Hello everyone,

Lets get started.... I Am currently doing A Level Electronics and am thinking about my coursework. I have decided it would be nice to create a wireless weather station.

Now I need to create the Sensors, I have decided to have an anemometer device (using a motor that when it spins it induces a voltage which is proportional to the speed), a simply humidity probe and a ultra sensative thermistor.

I need help with a vane, I had a thought about using a potentiometer which alters the voltage. However, for this idea I would need a pot which is as frictionless as possible, and can have unlimited turn because the ones college have has got a stopper to stop it rotating fully.

All signal are then put into an AM signal which is read by a receiver box which then useing a computer parallel port and a QBasic iterface....

If someone could help me either tell me about specific potentiometer that would be great... OR... another option which could work...

Cheers,

Owen

 

hi Owen,

A three spoked wheel [ at 120deg] with half [tennis] balls mounted at the end of the 6 inch spokes, makes a reasonable wind speed indicator.
Mount a small magnet on each spoke arm and use a reed switch to measure the *3 rotations.

EDIT:
First Class mechanical wind speed cup anemoemters - Biral UK

Precision Potentiometer Selection Guide

Magenta

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Eric " Good enough is Perfect "
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Cheers,

Those Precision Potentiometer, would I be looking at the continuos rotation ones?

if I set north at 0 ohms, when it rotated 360 degrees, would the new resistance be 0 ohms,

or are they like the worm screw drives where the 0 degree point is 0 ohms but the 360 degree point is 5k ohm and the 720 degree point 10k ohm etc..

Again thank you for a rapid response,

Owen


PS: would things like this be ok?

Rapid Electronics - 1W Single turn precision potentiometers

or

Rapid Electronics - 1W Single turn precision potentiometer

 

continous rotation..

You edited that when I was replying.!!!

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Sorry,

Thankyou Very much though you have been a great help...

I've no doubt I will be on this board again soon...

Cheers,

Owen

 

Make sure you water proof the pot, keep out the rain.! Good Luck.

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Eric " Good enough is Perfect "
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Sorry to rear its head again, but it is still based on this......

Does anyone know QBasic well enough (thats the language we are being taught as part of the syllabus) to help me sort something out (pusedo at the moment!)

I need to take the incoming voltages from the sensors (though ADC, and Buffer) throught the parallel port and use the INP command to then define wind speed, direction, temp humdity etc..

How could I take the incoming voltages and seperate them out so if input = 3volts then, if input = 4volts then do somthing else etc...

I have yet to understand QBAISC well enough to work this out (I will at some point)


Cheers,


Owen.


PS. sorry if not right place to ask this....

 

Did you say Qbasic? Switch to Vbasic, there is much more support on the net.

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Hi otm,

for the pot check out Beckman Industries. I got two samples of the same pot years ago and used one for the transmitter and the other one for a remote indicator.

Those pots have unlimited mechanical way and 355 degrees of electric angle. At most locations the wind blows from the north very seldom. So I used north as a reference angle for the dead zone.

Boncuk

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Yes I did,

Qbasic is taught as part of the A Level Electronics syllabus.......

 

Which PC operating system are you using, Win XP,,, DOS, Vista.????

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Eric " Good enough is Perfect "
I will NOT answer PM's requesting technical help, please use the Forum
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Well I run Vista x64 ultimate at home,

But the 6th form have allocated 7 old machines running just DOS with the Qbasic on it in the CDT department...

Cheers,

Owen

 

Maybe this site will help with your Qbasic.
Programming The Parallel Port In QBasic

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Cheers I've just read your link and its very intresting, However, They focus more on the Output command.

unfortunatly, I am no closer. I will keep thinking about this.

Thankyou to everyone so far.... If by chance someone has a breakthrough idea feel free to post it.

Cheers,

Owen.

 

Look again. It discusses the INP command.

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