Inexpensive Logging Anemometer

[conohawk]

As I gather the materials for building a Piggot axial flux turbine, I have also been looking for a reasonably priced logging anemometer.    I came across this one:

1-Wire Weather Station

For $79.00, one gets an almost-ready-to-go "kit" that utilizes 1-wire technology to interface between a PC and the weather station.   Software for Linux (a requirement of mine), Windows, and Mac (OS9) is freely available.

My station arrived yesterday.  Works like a champ.

[linesrg]

Conohawk,

You did well to find this, I struggled to find a suitable instrument from here in the UK. I've tried to look at this site from here at work but not having much joy.

The place I found was http://www.winddatalogger.com/products/ who also do a kit which will download up to 22 days of information making a recording every minute. I only mention this for others who may also be looking for something. The only reservation I'd have with the kit I have is that the anemometer bearing could do with being more robust. The outfit that actually makes the anemometer kit do a heavier duty version which I would recommend to get if the guy (a James Jarvis)selling the complete kit (if you follow me) would play ball.

Regards

[conohawk]

Richard,

I can definitely see the merit of the winddatalogger.com device that you found.  It's amazing what's out there waiting to be discovered -- reminds me of the serendipity of my finding otherpower.com right about the time I needed to augment my PV array with a wind turbine generator.

I found a write-up on the AAG weather station unit (originally in Sensor magazine, apparently).  A copy of the article has been placed on one of my servers:

Sensor mag article

If using the Linux software (One Wire Weather / OWW), any 1-wire type sensor that is on the 1-wire bus can be logged.  The AAG weather station comes with sensors for wind speed, direction, and temperature.  You can purchase other sensors (barometer, rainfall, etc) from AAG and other sources.

The author of the OWW system, Simon Melhuish,  wrote this interesting report:

Monitoring the weather with RISC OS

For more info about OWW: OWW web site

As for that bearing design that you mention, the AAG unit is very simple, perhaps even crude. It would be a simple matter to retrofit the internals if necessary.  

Kind Regards,

ConoHawk (Mark Conover)

[dconn]

Hi Conohawk,

I put one of these up too (its an AAG unit? - mexican?  based on the Maxim/Dallas 1-wire stuff?).  A guy I know kindly made me up a SS mounting bracket for me - the AU bar they supplied was very small and had no mounting holes.

I'm also using linux (& mysql & mrtg for this project).  AAG dont supply linux software but I'm using the maxim/dallas C API to log to the mysql database (so if you are a c programmer you'r ok...).

I'm a bit concerned that the AAG unit is mechanical (reed switches - but this is the maxim spec) and not solid state.  Also I've seen it drop comms on the 1-wire bus (long and short wire runs) and I'm very concerned about its general accuracy.  Now I want to buy a better (?) unit to validate this one.

I'm really keen to hear how you find it as I've put a lot of effort into it.  My email is derek AT rivertower DOT ie.

Thanks

Derek

[conohawk]

Richard,

According to something I saw on the OWW website, here is a source for the AAG Weather Station in the UK.  I have not verified this, though.

Tech Supplies

Kind regards,

ConoHawk/Mark

[conohawk]

Since the previously mentioned website appears to be slow as molasses, here is another UK source:

Revolution Education

CH/M

[conohawk]

Derek,

Indeed it's the same.  It would be interesting to poll the other owners of these units to learn of their experiences.   Just as with the Piggott plans for the axial flux generator, I intend to use the AAG weather station as a launching pad for my own experimentation.  It could be that AAG has the right mix of low-tech (reed switches activated by magnets) and high-tech (1-wire solid state devices).  

No doubt, using unshielded RJ-11 as the data bus, especially longer runs (50+ feet) will yield some erratic behavior.  Since I will mount the unit on the (as yet to be built) generator tower, 100+ feet from my workshop, I will likely use an intermediary device located on the pole, interfacing to the workshop with RF or some other robust data link.  

The AAG unit comes with a serial adapter or USB, depending on preference, so I think I'll try to use this as an intermediary device:

Gumstix / Way Small Computer

I've ordered a low cost version to determine it's suitability.

Kind regards,

CH/Mark