Digital Temp Monitoring

Does anyone have/or has built a unit that monitors the outside temp say every 4 hours which can be downloaded onto a pc?? Which also runs on batt power?

 

Adam oregon scientific do wireless weather stations have a look at this link,
http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/acatalog/oregon_scientific.html?gclid=CPyb3Jyb8ZkCFQKaFQodonn0QQ

 

Adam - I am not aware of such a facility - but it might exist. You clearly want a temperature measuring device like the ones in Walnut's link, but which stores temperatures internally - which you can then download. I suspect that is too sophisticated for gardeners.

However this is bread and butter to control engineers. There are a couple of links below. But these may be too sophisticated, which is another way of saying too expensive. Also control engineers tend to have computers permanently connected.
http://www.temperatures.com/das.html
http://www.gecinstruments.com/

 

Pm Hex, i think he has a setup similar to what your after.

 

I've got a couple of things.

Firstly some network cable connecting a bunch of "Dallas" [now part of Maxim] temperature sensors (they are just wired in parallel - so called 1-wire) which plugs into a USB dongle, and from there I use LogTemp to record the temperature - handy bit of software, records and plots multiple sensors and has a variety of alarms and so on.

If you go down that route, and are handy enough to be a bit of an electronics hobbyist, I recommend the book "Weather Toys" by Tim Bitson - which is all about using the 1-wire Dallas sensors to build weather detectors and software. Its a good read even if you are interested but not planning to build-your-own.

Secondly I have a cheap-and-cheerful weather recording system. Has all the normal instruments (wind speed/direction, temperature, humidity, rainfall - battery powered) which you mount outside on a pole, and which transmits wirelessly to an indoor "base unit", also battery powered, that records the data and adds its own indoor temperature (and perhaps Humidity). That then connects to USB and downloads periodically. Software is provided. The Base Unit LCD screen is pretty much unreadable (unless you get it at just the right angle:D), so for me this has much more to do with getting data to PC, rather than having a swanky LCD readout on my coffee table!!

Mine came from eBay for about £65 I think

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/signatrol-ltd

 

Thankyou for the replys.

Not being into electronics i wouldnt have a clue how to build something like this. However, would it be that hard to build??

I think if you could knock them out for £20 they would sell very well??

 

I doubt you will make them for £20 - otherwise they would be buyable for that price.

The USB adaptor is US$ 28.04 (US$ 13.75 if you buy 1,000+), then you need a bit of wire and solder on a temperature chip which is US$ 1.97 (falling to US$ 1.61 for 1,000+)

and then you will need some software. Freebie software available on the net, but its not exactly "shrink wrapped and idiot proof"

"would it be that hard to build??"

I don't have much working knowledge of electronics, but I did learn to solder at school, and I've managed to solder some up with some cable to monitor the temperatures of some things around the house. So that bit is definitely not hard.

 

I don't need that, my Operating System has a facility for taking existing weather conditions from weather stations around the world. I have connected mine to Cambridge and Brize Norton weather stations. Cambridge for my own weather and Brize Norton because my step-daughter lives in Carterton.

Present reading:- Cambridge: Mist, Overcast, 9.0 C feels like 7.6 C, North-NorthWest / 5.8mph, sunrise 06:02 / Sunset 20:01
Brize Norton: Haze, Scattered Cloud, 10.0 C feels like 8.5 C, North / 6.9mph, Sunrise 06:09 / Sunset 20:04

 

Hi Adam
A friend of mine is using one of these dataloggers, http://tinyurl.com/ce972y
They seem pretty good value at £40 and measure humidity as well as temperature. Mine is sitting in its box until i get the rest of the digging done :wink:

 

That looks just the job Hex, and La Crosse is a good name

One question, not quite clear from their blurb. Will it record internally, and then download to PC next time connected, or does it need to be connected to PC to be able to "record"?

If I could put it in the greenhouse, and plug it into the PC once a week, that would be perfect!

The external sensors would let me get a reading in the greenhouse next door, and an outdoor reading. Even more perfect. Good price too. Did I say perfect already?!

 

OK, I think this http://www.lacrossetechnology.com/8610/ reads that it will record, and then you can upload. I'm sold!