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• Weather Station Installation

  Open Green Energy • 10/08/2021 at 10:02 • 0 comments

  Once you have confirmed that your weather station PCB along with all the sensors, working perfectly, you need to design and make a mount for it. I have used a wooden pole ( 4cm x 8cm x 300 cm ) to mount the sensors and the 3D-printed Stevenson Screen.

  If you purchase the entire Weather Meters Kit, then you don't have to worry about mounting the wind and rain sensor. But if you purchase the independent sensor, you may need some mounting arrangements. I found a nice wind sensor holder from Thingiverse.

  First I mount the wind sensors ( Wind Vane and Anemometer ) by using the 3D printed wall mounts. I have installed the wind vane and anemometers by using cable ties. After that, mounted them on the wooden pole by using two screws. You can see the above picture for a better understanding.

  Similarly, I have mounted the rain sensor on the wooden pole. But the holder used for it is a ready-made one. In the future, I will make a 3D printed holder for it so you don't have to buy it.

  At last, mount the external temperature sensor ( DS18B20 ) on the pole by using cable ties. After installing all the sensors, you have to route all the cables from the sensors to the Stevenson Screen.

  Note: Always use good quality cable ties which is specially made for outdoor use ( UV-resistant ).

  Now it is time to install the Stevenson Screen which we have made earlier. Install the Bottom Mount on the wooden pole by using 4 screws.

  Suitable Location for Installation:

  The location of your weather station is the most important part of the installation. If your weather station is located under a tree or an overhang, the rainfall data measured by the station will not be correct. If you place your weather station in an alley, you could very well get a wind tunnel effect on the anemometer, resulting in erroneous wind data. If you want to measure sunlight you cannot have the sensor in a shadow. So make sure that there is sufficient clearance around and above the weather station.

  You can read this nice article on Weather Station Installation.

• Conclusion and Future Goal

  Open Green Energy • 10/07/2021 at 15:03 • 0 comments

  It took me a lot of time to make the circuit, making the PCB prototype, rectifying the errors in the PCB prototype, testing the PCB, making the enclosure, and then assembling and installing them. So I had not enough time left to concentrate on the software part. I am entering this project in Microcontroller Contest, the deadline is 29.03.2021. So I have no option to wait and complete the full software. The software attached here is a basic building block of the project, I will update it regularly with new features.

  My future goals are :
  1. Software for Implementing ESPHome and Home Assistant

  2. Software for implementing MQTT

  3. Optimizing the Power Consumption

  4. Implementing LORA communication ( Probably in V4.0 )

  Comments and feedback are always welcome.

• Interfacing With Blynk App

  Open Green Energy • 10/07/2021 at 15:02 • 0 comments

  Blynk is the most popular Internet of Things platform for connecting any hardware to the cloud, designing apps to control them, and managing your deployed products at scale. With Blynk Library you can connect over 400 hardware models including ESP8266, ESP32, NodeMCU & Arduino to the Blynk Cloud.

  Step-1: Download the Blynk app

  1. For Android

  2. For iPhone

  Step-2: Get the Auth Token

  In order to connect the Blynk App and your hardware, you need an Auth Token.

  1. Create a new account in the Blynk App.

  2. Press the QR icon on the top menu bar. Create a clone of this Project by scanning the QR code shown above. Once it detected successfully, the whole project will be on your phone immediately.

  I've made the Sol Weather Station app. You are welcome to try it out!

  To start using it:

  1. Download Blynk App: http://j.mp/blynk_Androidor http://j.mp/blynk_Android

  2. Touch the QR-code icon and point the camera to the code below 3. Enjoy my app!

  3. After the project was created, we will send you Auth Token over email.

  4. Check your email inbox and find the Auth Token.

  Step-3: Preparing Arduino IDE for Wemos Board
  To upload the Arduino code to Wemos board, you have to follow this Instructables

  Step-4: Arduino Sketch
  After installing the above libraries, paste the Arduino code given below. Enter the auth code from step-1,ssid, and password of your router. Then upload the code.

