Weather Sensors for a Pi

[Megaflow]

Bit of a long shot this, I don't know if anyone on here will have tried to do this, but here goes.

I am building a weather station for a Pi and I have got to the point of needing wind and rain sensors and could do with some advice.

So far I am looking at three:

This one is cheap, but is going to come from Hong Kong, large opportunity to be scammed here I fear:
https://gbr.grandado.com/products/wh-sp-rg-rain-ga...

This one is again China, but at least it is a website I have heard of before:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1213877022.html?sp...

Or this, which is more expensive, but it is at least UK based and has some calibration information with it:
https://uk.robotshop.com/products/sparkfun-weather...



I think I just answered my own question, didn't I.

[OutInTheShed]

One thing you might want to consider is how accurately you want wind direction.
I suspect those things are 45 degree increments?

[Megaflow]

A good point, I am not overly concerned by that, more interested in wind speed and rain fall.

[Mont Blanc]

I get why you might want to build something like this, as I'm also quite interested in the local weather, and have owned a few weather stations.

But, is it not just better all round to simply buy an off-the shelf semi-professional weather station?

You can buy a quality unit like this (or a Bresser) for about £100 and you get Wifi connectivity, rain/wind speed/wind direction/temperature/humidity, the display screen for your house, and an app for phone/iPad which shows all the data logging, historic trends, and all that stuff:

https://www.weathershop.co.uk/5-in-1-wifi-weather-...

Just plug and play.

[Megaflow]

Mont Blanc said:

I get why you might want to build something like this, as I'm also quite interested in the local weather, and have owned a few weather stations.

But, is it not just better all round to simply buy an off-the shelf semi-professional weather station?

You can buy a quality unit like this (or a Bresser) for about £100 and you get Wifi connectivity, rain/wind speed/wind direction/temperature/humidity, the display screen for your house, and an app for phone/iPad which shows all the data logging, historic trends, and all that stuff:

https://www.weathershop.co.uk/5-in-1-wifi-weather-...

Just plug and play.

Absolutely easier to buy that, this is more about the build than the weather though.

[Mont Blanc]

Megaflow said:

Absolutely easier to buy that, this is more about the build than the weather though.

Fair enough, can't argue with that! I've built plenty of things and the fun was in the build rather than the end product! (Cars, motorbikes, lego, train sets...)

[OutInTheShed]

Megaflow said:

Absolutely easier to buy that, this is more about the build than the weather though.

You could build the sensors yourself?

There's a DIY ultrasonic wind speed and direction thing out there.
Also various magnetic sensors which will lend themselves to a traditonal wind vane/cups machine?

[Megaflow]

OutInTheShed said:

You could build the sensors yourself?

There's a DIY ultrasonic wind speed and direction thing out there.
Also various magnetic sensors which will lend themselves to a traditonal wind vane/cups machine?

Ooo, have you got a link to that?

[OutInTheShed]

This isn't the one I've seen before:
https://www.instructables.com/Sonic-Anemometer/

The one I've seen before has four arms made from overflow pipe or similar.


There are also 'hot wire' anemometers.

[Megaflow]

OutInTheShed said:

This isn't the one I've seen before:
https://www.instructables.com/Sonic-Anemometer/

The one I've seen before has four arms made from overflow pipe or similar.


There are also 'hot wire' anemometers.

Thank you for that. That looks an interesting project, but it is beyond my capabilities at the minute.

To put an ending to this though, in case anybody else is looking. I reread the instructions for the project and it occurred to me that they deal with each individual mechanical sensor separately, and wind direction is by far an away the most complicated and I am not that interested in it. So I have opted to by just the wind speed and rainfall as stand alone sensors.

This is the wind speed sensor: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/365209527418

[OutInTheShed]

I think I may be needing a new wind sensor after today's gales.
A proper one for a boat is well into 3 figures, so I may be having a go with the 3D printer.

[Megaflow]

Megaflow said:

Thank you for that. That looks an interesting project, but it is beyond my capabilities at the minute.

To put an ending to this though, in case anybody else is looking. I reread the instructions for the project and it occurred to me that they deal with each individual mechanical sensor separately, and wind direction is by far an away the most complicated and I am not that interested in it. So I have opted to by just the wind speed and rainfall as stand alone sensors.

This is the wind speed sensor: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/365209527418

Updating this for future reference in case anyone thinks of buying the above sensor, don't bother!

It turned up with no calibration data and it took over a week to get the sender to tell me that the wind speed is volts x 11.4 and max voltage is 3.8v, yeah, so max wind speed is 43mph... utterly usless.

I have managed to get a refund and bought this instead: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09VF2DZ34?ie=...

I am hoping not to measure 143mph!!!