WeatherDuino Forum

Hi All,
I'm new to this WeatherDuino, so please be patient!  

I'm looking for help to get started. I have some experience with electronics and some with software but not an expert.
I have a Fine Offset weather station now that is a few years old, it works right now but I'm getting tired of the "loss of contact" I keep getting. I'm running Cumulus as well.

I understand I can purchase the working TX and RX boards from this site. I also understand that I could use the sensors from my existing Fine Offset weather station. Is this correct?
I guess I'd need some sort of enclosures for the TX and RX boards as well as power supplies, maybe batteries? Anything else I should plan for?

Anyway, any help would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Gord

Hi Gord

I was in the same position as you when I discovered this site. I also had the fine offset instruments and was getting bored of the lost sensor contacts,  so I contacted Werk via PM and ordered 1 RX and 1 TX to get the system running. I have limited electronics experience but found the whole process quite painless.
The parts list can be found in the forum under circuit boards and parts list. I bought all items needed from Ebay. Some came from China so took a little while to arrive.
After a few months running the system I bought another TX. So now I run 1 TX for the wind instruments and 1 TX for the temp / rain instruments.

Its a great upgrade for the Fine Offset and would highly recommend

Thanks very much for the quick reply, I'm really getting excited about this project now!
Just a few more questions:
1. Which receiver did you purchase? I believe there are 3 to choose from? Is there more than one transmitter?
2. What did you do for an enclosure?  I guess the receiver, being inside, would not be too much of a problem but what about the transmitter? It would need a weatherproof box of some sort?
3. How about power for the transmitter, did you use a battery? I believe I saw a picture at some point and I seem to remember seeing an SLA (sealed lead acid) battery. Does the transmitter run on 12 volts? How much power does it use? It would be really great to have a small solar cell to charge the battery and could also be used as a sensor for solar radiation!? Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself now.
4. Did you have any problems connecting the sensors from the Fine Offset to the new transmitter? Are there input connections on the TX board, are they screw terminals or connectors? Did you use the temperature and humidity sensors from the Fine Offset or did you need to purchase something else?
5. Anything else I need to know?  

Sorry for all the questions,
Gord

Hello Gord,

Welcome again. I will try to give a quick reply to some or your questions. My English is not the best, so please forgive me any writing mistakes.

Quote:1. Which receiver did you purchase? I believe there are 3 to choose from? Is there more than one transmitter?

Currently only two models are available, the Pro2 PLUS and the Pro2 Compact.
You can find a comparison chart here: https://wiki.weatherduino.com/weatherdui...ison_chart

Quote:2. What did you do for an enclosure? I guess the receiver, being inside, would not be too much of a problem but what about the transmitter? It would need a weatherproof box of some sort?

Depending where you install the Transmitter unit most likely you will need a waterproof case. Regarding the RX, its available the files to 3D print a custom designed case for the Pro2 Plus. Possibly in a near future there will be also a case for the Pro2 Compact.

Quote:3. How about power for the transmitter, did you use a battery? I believe I saw a picture at some point and I seem to remember seeing an SLA (sealed lead acid) battery. Does the transmitter run on 12 volts? How much power does it use? It would be really great to have a small solar cell to charge the battery and could also be used as a sensor for solar radiation!? Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself now.

Yes, the transmitter is powered by 12V, and its power consumption its around 120mA (can be more depending if a fan is used on the Radiation Shield of the external Temperature / Humidity sensor. Despite it can be powered through a main power adapter (12V), the system as designed to be powered using a sealed acid battery charged by a solar panel. It even allows remote monitoring of the battery voltage.
Requirements of Solar Panel power and battery capacity depend of the geographic location of the installation. As an example, in my location (Portugal) I'm using a 14Ah SLA and a 50W solar panel, this ensures capacity for the system to work for around 9 to 10 days in the absence of sun.

Regarding Solar Radiation measurement, you can build a very inexpensive "pyranometer", using our Solar/UV interface kit.
Detailed info about this home made "pyranometer" can be found here:
https://www.meteocercal.info/forum/Threa...taic-Cells

Quote:4. Did you have any problems connecting the sensors from the Fine Offset to the new transmitter? Are there input connections on the TX board, are they screw terminals or connectors? Did you use the temperature and humidity sensors from the Fine Offset or did you need to purchase something else?

You can connect the FineOffset Wind Speed / Dir sensors and Rain gauge directly to the RJ12 connectors on the TX board.
Yes, you will need an Temperature / Humidity sensor for outdoor readings. System support several types, I recommend using the SHT31.

Quote:5. Anything else I need to know? Huh

Yes, take some time reading the forum. The most you read about the system, the better you will plan your installation and the better the results.

Hope I had helped

Thanks for the info and I think your English is fantastic (1000 times better than my Portuguese)  

I believe I'll go with the Pro2 Compact, seeing as how it comes fully assembled and tested and can be powered by the USB. I'll probably have enough to worry about. In the specs, it says something about it not having a "Davis Data Logger". Does that mean it doesn't store the data it receives from the TX/sensors? so if I don't have the data send to somewhere it will be lost? I.E. if it's not connected to a PC or WiFi.

I assume you needed a solar charge controller for the solar panel? Did you have any problem finding one to work on an SLA battery? I've played a bit with solar panels but only to charge flooded lead acid batteries and I would think the charging profile would be different?

Lots to learn!!

So, to get started, how do I order the Transmitter and Receiver?

Gord

Hi Gord,

(12-11-2018, 20:47)WetCoast Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for the info and I think your English is fantastic (1000 times better than my Portuguese)  

I believe I'll go with the Pro2 Compact, seeing as how it comes fully assembled and tested and can be powered by the USB. I'll probably have enough to worry about. In the specs, it says something about it not having a "Davis Data Logger". Does that mean it doesn't store the data it receives from the TX/sensors? so if I don't have the data send to somewhere it will be lost? I.E. if it's not connected to a PC or WiFi.

The Data Logger stores data for a period of time (more info here) which depends on the data log interval defined on the software (usually 5, 10 or 15 min). In practice, most users use the PC or as PI for a long term data storage, so the logger is only useful in the eventuality that you have to turn off the computer for some days, otherwise it may no be so important as it seems (all Davis weather stations come by default without the Data Logger).
So, its a user choice, considering how each one intend to use the system.
The uploads to Wunderground aren't affect by the existence of the Data Logger, as they occur since the receiver is powered and configured to upload to WU.

(12-11-2018, 20:47)WetCoast Wrote: [ -> ]So, to get started, how do I order the Transmitter and Receiver?

Just send me a PM with what you want to order, then I will reply with all the details.

Regards