Weather station with analogue output?

Projects General Guidance
1

I would like to build a weather station (thermometer, barometer, hygrometer) but unlike all the projects I've found which have a digital readout, I'd like to somehow drive an analogue output that moves a needle along the scale of an existing circular gauge face.

I already have some el-cheapo clapped out (but nice looking) mechanical gauges and I reckon it would be a good combo - accuracy plus aesthetics.

Is there a way this can be accomplished?3

Thanks

2

It is certainly possible to drive a gauge. What kind of gauge do you have?

3

It's the existing mechanical gauges - that is the old thermometer etc.

Essentially I'd want to be keeping the face/hands and would need to gut it and put an appropriate 'thing' inside to run it. (servo?) Make sense?

4

what question do you have. post pictures of what you got.

5

OK, if all you are keeping are the face and hand, yes, go ahead with a servo. It will have about 180 degrees range, 1 degree accuracy at best and some maximal degree/second speed. The movement may be a bit rough.

6

OK I haven't got into Arduino at all as yet so testing feasability first is all.

I'll grab some photos over the weekend if I remember and go from there.

Cheers

7

Hi,
Some servo How-To HERE:

If you really want 360 or 270 degree movement, use small 2:1 pulleys and string. Put a small spring in one end to keep out the slack. (This is the mechanical arrangement used on most Radios in the Old Days)..

OR use a "continuous rotation" servo and position an optical or switch sensor at the Zero position, so you can find that at power on..

I have made very large thermometer dials using servos and if you make the pointer of light material like "foamcore" and balance them end-to-end with size or add weight, they move easily. A 1 foot diameter thermometer dial is easy to see across the house, while an LCD display can't been seen at distance.

If you make you own weather station dials you can set up the scales for humidity, barometric pressure etc look the way you want. HERE: is one way.

I have made very detailed clock faces which I wrote directly in Postscript; that's another possibility. A couple links HERE:
and HERE:

Another possibility HERE:

Let us know how you work this out...

8

Hi,
I haven't tried them but look at this link, they are steppers that are now used in car guages.

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Tom... :slight_smile:

9

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Some great stuff there !