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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

weather watcher cloud parameter

  • Posts: 32
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Hi,

I am building a weather station and hoped to use indi_watcher_weather to read data passed over a radio link then into a text file then into indi/ekos.

The drivers weather watcher web page mentions a key word, clouds, but I can't find any way to add the clouds parameter in ekos.

Is this my misunderstanding or is it a mistake on the web page?

Is there a better way to achieve loading cloud status from a text file?

Or alternately could weather watcher support the clouds keyword.

Thanks for looking.
4 years 1 month ago #48738

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hi,
weather watcher reads from data sources 5 parameters max: rain, temperature, wind (average), gust (wind gust) and forecasts. Other parameters are ignored.
The first 3 only (rain, temperature and wind) are defined as critical parameters; it means that they broadcast in Ekos the weather status. So for example if wind is >30 the observatory shuts down.

Coming to your question, the cloud parameter that you see in the documentation is taken as an output example from a commonly used weather station (AAG CloudWatcher SOLO).
As of today the driver ignores that parameter unless you use another parameter's slot. E.g. setting 'clouds' keyword in 'rain' slot.
Be aware that it's not a solution but just a way to fool Ekos:
- the 'rain' label will still be used for this parameter,
- the real rain value is now ignored!
- other drivers will still be think this as the real rain.

ferrante
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4 years 1 month ago #48769

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Isn't the situation a little more complicated?
Now that I have my weather station talking to INDI, I see five parameters in the options tab:
- rain (precip)
- temperature
- wind
- gust
- forecast

I don't use Gust, and I mapped 'Forecast' to clouds. So far, I haven't looked in the source code how this is handled.
In the Main Control and Parameters tabs I see four parameters:
- Weather
- Rain
- Temperature
- Wind

Since I don't use 'Gust' I don't expect it to turn up in Main Control
Other parameters that my meteostation reports, such as timestamp, pressure, humidity and dew point, also don't show up, because they aren't mapped in Options

Atm I have my meteostation indoors for testing, and the cloud sensor shows 100 % cloud. When I change the limits for 'Weather' to 110, and 15 % warning, the marker in Main Control turns yellow. When I set the limit to 120, it turns green. At the (for me) default value of 50, it is red.

So, according to what I find, the parameter 'Forecast' in Options, is the same as 'Weather' in the Main Control and Parameters tabs. This can be filled with a 'clouds' reading from a cloud sensor. It works the same way as any of the other parameters.

Furthermore, with only Forecast/clouds in the "alert" zone, both the dome simulator driver and ekos scheduler show a red warning icon.

Parameter settings and labels are a bit confusing in the Weather Watcher driver, and ideally, this driver would use a skeleton file to define preset parameters. And these parameters should be called the same across the board. But the driver works, is flexible, and easy enough to work with, once you understand it.

Wim
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Last edit: 4 years 1 month ago by Wim van Berlo.
4 years 1 month ago #48792

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Great thanks, that sounds briliant.

My plan is to hook up a few sensors to an Arduino (or similar) grab some numbers, send a serial message to a 433MHz module. Then I will have multiple 433 receivers, one in bedroom or tent and one on my mount computer feeding into indi.

Your answer fill in the missing piece of the puzzle.
4 years 1 month ago #49098

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