Difference between revisions of "ADS-WS1"

Latest revision as of 03:53, 20 January 2017

The ADS-WS1 is a low-cost weather station with direct APRS support (no external TNC required), serial data output (for connection to a PC or TNC), and voice synthesis capability.

Firmware for the WS1 is still in beta testing. Information provided here is preliminary and subject to change.

Configuration Utility

Voice Data

Latest firmware for offline use(As of 2017-01-19)

Saved configuration for offline testing

Voice samples have been uploaded as of 5/4/2010. Most beta test units shipped without voice data loaded - voice.bin will need to be loaded through WxConfig for the voice function to work.

Main Unit

ADS-WS1

The main unit is housed in a flange mount enclosure with a removable 14-position 0.15" pitch terminal block, a 0.5" port (covered with stainless steel mesh) for sensor ventilation, and notches to accommodate the wind and rain sensor cables, connected internally. To open the main unit's lid and install the wind and rain cables or set DIP switch settings, unscrew the four screws on the top of the housing.

v1.6 schematic

Temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure sensors are contained within the main unit.

Terminal Block Connections

DIP Switches

Serial Output

Currently port 1 outputs serial data at 2400 baud in Peet Bros data logger format. Complete record format is available, but only by sending a >H to the unit.

Weather Display (http://www.weather-display.com/index.php) will work with the WS1.

Weather Display Lite free version will also work with WS1 - use Peet Ultimeter as weather station type.

Connect with terminal program to serial port at 2400 Baud

Control C is command prompt

Control B gives the weather data

Type control C to get command prompt

Type " display " for parameters

ABAUD 4800

ALTITUDE OFF

AMODE AUTO

AUTHLIST

BBAUD 4800

BMODE AUTO

COMMENT Argent Data WS1 build 56216

COMPRESS OFF

HBAUD 1200

INTERVAL 300

LVINHIBIT 0

MYCALL WT9M-8

POSITION 4333.54N 09038.74W

POWER ON

PATH WIDE2-2

QUIET 16

STATUS 1

TEMP ON

TEMPADJ 0

TIMESTAMP OFF

TXDELAY 30

TXLEVEL 155

VOLTAGE ON

Control C for cmd:

then type Control B for below info

2013/05/06 10:45:50

Wind 090 degrees at 002 MPH gusting to 081 MPH

Outdoor temperature 000 F

Indoor temperature 080 F

Indoor humidity 039%

Outdoor humidity 000%

Barometric pressure 10189

Larry WT9M

Connections for computer programming cable

Computer cable

You need a "real" RS-232 cable. TTL level will not work.

First numbers are from WS1 to DB9 female plug

Pin 6 ground to pin 5 on DB9

Pin 8 serial 1 TX to pin 2

Pin 9 serial 1 RX to pin 3

--Wt9m 15:01, 20 September 2010 (UTC)

Radio Interfacing

This section is a stub. See the OpenTracker+ manual for a description of the radio interface signals and jumper settings.

For making an adapter to fit Opentracker radio cables

All these begin with ADS-WS1 pin number then to DB9 female pin number

Radio adapter

Pin 1 ground to pin 6 on DB9

pin 2 RX to pin 5

pin 3 TX to pin 1

pin 4 PTT to pin 3

--Wt9m 14:57, 20 September 2010 (UTC)

Status LED

The LED blinks once every two seconds to indicate normal operation. A green blink means the real-time clock is set, and a red blink means it's not. The LED will light solid red when transmitting.

Real-Time Clock

The WS1's internal clock is set when the configuration program exits. Early board revisions did not have provisions for backup power, so if power is lost the clock resets.

Boards equipped with battery connector J3 can be connected to a 3.6v lithium battery to provide backup power to the clock.

Enclosure mechanical drawing

Wind and Rain Sensors

Wind and Rain Sensor Assembly

The wind and rain sensor assembly includes a 2-piece steel mast, cup anemometer, wind vane, rain gauge (0.011" resolution), cables, mounting arms, screws, cable ties, and clamps.

Installation

Avoid overhead power lines. Ensure the mast is properly grounded, and don't install the assembly on a chimney where it might be exposed to smoke and hot gasses.

When aligning the wind vane/anemometer, the 'boom' runs in an east/west direction with the anemometer on the west.

Radiation Shield Construction

The ADS-WS1 base unit must be installed in a sheltered location. If no suitable location is available, you can build an enclosure to protect the electronics from rain and direct sun while still allowing the temperature and relative humidity sensors to work properly. Some links to do-it-yourself Stevenson screen and Gill shield projects are included below.

Bird house style Stevenson screen

Stevenson screen made from plastic bowls

Fan-aspirated housing made from PVC pipe

N5ZTW's PVC Sensor Grenade (Word document)

Fan-aspirated Stevenson screen

Fan-aspirated Stevenson screen from flower pot trays

Another flower pot tray shield

Yet another flower pot tray shield

And some scholarly discussion of the subject:

Low-cost Shielding to Minimize Radiation Errors of Temperature Sensors in the Field

Help / Support Group

There is a discussion group ADS-WS1 Group On Yahoo Groups.

If you are having trouble you can ask question and read through what others are doing.

Datasheets and other interesting documentation are also with the Yahoo group.

Linux Weather Display (bash script)

The weather.sh Bash script

weather.sh was developed as a quick and simple way to view the data from the Argent Data Systems ADS-WS1 Weather Instruments. The objective was to NOT have to purchase a physical Display unit nor have to pay for any fancy software for Linux or Windows. This software provides nearly instant satisfaction that your weather instruments are working -AND- it can be used as your weather display just as it is! Leave it running in an Xterm, buried in a corner of your screen, or leave it minimized and pull it up when you wish to see the weather. Very simple!

This script is designed to be run as 'root' so it can grab the serial port without first modifying its permissions. It *can* be run as a 'user' if the /dev/tty device permissions are changed (see the code for instructions to do this). The script receives the 2400 baud serial data stream coming from the ADS-WS1 device, parses the respective fields, and displays them on the screen. The screen is TEXT based and requires NO additional software packages to be loaded or configured! Just open up a terminal window (xterm) and type "./weather.sh" and it runs! The screen will update once every 5 seconds (configurable). It's just that simple :)

When first started, several fields in the display are filled with zeros and will be replaced with real values as the script runs over the course of the first day. Each night at 1 minute before midnight, some statistics (Hi/Lo temps, Peak wind, Daily and Long-term rainfall) are written out to a log file (weather.log).

See http://server1.nuge.com/~weather for further information, and to download the Bash shell script.

Completely FREE and licensed under the GPL. So if you modify it, *please* contribute your work back to us for possible inclusion in future releases.

Arduino Notes

You will need a level converter to bring the RS-232 to TTL levels. You will probably need a 10k resistor from the RXD1 terminal to your supply voltage.

The resistor must be disconnected when using the config application.

Online Demos

N1VG-14 in Santa Maria, CA

Solar-powered station on the roof of the Argent Data Systems office.

via aprs.fi

via findU