It's here! New 1-wire sensors in operation

Yes! The 1-Wire sensor that I ordered arrived today. In the box from Hobby-Boards, which got here quickly thanks to fast (and cheap) shipping, included the following:

The DS9490 1-Wire USB Adapter (in blue), the Humidity/Temperature sensor and case, a RJ-45 coupler, and a special RJ-12 to RJ45 cable to interface between the sensor and USB adapter.

Here's a few photos of the inside of the Humidity/Temperature sensor.

As you may know, I am using the book Weather Toys: Building and Hacking Your Own 1-Wire Weather Station (Amazon link). In that book, author Tim Bitson takes you step-by-step in building the entire station, but he gives you the source code to the software so that you can modify and hack to your needs. Also, he set up a website for support and other ideas for the network. After setting up a mini 1-Wire network, I tried out the software, and this is what I got:

init:
deps-jar:
compile:
run:
Starting SimpleWeather 1.0
Stable Library
=========================================
Native lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
Java lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
Found Adapter: {DS9490} on Port USB1
Resetting 1-wire bus
Time = Fri Jan 19 21:09:06 CST 2007
Temperature = 72.5degs F
Humidity = 29.719664%


Time = Fri Jan 19 21:09:09 CST 2007
Temperature = 72.5degs F
Humidity = 29.721657%


Time = Fri Jan 19 21:09:12 CST 2007
Temperature = 72.5degs F
Humidity = 29.35742%


Time = Fri Jan 19 21:09:15 CST 2007
Temperature = 72.5degs F
Humidity = 29.35742%

Pretty cool, huh? I kind of changed the code to refresh every 3 seconds, instead of the default one minute. Soon, I will order some more parts to expand this network into a fully functional weather station! Watch for more details.

Data outage

Well, WUHU messed up around 4 PM Monday and stopped uploading. Thus, no data is available from 4 PM Monday to about 7 AM Wednesday. Sorry.

More 14 mph spikes

14 mph wind spikes are still being recorded due to the wiring problem of the anemometer. I will delete these entries from WU this afternoon. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Update (1:30 pm): The wrongful entires have been deleted.

Stupid wind spikes!

The WS-2310 has been malfunctioning all day today due to the rainfall. Several 14 mph wind spikes were observed at different times today. I have deleted all the wrong data on WU, but I can't delete it on CWOP or AWEKAS. Sorry.

First phase on OWS ordered

I have taken a huge step in the construction of the OWS (One-Wire Station) by ordering the parts for the first phase of the project. Today, I ordered the Temperature/Humidity sensor, the case for it, the USB Adapter, and various cables and connectors from Hobby-Boards. It should be here sometime next week, and of course I'll let you know when it comes in.

Of course, all of the information for the OWS comes from the book Weather Toys: Building and Hacking Your Own 1-Wire Weather Station by Tim Bitson, and the companion website, www.weathertoys.net.

For information on the phases of this construction, see this Google document.

Major update

Howdy everyone! I figured it was time to reinstate this blog again. I currently operate the Mid-South Weather ChaseBlog, and I don't update it very much. The ChaseBlog is used for discussing weather conditions only, so I figured that I would use this blog for status updates for my weather station. Whenever something goes wrong or a new feature is added, you'll see it here first.

Also, I am currently planning and constructing a brand new weather station - stay tuned for more details later!

Note some of the new features:

• At the top of the page, the current version of WUHU I am running will be displayed.
• The live Java applet of the weather station's data, to the right.

There will be more to come, so stay tuned for the latest information!

Jake

Two tropical systems active in the Atlantic

Again, I'm sorry for not posting in the past few days. The last week and a half has been extremely hectic and busy.

Anyway, Tropical Storm Debby is currently located in the North Central Atlantic, and poses no threat to land in the immediate future. As of 4 PM CDT, maximum sustained winds were up to 50 mph, with higher gusts. It was moving toward the WNW at 20 mph. In the coming days, Debby is expected to curve toward the north, thus avoiding all land.

Though Debby will (likely) not harm land, the newly formed Tropical Depression Five might. As of 4 PM CDT, TD 5 was located 155 miles SW of Martinque. It was moving toward the west at 22 mph. Max sustained winds were 35 mph, and the winds are expected to strengthen to tropical storm status in the immediate future. As of right now, TD 5 is not headed for any land, but rain/wind bands could affect the Windward Islands, and Trindad and Tobago.

Use the links above for the latest information direct from the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service.