• Uploading Sensor Data to ThingSpeak

  Open Green Energy • 10/07/2021 at 14:57 • 0 comments

  First, create an account on ThingSpeak.

  Then create a new Channel on your ThingSpeak account.

  Find How to Create a New Channel Fill Field 1 as Temperature, Field 2 as Humidity, Field 3 Pressure, Field 4 as UV Index, Field 5 as Wind Speed, Field 6 as Wind Direction, Field 7 as Rain Fall, and Field 8 as Battery Voltage

  In your ThingSpeak account select “Channel” and then “My Channel”.

  Click on your channel name.

  Click on “API Keys” tab and copy the “Write API Key”

  Open the Solar_Weather_Station_ThingSpeak code.

  Replace the “WRITE API ”with the copied “Write API Key”.

• Software and Libraries

  Open Green Energy • 10/07/2021 at 14:54 • 0 comments

  To use the ESP32 board with the Arduino library, you'll have to use the Arduino IDE with ESP32 board support. If you haven't already done that yet, you can easily install ESP32 Board support to your Arduino IDE by following this tutorialby Sparkfun.

  Install Libraries:

  Before uploading the code install the following libraries :

  1. ESP32

  2.Blynk

  3. BME280

  4. Adafruit_SI1145_Library

  5. BH1750

  6. One Wire

  7. Dallas Temperature

  Arduino Test Code:

  //======================================================================================//
  //                                                                                      //
  //                 Solar WiFi Weather Station V3.0 Firmware                             //
  //                                                                                      //
  //             Developed by Debasish Dutta, Last Update: 30.03.2021                     //                 
  //                                                                                      //
  //======================================================================================// 
      
      #include <BME280I2C.h>
      #include "Adafruit_SI1145.h" 
      #include <BH1750.h>     
      #include <DallasTemperature.h> 
      #include <OneWire.h>   
      #include "Wire.h"    
      #include <WiFi.h>      
      #include <BlynkSimpleEsp32.h>   
      #include "esp_deep_sleep.h" //Library needed for ESP32 Sleep Functions  
  
    //=================== Pin assignment definitions ==========================================
   
      #define WIND_SPD_PIN 14
      #define RAIN_PIN     25
      #define WIND_DIR_PIN 35
      #define VOLT_PIN     33 
      #define TEMP_PIN 4  // DS18B20 hooked up to GPIO pin 4
  
    //=======================================================================================
    
      WiFiClient client;
      BME280I2C bme;
      Adafruit_SI1145 uv = Adafruit_SI1145();
      BH1750 lightMeter(0x23);    
      OneWire oneWire(TEMP_PIN);
      DallasTemperature sensors(&oneWire);
      
    //=========================Declaring Variables and Constants ================================== 
  
    
    // Variables used in reading temp,pressure and humidity (BME280)
      float temperature, humidity, pressure;
      
   // Variables used in reading UV Index (Si1145)    
      float UVindex;  
      
   // Variables used in reading Lux Level( BH1750 ) 
      float lux;
  
   // Variables used in calculating the windspeed 
      volatile unsigned long timeSinceLastTick = 0;
      volatile unsigned long lastTick = 0;    
      float windSpeed;
      
   // Variables used in calculating the wind direction 
      int vin; 
      String windDir = "";
          
   // Variables and constants used in tracking rainfall
      #define S_IN_DAY   86400
      #define S_IN_HR     3600
      #define NO_RAIN_SAMPLES 2000    
      volatile long rainTickList[NO_RAIN_SAMPLES];
      volatile int rainTickIndex = 0;
      volatile int rainTicks = 0;
      int rainLastDay = 0;
      int rainLastHour = 0;
      int rainLastHourStart = 0;
      int rainLastDayStart = 0;
      long secsClock = 0;
  
