WM-918 Weather Station

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Mon 29/09/2003 22:54

Hi guys,

Next week I am getting a WM-918 Weather Station for my birthday. I was just wanting to know if anyone knew of a good website that has instructions as to the correct way of mounting the associated sensors, to get reasonably accurate readings.

Once I get the WM-918 all up and running, I am going to connect it up to a secondhand computer, that will run all day, to regularly upload the latest data for the weather conditions at my home in Palmerston North, to some sort of website.

Gregg

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Tue 30/09/2003 19:27

It will be good to see your weather station go on line Gregg. The trick will be to put the sensors somewhere out in the open, as far away from buildings as possible. A bit difficult, but the value of your weather station will be enhanced.

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Tue 30/09/2003 21:12

Thanks Steve, I will try and find an appropriate location in my back yard.

I will post a message to this forum when I get everything up and going.

Is there a standard height above the ground that the sensors should be located?

Gregg

TonyT · Unread post by **TonyT** » Tue 30/09/2003 21:56

Ideal is ground level for rain gauge, 1.2m for temperature, 10m for wind.

Of course, she's a long road finding the ideal weather station. No hurry eh? Good on ya mate.

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Tue 30/09/2003 22:08

Can probably manage the rain gauge and temperature sensor heights, but will have to put anenometer at about 4m.

You wouldn't happen to drink Speights would you.

Thanks

jeffsweather · Unread post by **jeffsweather** » Tue 30/09/2003 22:12

Gregg,

Have a look at http://www.booty.demon.co.uk/metinfo/uswfaq.htm#6 section 6C has quite a bit of info. The whole FAQ is worh a read if you have time.

I have 2 sensors in non standard exposures. I read both of them and choose the lowest reading.
See my web site for details under "My Weather Station".
There seems to be a problem with sunny windless days giving higher readings but I don't get too many of those.

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Tue 30/09/2003 22:41

Thanks Jeff, I will have a good read of the section you noted.

I have had a look at your Weather Station website several times over the last couple of years. I think originally on your website, you mentioned that you were using a Python script to read data from one or several of your sensors ( I can't remember which). Do you still use Python? It's a great script programming language.

jeffsweather · Unread post by **jeffsweather** » Wed 01/10/2003 06:39

Yes, still using python Gregg, though I don't use it to read the Dallas 1 wire devices directly, I get the digitemp software from within a python script to read these and put the results in a list.
As I update the weather station I change some on the old scripts that were written in a varitey of languages to python.

I have to agree, it is a great scripting language and I'm still learning as I go.

Manukau heads obs · Fri 03/10/2003 10:22

Hi
what sofware are you going to use greg?

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Fri 03/10/2003 15:22

Brian,

I was going to be running Redhat Linux v9.0 as the OS on the PC, so I am still to look around and see what is available for Linux.

I have seen that you have ported a version of the WeatherDisplay software across to Linux. Does this initial Linux ported version, work with the WM-918 Weather Station?

Sing out if you require any sort of help to completely port your software across to Linux, as I am a Software Engineer by trade, who has worked in a Unix/Linux environment and would be keen to offer any assistance in getting your software across to this platform.

Gregg

Manukau heads obs · Fri 03/10/2003 15:37

yes, it works on linux and with the wm918

see
http://www.weather-display.com/linuxdownload.html

but i am having trouble with the ftp .....idealy i want to be able to run the ftp program sepearately like i do with the windows verison....by using fork, but i cant get it to work (kylix)
do you know klylix?

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Fri 03/10/2003 17:02

Yes, I have had a small play around with Kylix.

Over the last two years the projects I have been involved in, at work, have been coded in Delphi, in a Windows environment, so I've had to get up to speed with that programming language. I have primarily coded in C/C++.

Are you trying to use the fork() function from the Kylix version? Were you creating a separate thread within the Windows version?

Gregg

Manukau heads obs · Fri 03/10/2003 17:50

the ftp /internet program for the windows verison is as a separate .exe program....and there are lots of way to execute another program in delphi...
but in kylix there is no windows equivalent, just a fork example i found,,,,which does not seem to work....so i have the routine built into the main executable...but that creates problems with ftp procedures not beging freed/still running, etc

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Fri 03/10/2003 21:58

Brian,

Did a bit of trolling around the net and found the following Kylix related article:

http://rick-ross.com/papers/borcon2001/6206.html

It basically describes the differences between Linux processes/threads and in more detail describes the inter-process methods of communicating between separate threads or processes, in a Linux environment.

What you could try is re-implementing your FTP code as a separate thread (TThread) started from your main program or else start the separate FTP program from your main program using one of the execution functions such as execl, execlp, defined in the LIBC.pas (Kylix wrapper class for Linux C Library implementation).

To start with, you could always call the system function, also defined in LIBC.pas to start up the separate FTP program and then use one of the inter process communication methods described in the article, to communicate between the two programs.

Hope this is of some help.

Gregg

Manukau heads obs · Sun 05/10/2003 14:25

thanks greg
one thing else:
i cam across a sample code to get the form of a image (getformimage has not been ported unfortunately), it uses a qwidget and the application desktop handle
but it means the form must be show first (i.e visible on the screen and in focus)
but this sometimes fails and a capture of the persons desktop occurs instead,,,,and that could be emarrising....

what other ways have i have getting the form to a image file
(i have tried copy rect...thats no good either)

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Sun 05/10/2003 16:29

I have a look into it Brian.

Gregg

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Sat 11/10/2003 20:41

Brian,

Have been busy with work and have got some deadlines for some software for this coming week, so won't be able to look into this till the following week.

Gregg

Manukau heads obs · Sat 11/10/2003 21:22

no problem
the workaround I have is 80% satisfactory for now