutes                                            Updated every 5 seconds


If its not broke don't try to fix it.

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #34 on: October 16, 2011, 04:46:59 PM »
How about no console?  If I do one, It'll be wood and glass with LEDS not LCD.  Another idea is to use a digital photo frame and programming with a universal IR remote control.
Today, I built a solar radiation shield from parts I already had.  I'll construct another one using common items.  This one has a 62mm 12 volt DC fan running on 5 volts.  It draws 45 ma.  Maybe during the day we can step it up to 12 volts and full speed.  The fan has a sense output that we can monitor and be notified when there is no aspiration.  I installed a DS18B20 digital temperature sensor in the air cavity.
I'll begin work on a solar panel and battery for the aspirator fan, the temperature and humidity sensors.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2011, 08:41:01 PM by wxtech »
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.

Offline xykotik

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #35 on: October 16, 2011, 11:30:48 PM »
Quote
Another idea is to use a digital photo frame and programming with a universal IR remote control.

There is another thread about something similar, with RSS feeding a WiFi-capable Kodak frame.  Maybe build a jpeg or gif image from the base software output with ImageSalsa or ImageMagik that can be viewed on a digiframe like any ol' photo.


Facit solem suum oriri super bonos et malos et pluit super iustos et iniustos.

Springtime in Seattle...  March comes in like a lion and out like a wet lion.

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #36 on: October 17, 2011, 06:57:59 AM »
Quoting from another thread: http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=12839.0
Read this really cool blog post about a guy who made his own Arduino Weather Shield.
http://www.zipfelmaus.com/blog/arduino-weather-shield-schematics-layout-code-everything-you-need/
The only thing he isn't measuring is rain fall rates.
Maybe we can use the Arduino & Xbee designs quoted above for our sensors and transceivers.  Does anyone have experience with Arduino and/or Xbee?
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.

Offline SLOweather

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #37 on: October 17, 2011, 05:24:23 PM »
Got a link to an example image of one?

...a XXXX idea -- anybody here familiar with Psychrometric Charts and their use? I've pondered about a weather "display" via the Psychrometric Chart graph, with the outside temperature and humidity being displayed as an illuminated "spot" on conjunction of the respective TEMP (X-axis) and RH% (power "curve") on the Chart.

Offline Bushman

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #38 on: October 17, 2011, 05:29:37 PM »
Pop the term into images.google.com and you can see them.  Confusing for most I suspect.
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Offline SLOweather

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #39 on: October 17, 2011, 11:40:30 PM »
Pop the term into images.google.com and you can see them.  Confusing for most I suspect.

Yeah, I did after posting, and I agree with you. The Psychrometric Chart appears to be a paper representation of several calculations that could better be expressed on a web page as calculated variables displayed in a table or by other means.

It might be interesting to use the Psychrometric Chart to show past history and predicted conditions, but most people would not get it.

Offline dch26

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #40 on: October 20, 2011, 01:14:32 PM »
i've recently fitted a ph probe (acid/alkali levels) in my fish tank.
desperately trying to think of a justification for needing it on the dream machine to test
for acid rain??

do i really need a detector to tell me if my garden gnome is about to melt?  :?

i'm just chucking in a suggestion or 2 because i am interested in being involved in this project :)


Offline jakejake

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #41 on: October 21, 2011, 01:45:41 AM »
My dream machine:

Required:
Temperature: Current, daily hi/low, trend, and rate of trend.
Humidity: current, daily hi/low, trend, and rate of trend.
Barometric pressure, trend and rate of trend.
Accurate sensors.
Durable sensors.
Atomic clock.
Constant backlight (user selectable, or automatic depending on current time, motion sensor, photo sensor).
Console needs to display all the above without needing buttons, menus.
Easy to read display.

PC:
Connect wirelessly to PC.
Display on TV via media center software.
Show as screen saver.
Highly customizable software.
Open source.
Access to raw data feeds.
Log data for climate history.
Share weather information online (web page, Facebook).
Also like the idea of a customizable picture frame.


Optional:
Wind.  I can't use wind information since I'm surrounded by trees and buildings. 
Rain. 
Solar power.


Unnecessary:
No need to display indoor info (weather is outside, not inside).  My thermostat tells me everything.
Barometric graph.  I just need to know the trend.
Weather icon.  Not accurate enough to be displayed.  Know the pressure trend and the rate of the trend is all that is needed.

I'd also like to see better consoles.  Some from wood or all glass.  Perhaps even selling the display separate so people can customize their own console.  I enjoy weather enough to want my console to be a center piece to my home.  I'd like to have something nice.  Most consoles today look really cheap and disposable.

Jake

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #42 on: October 21, 2011, 10:10:23 AM »
Jake,
Thanks for responding.  I agree with your requirements.  Since most of your interest seems to be user interface, console.  How about you taking responsibility for the console?  We can have several optional consoles.
We already have a software developer.
The Dream Machine will be non-Davis. 
Al
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #43 on: October 25, 2011, 06:50:19 PM »
Attached, please find the block diagram of what I think is a beginning of the dream machine.  I also have an outline of the features and specifications.  The outline is too large to post as a reply.
All modules are RF linked.  All modules have a power section and an RF link (transceiver) section.  These are common parts that can be interchanged for failure testing.  All outside sensor modules can be located independently.  You have a choice of which modules to buy/build.  The system minimum would be the processor and 1 sensor module.  A console is optional.  The processor connects to a computer and/or the Ethernet.
Temperature, humidity, solar, and wind speed sensors can be returned to a calibration facility for NIST certification.
The intention of the block diagram is to keep the interest alive and inspire someone to start experimenting or producing the hardware.  I'm just trying to keep the idea alive and get new opinions of how to proceed.
This may seem to be a fantasy system but after all it's called, The Dream Machine.
Have fun with it.
Al
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #44 on: October 26, 2011, 11:34:11 PM »
I'm going to build the NWS Coop console version with an Arduino Uno as the processor and the prototype will be a wired version.  The cat5 cables from the computer room to the outside sensors have been planted in PVC pipe for years.  I'll use a DS18B20 or a DS1620 for a temperature sensor.  I have a home built solar shield with a 62mm 5 volt DC fan.  I'll add a rain gauge sensor next.  Then I'll make the system wireless.
I've used the Maxim I2C 1-wire components with the Basic Stamp 2 but this is my first experience with the Arduino.  I ordered $90 of Arduino books today.  Who can advise me on the Arduino?
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.

