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Post by mikethechap on Aug 15, 2017 4:14:04 GMT -8
Hi. I've been running the GroveWeatherPi for about two months now without any solar control or WXLink board. We had a ton of rain recently and the code improvements for the rain sensor were reflected (as far as I can tell) in the results. So, thanks.
I want to upgrade from my current line-powered single enclosure to a two enclosure approach: the GroveWeatherPi in one location on line power - minus the wind/rain components; the second location measuring wind/rain moved about 50' away and using solar + WXLink. The new location will communicate to the first location. Am I understanding this right?
This will allow me to better locate the Weather Rack sensors for wind speed reporting, etc. I supported the new solar board on Kickstarter and now have it in my lab (my kitchen island -my wife is ever so grateful). What is my upgrade path? I think there are others who have similar questions.
I imagine I need:
1) the WXLink kit (2 Mini Pro LP; WXLINK WR board; RTC board: 2 Grove RF Serial boards); 2) the solar cells (which I already have); 3) battery (already have); 4) Multi Solar Connector Board (I want to have dependable power).
Can I simply remove the present Weather Rack Board on my current GroveWeatherPi enclosure to my WXLink enclosure? What do I need to do with respect to software to use the new solar board on the upgraded system in the new box.
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Post by mikethechap on Jul 22, 2017 2:21:38 GMT -8
I'm having the same difficulties with the code as others have mentioned.
Thanks for your work on this, Kevin.
I was just wondering if you were posting this code to GitHub or some other code repository? It would be very helpful to see and to copy/paste the code, rather than transcribing it from an image. I tried the suggested changes in the code and must have missed something because Weather Underground sent me and email a couple hours after I made them saying that my station was offline. Fortunately, I had backed out up (a too rare event!). Anyway, just checking to see if you were keeping your code on GitHub, Bitbucket or some other place? That way I could make the changes now pending update by SDL.
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Post by mikethechap on Jun 28, 2017 19:35:32 GMT -8
One other note regarding the Grove Sunlight / IR / UV I2C sensor. It would be nice, if possible, to have the Grove Receptacle on the side of the board opposite the light sensor. Here's why I think so (and I'm open to other options): It seems to me that the actual sensor (photocell?) should be as close to the outside of the enclosure as possible, so as to be able to measure maximum ambient light. The Grove Receptacle (probably not the right name) - when the Grove connector is actually plugged in - leaves the photocell at least 1/2" (and maybe 3/4") away from the enclosure opening (unless you have another suggestion for mounting it to the enclosure). I think that distance significantly impedes the ambient light from reaching the sensor at full strength. On the other hand, if the Grove was on the side opposite the sensor, the board and photocell can be nearly flush against the enclosure, increasing the amount of ambient light on the sensor.
I do like the Grove connectors, but in this case, not sure it's the best option (unless there's a way to mount a Grove onto the edge of the board?). I suppose I can just unsolder the Grove connector and solder the wires directly where the Grove previously resided. But, if it's possible on a later revision to either use a edge mount (if there is such a thing) or place the Grove opposite the photocell, I think it would be a much more usable and effective module.
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Post by mikethechap on Jun 21, 2017 3:53:55 GMT -8
Very helpful feedback on all points. On the copper cover, do you imagine aluminum would be better with WiFi?
Again, thanks for the very helpful responses.
Mike
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Post by mikethechap on Jun 19, 2017 19:50:00 GMT -8
FRAM orientation? I can't tell from the pin out diagram of the Weather Pi Board which direction the Fram module is supposed to face. I could guess but guessing isn't my preferred way of wiring. So far as I can tell for certain there's just no clear indication which of the jumpers is ground, power, etc. There are other pins in the general vicinity. One may be marked Vcc but it's nearly impossible to know for sure. The FRAM module is clearly marked.
More room in the vicinity of the Grove Sunlight Connector One other revision I would consider is more room where you plug in the sunlight grove connector. If you use buckled grove connectors (which I prefer) the Grove sunlight buckle is so close to the other Arduino type connectors, that I fear breaking the solder connection on the grove connector. That's already happened on a couple of your Grove boards.
Can I mount the whole station on a copper covered board? I do like the patina of copper. I would like to mount the weather station on a piece of copper covered wood. But, I am worried about potential bad electrical effects of that on the weather station. I would, of course, ground the copper. Still, induction etc. worries me a bit. Any thoughts?
Thanks
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Post by mikethechap on Jun 19, 2017 19:23:59 GMT -8
Fixed...
I only attached one-half of the GPIO headers. Duh.
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Post by mikethechap on Jun 17, 2017 20:44:50 GMT -8
The wires are all connected. I am using ac power. No blue lights on my boards, however. But, I can SSH into my box without a problem.
Here's the errors:
pi@WeatherPi:~/SDL_Pi_GroveWeatherPi/SDL_Pi_TCA9545 $ sudo python testSDL_Pi_TCA 9545.py
Test SDL_Pi_TCA9545 Version 1.0 - SwitchDoc Labs
Sample uses 0x73
Program Started at:2017-06-17 23:41:22
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "testSDL_Pi_TCA9545.py", line 51, in <module>
tca9545 = SDL_Pi_TCA9545.SDL_Pi_TCA9545(addr=TCA9545_ADDRESS, bus_enable = T CA9545_CONFIG_BUS0)
File "/home/pi/SDL_Pi_GroveWeatherPi/SDL_Pi_TCA9545/SDL_Pi_TCA9545.py", line 4 7, in __init__
self._write(TCA9545_REG_CONFIG, config)
File "/home/pi/SDL_Pi_GroveWeatherPi/SDL_Pi_TCA9545/SDL_Pi_TCA9545.py", line 5 2, in _write
self._bus.write_byte_data(self._addr, register, data)
IOError: [Errno 5] Input/output error
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Post by mikethechap on Jun 11, 2017 12:27:16 GMT -8
Thanks for the thoughtful response. Especially since the title of the tutorial says "No Soldering Required". Perhaps it's not, if I understand you correctly. But, the "tutorial" does - to my reading - suggest that you're better off with whatever's attached to the JP4. In an attempt at constructive criticism, the instructions or "tutorial" as it's framed (both in this matter and other aspects) are such that I can't tell whether I do or do not need a JP4 connection, and if so, why or why not.I think you've done a great job trying to spread these kinds of projects to schools. I think you should record every question they ask: They will be the best means to create really helpful tutorials.
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Post by mikethechap on May 26, 2017 3:14:23 GMT -8
So, my SunAir Plus that I got earlier this week just has a through hole where JP4 is supposed to be. Is it by design that purchasers are supposed to solder a pin in there? I didn't read that in the instructions nor did I notice a pin in the package. Just want to see if I missed something.
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