Lightning Warning?

[DigiTan]

This is sort of a follow-up to the S.A.M.E. alert project I was attempting last summer. Back in 2002 I read about lightning detection devices being used in national parks and college campuses to warn of dangerous conditions. Some were even advertised as being accurate enough to antipate individual strikes and activate a local alarm.

Spring is coming so naturally my interest in all this was revived. With the variety of devices that are able to measure electric fields (MOS comes to mind), it doesn't seem unreasonable to attempt a device that could detect a dangerous field. I once heard of something called an electron mill that used a spinning disc to accumulate a measureable charge in a variety of condidtions. Unfortuananly googling for it now yields few results which makes me suspect it really went by a different name.

Anyway, my question is: are there any devices or projects out there that would have this capability? And what types of lightning warning methods are out there in general? If someone could make a low-cost system, they'd be swimming in $$$.

 

[akg]

most of the lightning detectors work be detecting the huge electric field that appears.
humm ..
just search google and found these..
http://www.techlib.com/electronics/lightning.html
http://www.electronics-lab.com/projects/science/001/index.html
**broken link removed**

 

[stevez]

A friend of mine (electronics is his specialty) sells and installs these systems for golf courses, schools and other entities. They are not simple and use multiple sensors. They also point out to the users that they aren't foolproof. All the system does is indicate relative risk with a fair margin of error.

Next time I see him I'll ask for a general description of how they work.

 

[DigiTan]

Yes, that sounds exactly like those mills I was reading about. (The links were a bit more of the lightning RF detection variety as opposed to lightning anticipation). What I'm wanting to do at the time being is just essentially have a network of field meters that will break the lightning threat down to a probability like you mentioned. Ask you friend the company name because my friend's college is using a system similar to what you described.

 

[Oznog]

There is a detection grid already in place which will detect every single lightning strike in the USA and I'm pretty sure it doesn't get false detections.

I wonder if they have a server providing the info in real time? If so it would be just dandy to have a 'net connection in the clubhouse that looks up strikes for their latitude/longitude, or even looks for clusters of strikes moving in that direction, then sets off alarms throughout the complex. Very accurate!

Or you could even have a central office issue SMS messages to client devices, which would remove the need to make sure each business has an always-on internet connection available.

It'd be really nice because there's a possible legal liability from a guy getting struck by lightning on a golf course where the warning didn't go off. But if it's properly tied to NOAA you could better say it's not any fault of yours.

Lightning detection stuff:
**broken link removed**

I think they broadcast it on the radio too, but I'm not sure if it's digital data or computer-generated speech which would be very difficult to interpret automatically.

 

[DigiTan]

Yeah, as it happens I'm extremely paranoid about lightning and bookmarked this **broken link removed** map for when I'd be outside mowing the lawn. Texas A&M reportedly has stations in place that monitor atmospheric conditions for lightning risk and sounds an alarm is the thread is high. Wheter they involve field measuring, barometric pressure, RF or some other indicator was not specified.

[edit]
Hey! I found that mill device I was talking about. It was called a "field mill," not "electron mill" like I suggested. Check it out...

**broken link removed**