Offline xykotik

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #45 on: October 26, 2011, 11:40:16 PM »
If you subscribe or have access to MAKE: magazine, their spring 2011 issue was dedicated to Arduino and had many projects, resources and websites for beginners.  (I'm sub-beginner).


Facit solem suum oriri super bonos et malos et pluit super iustos et iniustos.

Springtime in Seattle...  March comes in like a lion and out like a wet lion.

Offline dch26

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #46 on: October 27, 2011, 04:06:49 AM »

my ramblings......apologies for the sequence - they just came out my head that way....


from the posted diagram - why 2 boxes inside the house? combine? whats your thought process?


if we are using separate modules (nodes) for each sensor.....what sort of topography
for our "network"?

all reporting to one master? or all capable of acting as relays/extenders? (ie, they retransmit what they hear if the
msg is not for/from them)

what range? 50m 100m 300m 4000m?  these are available radios in the 433mhz world. obviously they are all
"perfect clear line of site ratings" - so i guess we need to aim for the 300m one with the hope it will do half that??

the radios are available as receiver, transmitter or transceiver (can do both). the transceiver modules are a few
bucks more expensive - but make the network more flexible. plus i think that it will make life a hell of a lot easier
for network congestion - all radios might talk at once if they are not 2 way. we need them to talk only when
polled by id by the master?

i know some of you get scary cold temperatures.....what does it need to go down to?
the transmitter works within the range: -45C to 85C


i agree that the transceiver should be interchangeable - so they can easily be swapped out if necessary, or the sensor
changed.



heres the thing......how many people are going to be creating their weather station from the dream machine?
(i know you cant answer that) - but are they all going to be good at soldering? no. or loading code into
micro controllers? no.
do i want to do that for them? no. do you? i suspect not. - how are we gonna get these babies out to the people
who want to test them?
how much will people pay per node (excluding sensor?)
the cost adds up (even though individual components are quite cheap)
(pcb, battery, solar panel, atmega chip(not a full arduino - thats just for dev phase), radio, case, i/o connectors, capacitors,
resistors, diodes, leds (no doubt! bling!)

my current thinking is that personally i wont use a console. my inside master controller will be ethernet capable and will insert data onto
a database on a networked pc. on that pc will be a web server. i will access my data from a pc, smartphone or ipad.


lastly, you asked for arduino help. i can do that. i dont want to teach you to suck eggs like a total beginner,
unless thats what you (and the forum) would like? do you need specific help with code or circuits? or do we
want a 101 on what to buy, how to connect it - and then getting a temperature reading from a ds18b20, or a hih-4030
humidity sensor? let me know

sorry to add more questions to the project. feel free to ignore me if u feel they are the ramblings of an idiot


dch

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #47 on: October 27, 2011, 08:52:17 AM »
from the posted diagram - why 2 boxes inside the house? combine? whats your thought process?
dch
I’ve seen lots of complaints that the backlighting on the Davis console warms the inside temperature sensor.  OK, put the temperature sensor at the end of a long wire plugged into the processor or console cabinet.
if we are using separate modules (nodes) for each sensor.....what sort of topography
for our "network"?dch
I'm starting with a wired network to be converted to wireless later.  The RF links aren't designed yet.  I was hoping that this would be a group effort.
I'll do the Arduino development myself.  I have a few other projects that I may convert from Basic Stamp 2.  Coding doesn't bother me. 
how are we gonna get these babies out to the people who want to test them?dch
Some special parts can be made available to the DIY hobbyist.
Al
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #48 on: November 01, 2011, 05:58:03 PM »
The Arduino books arrived today.  I haven't given up on the system.  It'll happen.  I'll order some parts in a few days. 
I'll start a system with only the DS18B20 temperature sensor and a Waterlog H-340 rain gauge.  I have the solar shield with an aspiration fan.
I'll build a display that will log temperatures from 7AM to 7AM.  It will display the current temperature, the 24 hour maximum and minimum temperatures, and the 24 hour precipitation.  This will be an NWS Coop display.  We NWS Coop Observers log daily data from 7 to 7.
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.

Offline wxtech

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Re: The Dream Machine - Design Our Own PWS
« Reply #49 on: November 16, 2011, 08:28:12 AM »
I'm working on the dream machine.  I don't recommend the 'Practical Arduino' book.  It spends too much time explaining basic electricity using water pump analogy.  It spends pages explaining smoothing capacitor and no time about how to decode a digital pulse train.  It has an entire chapter 'weather station receiver' that I assumed could be built.  The parts described are too old to buy in the US.  Internet errata describes parts that are not available in the US.  I made a start with an alternative inexpensive system.
Al Washington, Lexington, Ga.,  NWS Coop station=LXTG1, Fischer Porter, SRG, MMTS. 
CoCoRaHS=GA-OG-1. CWOP=CW2074.  Davis VP2+ WLIP 5.9.2, VP(original) serial, VWS v15.00 p02. ImageSalsa, Win7 & Win8 all-in-one.