Build a lightning detector

[41South]

DS PCB!

That took me a while ......DS = double sided  

I'm getting slower in my "old" age.

[41South]

Now... Where does "D GND - data ground" go?  Does it connect to the USB 1-wire connector, get split off before and connected to the actual computer box?

The Data wire needs to end up on what post when plugged into the USB 1-wire adaptor, far left or far right AND will CAT 5 cable and connector work for this?

1-wire needs 2 wires  data and data ground. CAT 5 is fine and dandy, but you need to use it with RJ11/12 connectors - not RJ45s

The USB 1 -wire adapter uses the middle 2 pins of the connector - 2&3 for the RJ11(4pins), 3&4 for the RJ12(6pins).
Pins 2 is data and pin 3 is grnd on the RJ11, pin 3 is data and pin 4 is ground on the RJ12.

I'll dig up some connector pics and post them too. 
 

[JaxWeather]

Ahh Colin that was exactly what I needed

I have some RJ-12 connectors I can replace the end on a CAT 5 Cable with

I assume that since you Indicate that 1-wire needs RJ-11/12 connectors that twisted pair telephone cable would also be suitable?

Thank you and as soon as I get the USB adaptor I will be seeing what damage, Errrr what I can get going

Thanks again,
Bob

[41South]

CAT 5 is still your best bet, although it can be a bit fidly getting it into the RJ11/12s nicely.

Here's the link to the USB adapter manual, the connection details are in there.

http://www.aagelectronica.com/pdf docs/DS9490R.pdf

Happy building

[JaxWeather]

Well now who woulda thought that the folks I ordered the USB adaptor from would have detailed instructions for the adaptor Oyyyyyyyyyy 

And here I was searching all over the place for this information.

Thanks again Colin this additional information will prove to be invaluable

-Bob

[JaxWeather]

Ok just as a final (i hope) follow-up to this thread...

I have received the components and have assembled and tested them, so far.  Later this week i will be placing the lightning detector in production.

My personal saga in installing and testing the lightning detector is continued here:
http://www.weather-watch.com/smf/index.php/topic,8047.0.html

For anyone that wants to see what I did to get to this point

-Bob

[PicOlio]

The one that "allows me to spend" is the one I have to worry about seeing the posts...  The one that "Pays the Money" well she will just blackmail me if she sees these  LOL

In my jealousy of his fancy dancy new lightning detector I came sneaking around to see what other info there is and find all this talk about "the boss" -- well let it be known I'm just "a boss" (more of a friend though)... his wife is "THE BOSS" and their lightning detector seems to be working out rather nicely indeed!  I'm just trying to figure out how to "do one better" ...

If I could get a web cam to be triggered by the lightning detector thereby ensuring pictures of the lightning that is being detected.... hmmmmmmmm

[Weather Display]

I wondered if you would stumble on his Boss posts Picolio, LOL!
ohhh lalala, as Jazweather would say
yes, i think the wife is the boss in alot of relationships!

[fkooiman]

Hello,

We are working for a while now on a europees network for lightning detection.
The basic principle is that is should be simple and low cost.
Take a look at :

http://members.home.nl/fkooiman/lightning

I'll be happy to answer your questions.

Regards,
Frank Kooiman

[Weather Display]

Hi
yes, very interesting what you have been doing!
we have seen your web site and have discussed what you are doing before....I know some here are quit keen on trying it out....

[JoeDuggins]

Not sure whether this has/was discussed in the old forum or not.

This is a three-part question:
1) Has anyone built their own lightning detector? I have found a couple links via a Google search but they are all in Europe.

2) If so, where did you get the information on building it?

3) Since they can be built (Europe is doing it quite successfully from what I have read), can any of the outputs be used with the existing lightning collection sites?

Sorry for all the questions but I thought others may be interested in some way to get into the lightning detection game without having to shell out hundreds of $$$.


---------------------------------------
Money without intelligence is like a car without a road.

[unrelated commercial link removed]

[niko]

I may be wasting my time replying to a spammer but maybe someone can use the info.

Not sure whether this has/was discussed in the old forum or not.

This is a three-part question:
1) Has anyone built their own lightning detector? I have found a couple links via a Google search but they are all in Europe.

Depends what you mean by "detector", there are many simple detector designs, they just detect strikes without range or bearing information. If you want range and bearing there are two diy options that I know of:

blitzortung which is European and has a website that collates data onto a map.

Frank Kooiman's system also Europe based but with members elsewhere.

2) If so, where did you get the information on building it?

See above for those two, for simple detectors Hobby Boards has kits which interface to a PC, or sites like http://www.techlib.com/ have general construction info.

3) Since they can be built (Europe is doing it quite successfully from what I have read), can any of the outputs be used with the existing lightning collection sites?

See #1. http://www.strikestarus.com/ collates data from Boltek detectors in the U.S.

[TokKiwi]

Fair comments Niko and good support.  Another link for the Lightning radar projects of Frank Kooiman and project partner Daniel, is Daniel's website here... http://users.edpnet.be/DanielV37/Detecteur3/index_full.htm where the hardware and basic designs are from.  He also designed a preamp for the unit but whuch is no longer in production.  There is another preamp available out of UK from John Silver I think.

There are folk who have linked here in the forum, I think that have made Lightning detectors and camera triggers if that was more to the point.  Try here... http://www.techlib.com/electronics/lightningpics.htm

The project above (and which I run)  needs a partner station to correlate and triangulate the position of a particular strike.

TK
(Added some more details)

[niko]

Thanks for the link Graeme, I knew there was another site for Frank's stuff but a quick google didn't turn it up this morning