1 Wire Lightning Detector

[Liam]

Hi All
      I am looking at getting a 1 wire lightning detector. Was wondering who else has one and if they are good?. I know they are not as good as Boltek but it will do for now as my 1st detector.

Does anyone know if i can buy one in the UK. Checked on hobby-boards site as you know its US and would only cost £25 for it and that includes postage. Thats very cheap but would be nice if i could purchase from UK.

Thanks
Liam

[Budgie]

The 1-Wire lightning detectors are only available from Hobby Boards and take about 10 days to arrive, you can get some sensors in the UK from Audon.
You'll also need the serial or USB adaptor to plug the detector into the PC. 

I had an earlier version than is available now and that was good for the price.
If you have it near or on the house then it can be effected by light switches, florescent lights, electric fences or anything that creates a small electrical charge when it switches on or off. But you can tune these out to some extent.
Range wise, they are good for 25-30 miles (sometime more with a larger or higher antenna) but they only tell you that lightning is around, they don't tell you in which direction or how far away.

Hope that helps. 

[skyewright]

Have you seen this recent topic on the subject of the 1-wire lightning detector? If not you might find it of interest.

Like Budgie I got mine direct from HB in the US.

[Liam]

Thank you for replies. Will be getting one, will order from hobby-boards been as there are no problems shipping and its a very good price. I think i will mount mine in the garden away form house interferences.

Thanks for link to post skyewright. Gives me some mounting ideas. Why we are on the 1wire sensors subject, how is the uv sensor. Might be worth ordering one of those at the same time.

Thanks
Liam

[ALITTLEweird1]

The 1-wire UV isn't out yet, but should be soon..

http://www.weather-watch.com/smf/index.php/topic,39873.msg338680.html#msg338680

[Liam]

Ahh, just realised i meant Solar and typed UV by accident but still worth looking at. So how is the solar sensor.

[ALITTLEweird1]

Works good for me. Have had mine for almost 2 years now.

[Liam]

Great. worked out a price for the LD and solar sensors plus the usb adapter. Do i link the two sensors together or do i need some sort of separate board that links them and then to the pc.

[TokKiwi]

Just a std CAT5 network cable to link them together, and into the one cable to the PC. Quite simple hence the term 1-Wire...

[Liam]

Nice and simple. Genius. Thanks for your help.

[Budgie]

For linking the sensors, try to find some external CAT5 cable as the out casing is more robust than the normal CAT5. I just got 100m roll of it from Cable Monkey to put my Boltek antenna on the roof. But then, I've got the RJ45 & RJ11 crimping tool to make my own cables.  

[skyewright]

For linking the sensors, try to find some external CAT5 cable as the out casing is more robust than the normal CAT5. I just got 100m roll of it from Cable Monkey

That looks like a good link. Thanks. I've bookmarked it. 

To get CAT5 out to my 1-wire station I fed ordinary CAT 5 through some 25mm MDPE ('alkathene ') water pipe. Ordinary garden hose would probably do but the 25mm has scope for 3 cables, so I thought that as I was burying something I might as well make sure it had a decent capacity in case of future need...

The external CAT5 sounds particularly good for situations like routing up a wall to something on the roof.

I've got the RJ45 & RJ11 crimping tool to make my own cables. 

A really handy thing to have. 

[Liam]

Ok, that CAT5 looks better as mine will be going outdoors unless of course i run normal in a hose pipe like you say. Will sort it out when i get me sensors.

Thanks for your help. Look forward to getting them .

[MichaelPT]

hi everybody


 I have   connected HB  lightning detector,  I am using the latest  hardware version

 today it's been raining  sometimes quite heavily,

 please see graph below,  this coincides with the current conditions,  and it was located on my LR  radar system  there were only a few strikes

 I had the older version of HB  lightning sensor  there was lots of false strikes interference from  the surrounding area

 since I  have changed to the newer version   false strikes have virtually disappeared
http://www.weather-above.com/1%20wire%20Lightning%20Data.html
mick