   // Variables used in calculating the battery voltage 
      float batteryVolt;   
      float Vout = 0.00;
      float Vin = 0.00;
      float R1 = 27000.00; // resistance of R1 (27K) // You can also use 33K 
      float R2 = 100000.00; // resistance of R2 (100K) 
      int val = 0;     
  
  //=========================Deep Sleep Time ================================================ 
  
   //const int UpdateInterval = 1 * 60 * 1000000;  // e.g. 0.33 * 60 * 1000000; // Sleep time  
   //const int UpdateInterval = 15 * 60 * 1000000;  // e.g. 15 * 60 * 1000000; // // Example for a 15-Min update interval 15-mins x 60-secs * 10000
  
   //========================= Enable Blynk or Thingspeak ===================================
    
   // configuration control constant for use of either Blynk or Thingspeak
   //const String App = "BLYNK";         //  alternative is line below
     const String App = "Thingspeak"; //  alternative is line above   
  
   //========================= Variables for wifi server setup =============================
       
    // Your WiFi credentials.
    // Set password to "" for open networks.
    char ssid[] = "XXXX"; // WiFi Router ssid
    char pass[] = "XXXX"; // WiFi Router password
    
    // copy it from the mail received from Blynk
    char auth[] = "XXXX"; 
    
    // Thingspeak Write API
    const char* server = "api.thingspeak.com";
    const char* api_key = "XXXX"; // API write key 
    
  //========================= Setup Function ================================================ 
  
    void setup() 
      {
        Serial.begin(115200...

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• 3D Printed Enclosure

  Open Green Energy • 10/07/2021 at 14:49 • 0 comments

  The ideal enclosure for keeping the weather sensors is the Stevenson Screen. A Stevenson screen is an enclosure to shield meteorological sensors against precipitation and direct heat radiation from outside sources, while still allowing air to circulate freely around them.

  My friend Glen from New Zealand helped me to make this professional-grade Stevenson Screen. I really appreciate his help in making this project successful.

  This has a simple wall mount and a 2 part cover to isolate the heat transfer from the solar panel. The V3.0 design has a provision for mounting a UV Index sensor on the top. Apart from this, the top cover for mounting solar panel is kept away from the main enclosure to avoid heat transfer from the solar panel to the interior part of the enclosure.

  The Stevenson Screen has 6 parts:

  1. PCB Mount Frame

  2. Bottom Plate

  3. Bottom Mount

  4. Middle Rings x 12 Nos

  5. Screen Top Cover

  6. Top Cover for Solar Panel Mount ( Solar Panel Size: 110 x 69 mm )

  7. M6 Rod x 4 Nos

  I used my Creality 3D printer and 1.75 mm white PLA filament to print the parts. I will recommend using ABS or PTEG filament instead of using PLA.

  You can refer to the above explosion diagram to assemble the 3D printed parts.

  You can download the .STL files from Thingiverse

  You can download the STEP files from GRABCAD for any modification.

• PCB Fabrication

  Open Green Energy • 10/07/2021 at 14:48 • 0 comments

  Once we are completed the PCB design we just need to click the “Gerber Output” button, save the project and we will be able to download the Gerber files which are used to manufacturing the PCB.

• PCB Design

  Open Green Energy • 10/07/2021 at 14:47 • 0 comments

  I have drawn the schematic by using EasyEDA online software after that switched to PCB layout.

  All of the components you added in the schematic should be there, stacked on top of each other, ready to be placed and routed. Drag the components by grabbing on its pads. Then place it inside the rectangular borderline.

  Arrange all the components in such a way that the board occupies minimum space. The smaller the board size, the cheaper will be the PCB manufacturing cost. It will be useful if this board has some mounting holes on it so that it can be mounted in an enclosure.

  Now you have to route. Routing is the most fun part of this entire process. It’s like solving a puzzle! Using the tracking tool we need to connect all the components. You can use both the top and the bottom layer for avoiding overlap between two different tracks and making the tracks shorter.

