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Matthias Prinke edited this page Sep 11, 2023 · 56 revisions

Welcome to the BresserWeatherSensorReceiver wiki!

Testing Rain Gauge Statistics

Lightning Forecast and Detection

Lightning Sensors

In need of a lightning sensor? Stay tuned: https://github.com/merbanan/rtl_433/issues/2140 and #10 Bresser Lightning Sensor

Another solution (wired connection to the base station):

or

Check out the AS3935 Workbook by Michael Gasperi!

Some awesome lightning detectors: http://techlib.com/electronics/lightning.html

Magazine articles regarding the AS3935

Sensor Testbench / Lightning Emulation

No lightning when you need it? Then a lightning tester comes into play.

  1. Demo Kit for AS3935

    The documentation is really good, but many discontinued components are used and the price (for a hobbyist) is a little too much. Most of the components can easily be substituted, but I could not find a matching replacement for the AMS AS1101 LED driver.

  2. Playing With Fusion Digital Lightning Sensor Tester Arduino Shield for AS3935

    The hardware is affordable, but shipping from the US to Europe costs a small fortune. No schematic is provided, so there is no chance for DIY. There seem to be many similarities to the AMS Demo Kit, but I could not find a matching IC for the LED driver.

  3. Finally see section AS3935 Lightning Generator in Michael Gasperi's AS3935 Workbook

    This circuit uses standard components and is simple enough for DIY. The downside is that it is not exactly calibrated to trigger the sensor's lightning distance detection levels.

1) and 2) use a LED driver for the oscillator circuit. The rough requirements for a substitute are:

  • Supply voltage: 5 V (or better 3.3 V)
  • Current control via control voltage or via PWM with a frequency significantly higher than the oscillator frequency (500 kHz)
  • LED current >= 35 mA
  • Linear current source preferred (no switching voltage converter)

Bresser Lightning Sensor

From merbanan/rtl_433/issues/2140#issuecomment-1238470766:

Some information on the FCC website

  • Enter>> Grantee code 2ALZ7 .. press Search
  • Should present CCL Electronics Ltd - Products
  • Lightning Detector is under 2ALZ7-3129A2103
  • Under column named Display Exhibits click on Detail ... select ok
  • View Attachment of your choice

More about Lightning

WeatherBug Lightning Strike Map

ESA: First data from Europe’s Lightning Imager

Radio Transceiver Range

Transmission range depends on many factors. In some cases the range on the original equipment (outdoor sensor and weather station/display) cannot be achieved with a home-made receiver.

In Issue #14 - Calibrate from CC1101?, it was suggested to provide a means to calibrate the CC1101 transceiver's frequency offset.

Sometimes it helps to move the receiver a few centimeters to a different position or to change the antenna's orientation. You can also try a different type of antenna - wire antenna vs. helical coil antenna. Unfortunately there does not seem to be a CC1101 board with a proper antenna connector.

The YouTube video #182 ESP32 Lora Boards: What you need to know before you buy (incl. Antenna knowledge) by Andreas Spiess also suggests that some antennas out there are not as good as you could hope for...

I also noticed that radiated emissions from other electronic devices (PC, other microcontroller boards, ...) near the receiver had significant influence on signal quality. I even noticed that the power supply had some influence (USB power from my notebook was bad, USB power from my desktop PC or wall adapter was fine).

BUT - I got almost rock solid reception when I changed to the Adafruit RFM95W LoRa Radio Transceiver Breakout with a proper antenna (Delock LoRa 868 MHz Antenna SMA plug 3 dBi omnidirectional with tilt joint black in my case). I don't know if this is due to better chip design, better PCB design or just the antenna.

ESP32 Logging

See

(With workaround for ESP8266; see https://github.com/matthias-bs/BresserWeatherSensorReceiver/blob/development/src/WeatherSensorCfg.h)

Resources

Löffler, Hans: Meteorologische Bodenmesstechnik (vormals: Instrumentenkunde). Offenbach am Main: Leitfaden für die Ausbildung im Deutschen Wetterdienst Nr. 6, Selbstverlag des Deutschen Wetterdienstes, 2012 (Link)

(Everything you ever wanted to know about ground-based weather sensors - and much more! - in German)

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