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sjamesr / Remote-Weather-Station

Self powered IoTs weather station

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Remote Weather Station

Self powered IoTs weather station for off-grid remote locations

Introduction

This project aims to construct a remote weather station suitable for deployment on an outback block with little or no power or communications infrastructure on site. Key features include

  • simplest possible hardware design
  • "off the shelf" components
  • powered by solar panels
  • communicating via celluar network
  • logging data to a web-based data repostiory
  • web-based data viewer
  • feature rich web-based display console

Approach to development

The author is learning about micro electronic and so an incremental, multi-stage approach is being used.

  1. basic design
  2. benchtop prototype developed to
  3. incrementally add feature
  4. package for deployment
  5. deploy to trial site
  6. develop web-based console while
  7. learning lessions over extended trial period
  8. finalise design
  9. document fully (open source) - hardware and software
  10. build final system (including spares) and deploy

Other considerations:

  • Sensor hardware will be sourced from the market
  • Arduino-based microcontroller (and shields) for control and data processing
  • Move to STM32 hardware if necessary

System overview

Prototype 1

The first prototype was built on the workbench in Reid, ACT, Australia. It comprised:

The arduino controller was conneced to a Raspberry Pi system that provided

  • power and
  • serial communications support via USB
  • data logging to ThingsSpeak account via
  • Python scripting

The arduino code issued a NMEA sentenced every 10 minutes on the USB serial port. The sentence encoded the following data:

  1. current barimetric pressure (hPa)
  2. current temperature (deg C)
  3. current relative humidity (%)
  4. current dew point (deg C)
  5. average wind speed past 10 minutes (knots)
  6. max wind speed past 10 minutes (knots -- sampled every 15sec)
  7. avg wind direction past 10 minutes (cardinal points)
  8. current wind direction (cardinal points)
  9. rain accumulation past 10 minutes (0.2mm precision)

Prototype 2

The second prototype will be deployed on a remote rural block north of Gundaroo, NSW, Australia. In addition to the features developed in the first prototype, this model will include:

  1. 5W Solar panel
  2. 12V SLA battery (18Ah capacity)
  3. MPPT solar battery charger (3A @ 12V)
  4. Switch mode DC-DC converter (battery voltage to 9V at 1A) to power the electronics
  5. 3G/4G data communications module SIM7000

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Self powered IoTs weather station

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