#54 Wireless 433Mhz Rain Receiver (Completed)
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- čas přidán 22. 09. 2016
- New! ralphbacon.blog
So this is the final part of the Wireless Rain Receiver, now in its lovely case. But there's a sting in the tail for the project as a whole which I will have to sort out soon (well, soon-ish). But at least the case looks great and not out of place in a domestic environment, and whilst being more expensive than cases I'd normally buy it was worth it IMHO.
There are some thoughts on IR light diffraction (leading on from that string-in-the-tail I mentioned above) as I reckon that if my car can tell when it's raining then so can we Arduinites! I've set myself a challenge of sorts so we shall see whether I can find a better solution in the coming weeks and months.
And the Xmas Tree project has arrived which I'm currently building (and modifying to run with an Arduino) so there's a 15-second reminder of what I'm trying to do.
And anything else I've forgotten to mention!
The 'final' code for the Rain Receiver (final for this week anyway) can be found here so feel free just to look at it if nothing else as it contains some different ways to do things (just for the sake of doing them for the demo, really).
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Final Receiver Code
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bit.ly/2cRaSyb
If you like this video please give it a thumbs up, share and if not already subscribed please do so :)
And my channel is here:
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How can I remember this? Memory tip: "See" Ralph Bacon, geddit? - Věda a technologie
On the subject of cheap project boxes, my last project I stumbled upon a "life changing" way of quickly making them from MDF and superglue which means I can now create a cheap custom box for any project in minutes. (hint: B&Q often have MDF off-cuts they give away or ask for a donation to charity)
Basically just cut all the sides of the box you require from some thin MDF, run some superglue along the edge to be glued and hold in place for 20 seconds then move on to the next side...it results in a surprisingly strong box.
So one side can be opened for access I glue a couple of MDF blocks in place then put screws in to these to hold the final side on (doing this to two box sides gives even better access). Not cutting the sides square can give some much more interesting project box shapes. Hot melt glue is a good quick way of securing circuit boards in place etc. (it sticks extremely well to MDF). Normal emulsion paint is quick and easy to apply to MDF, dries in minutes and results in an interesting retro style project box.
NOTE: I guess you need to be mindful that MDF will burn so anything which will potentially get hot needs to be protected.
Interesting, alanesq. What thickness MDF do you use, 6mm? I don't think B&Q sell any thinner do they (you would think that after working there for 9 months I would know the answer). So superglue will glue these rather absorbent boards OK? Sounds fascinating, thanks for the heads up!
@@RalphBacon Hi. Yes the MDF I used was 6mm but I think I have seen thinner available (I will check my collection of bits tomorrow).
I didn't think superglue would work myself, I think I had just tried it in the hope it would temporarily tack it in place but was surprised to discover breaking it apart tears the MDF before the glue gives way (btw - I am just using the cheapest superglue, 3 bottles for £1 at Poundland).
@@RalphBacon Update: Just been out to the workshop to have a play, I have some very thin MDF around 3mm with a plastic coating on one side which must have come from B&Q, It looks just like hardboard. This gave me the idea to try it with hardboard and this works really well also and would be great for smaller boxes.
What I do is run a bead of superglue along one edge straight from the bottle (to get pleny on), then hold it in place for 30 seconds (or you can use an activator spray to make it instant - this also from Poundland).
btw - very easy to also glue your fingers whilst waiting for it to set so watch out for that, best to wear gloves.
Excellent, I shall visit Poundland when I am near one, bound to be soon. Great suggestion, thanks so much!
@@RalphBacon Whilst I am on a role ;-)
It might be interesting for your channel to have a look at the ESP32 with build in camera which is selling on eBay for around £6, looks interesting and maybe make a good CatCam project for Benny's run?
I see below, that you've solved the corrosion problem. Well done. I was going to suggest an 'H' bridge to periodically change the polarity.
In an earlier video, you mentioned your phone drains the battery quicker when you are on vacation. Do you turn off WiFi when on vacation? If not, that may be the source of your excessive current drain, as the phone is constantly trying to find an access point to connect to.
Still catching up on your videos. Watching them all. All are getting thumbs up. ;)
That phone issue was down to end-of-life battery in my phone. When plugged in at home it never had a chance to discharge! My new phone is so much better. Glad you like my videos, thanks so much for the thumbs up!
Where can you change the "Benny's cat run"?
I'm sorry, Taran, I don't know what you mean by this question. Can you clarify, please?
@@RalphBacon when you turn on the device, at the top of the screen it says Benny's cat run, can you change that to whatever you like?
Good use of the sensor as an excercise but practically I have to wonder. Weren't you in an area where a simple cell phone rain app would work? I use one and I am surprised at how well it works especially when I am downtown amidst the skyscrapers and a rain sensor probably wouldn't work very reliably. BTW, I bought a spare smart cell phone for $40. Amazing how that underprices the hobby of electronics.
I must admit the use of a smart phone app did not occur to me. How would it be accurate enough to tell me that the first spots of rain are dropping onto Benny's bedding though? Since this video I've explored other rain sensing devices that you will discover if you watch further videos... one day I'll get the perfect one. Thanks for the suggestion John.
That is one of the pluses about a rain app. It can set to go off before the rain comes. The one I use uses zip code and probably the location of the cell phones GPS. I bike a lot so from downtown I set it to go off like 20+ minutes before the rain comes because I can bike home in about that time. You'll probably have to do some research of your own. For things like that I just look at other people's reviews. What kind of pet is Benny any how?
I'll do some investigation on using an app. Benny is a (rescue) cat, and usually writes most of the code you see here but makes me type it in because without thumbs he finds the keyboard a bit difficult. He makes the occasional cameo appearance too. Watch out for him!
These rain apps you talk of, they get data from a weather service and I have found that they never report the weather accurately.
What mobile phone have in them these days are devices to measure humidity, temperature and air pressure, these can be used to predict possible weather changes but generally, your weather comes from a weather agency.
Tin(II) Chloride. A dip in that should solve the corrosion issue.
I must be honest, Mark, and say I had not heard of this substance but Wikipedia tells me that one of the uses is to tin-plate steel for making cans, so I guess this would work! Who knew (apart from you)? As it happens, I've resolved the corrosion problems in a couple of other ways:
1. Start the sensor every 30 seconds or so for just 1 second (that is, use the Arduino to supply power to the sensor) and take a reading. That means no 5v is constantly present and the corrosion (after many months of my trial) has stopped. Woo hoo!
2. Use a (very hard to find) stainless steel sensor. No need to explain this one.
But I like your lateral thinking, Mark and I'll bear this in mind for future projects. Thanks for posting.
You did not have youre 3d printer yet for the box
No, this video is several years old! I only got my 3D printer in 2023. I always was late to the party.