  You can use the Silk layer to add text to the board. Also, we are able to insert an image file, so I add an image of my website logo to be printed on the board. In the end, using the copper area tool, we need to create the ground area of the PCB. Now the PCB is ready for manufacturing.

  You can order it from PCBWay

  Note: When you place an order, I will get 10% donation from PCBWay for contribution to my work. Your little help may encourage me to do more awesome work in the future. Thank you for your cooperation.

  Update On 24.05.2021
  Now You can order the fully assembled PCB V3.0 from PCBWay. Please note that no sensors are included in the PCB, but you will get an ESP32 dev board and a Solar panel in the package.

  Update on 01.05.2021
  The PCB V3.0 is updated to V3.1, a small change in the I2C ports ( P1, P2, and P3 ) The sequence of pins are changed from ( VCC, GND, SDA, SCL ) to ( VCC, GND, SCL, SDA ) Note: The PCB V3.0 is working perfectly, but you need extension wires to connect the sensor modules in ports P1, P2, and P3.

  Update on 09.09.2021

  The PCB V3.1 is updated to V3.2, upgrade from 200mA LDO ( MCP1700 ) to 500mA LDO ( TC1262-3.3V ) to make the power supply more stable. You can download the Gerber files or buy the PCB V3.2 from PCBWay

  You can download the earlier Gerber files for PCB V3.0 and V3.1 from PCBWay.

• Solar Panel Selection

  Open Green Energy • 10/07/2021 at 14:42 • 0 comments

  The amount of solar insolation varies according to which part of the globe you are located at. To find out the amount of solar insolation in your area, you can use the Global Solar Atlas. By taking consideration into a minimum of 1 hour of full sunlight, we are going to select the solar panel.

  From the previous step, it is concluded that the average current consumption is 7.5 mA

  Charge required for running the device for the whole day = 7.5 mA x 24 Hours = 180 mAh

  So, our target is to generate 180 mAh in 1 hour.

  To charge a 3.7V Li-Ion battery, a solar panel of voltage 5 to 6V is adequate.

  Required Solar Panel rating = 180 mA at a voltage of around 5 to 6 volts.

  Solar panel rating = 180 mA x 5V = 0.9 Watt, by considering some losses, I have selected a higher rating solar panel.

  Solar Panel Selected: I have used a 5V,250mA Solar Panel ( 110 x 69 mm)

• ESP32 - Thingspeak-Deep-Sleep

  Open Green Energy • 10/07/2021 at 14:39 • 0 comments

  The heart of our Weather Station is an ESP8266 SOC which is a power-hungry chip. When your project is powered by a plug-in the wall, you tend not to care too much about power consumption. But if you are going to power your project with batteries, every mA counts.

  Our objective is to run the device by using a 18650 Li-Ion battery. To run the ESP32 by using a battery, we have to lower the power consumption. To do that, we’ll use the Deep Sleep Mode which is the most power-efficient option for the ESP chip. It allows to put the ESP32 into hibernation and saves the battery. You can wake up the ESP at regular intervals to make measurements and publish them.

  Calculating Battery Life:

  The ESP32 consumes around 75mA in normal operation and hits about 150mA while transmitting data over WiFi. and in Deep Sleep about 10uA. The ESP32 takes ~ 30secs to upload data.

  Battery Life calculations:

  Battery Used: 3400mAh / 3.7V 18650 Li-Ion

  Publish Interval = 10mins ( ON Time: 30 sec and Sleep Time: 9 mins 30 sec )

  Total number of Readings / Hour = 60/10 = 6

  Power consumption per hour (ON time) = 6 x 150 mA * 30 / 3600 = 7.5mA

  Sleep time = 6 x 10uA * 570 / 3600 = 0.0095 mA

  Total time in hours on battery = 3400 / (7.5+0.0095) = 452.76Hrs

  Total days on battery = 452.76/24 = 18.86 Days

  I have prepared an excel sheet for calculating the battery life. It is attached below, you can use it.

  Image Credit: lastminuteengineers.com

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