Connecting the Hydreon RG11 digital rain sensor.

steve · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:24 am

Ah, fair enough. I just wondered if this was a common way for people to use the RG-11 and whether I should look at adding support for it. But I guess that most people would go for the 'direct' serial (or serial/USB) approach, assuming it works.

steve · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:58 am

I've further enhanced the build I linked to so that it now offers the option of using the RG-11 in 'tipping bucket' mode as an alternative to "It's raining" mode (via the same hardware interface).

To enable tipping bucket mode, add the following lines to the [Station] section (in addition to specifying the COM port as above):

RG11TBRmode=1
RG11tipsize=0.01

The 'tip size' must be specified in the units that you have configured Cumulus to use for rain.

Cumulus should then display today's and yesterday's totals on the main screen, next to the 'normal' totals, and make them available via web tags <#RG11RainToday> and <#RG11RainYest>.

Note that of course you need to run Cumulus all the time for the totals to be correct, but it does store the values in today.ini and yesterday.ini so you can briefly stop and restart it.

pete_c · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 11:59 am

Steve,

Great news!

Let me know if I can help you get an RG-11. The "deal" is to purchase one. After that one is installed; send the company a picture of it installed and they will send you a second one for free.

That said my first one is installed and using a Hobby board's dual counter connected to one 1-wire network.

I want to connect the second one (will install it next to the first one) via RS-232. I am guessing that the wiring that folks utilized is as specfied in the schematic listed above. I guess I am wanting to make sure that I am doing (wiring) in the same way such that I can utilize your updated Cumulus RG-11 application.

steve · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:32 pm

pete_c wrote:

I am guessing that the wiring that folks utilized is as specfied in the schematic listed above. I guess I am wanting to make sure that I am doing (wiring) in the same way such that I can utilize your updated Cumulus RG-11 application.

Basically, the NO contacts of the relay are connected between DTR and DTS. All I am doing is setting DTR high and waiting for DTS to change, which it does when the relay opens and closes.

duke · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:13 pm

steve wrote:

I've further enhanced the build I linked to so that it now offers the option of using the RG-11 in 'tipping bucket' mode as an alternative to "It's raining" mode (via the same hardware interface).

To enable tipping bucket mode, add the following lines to the [Station] section (in addition to specifying the COM port as above):

RG11TBRmode=1
RG11tipsize=0.01

The 'tip size' must be specified in inches.

Cumulus should then display today's and yesterday's totals on the main screen, next to the 'normal' totals, and make them available via web tags <#RG11RainToday> and <#RG11RainYest>.

Note that of course you need to run Cumulus all the time for the totals to be correct, but it does store the values in today.ini and yesterday.ini so you can briefly stop and restart it.

Blimey Steve you have been busy while I've been away from my PC

.

You say the tip size must be specified in inches so does that mean the display on Cumulus and the web tag is also inches not metric?

Duke

bruce45 · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:28 pm

interesting info about this. I have a second WH1081 set up in the green house just to monitor temp and humidity i have a venting system using 12volt fans to remove excess heat the wind speed indicates when the fans are running.
Would it be possable to connect the rg11 to the rain connector on the wh1081 as i think the tipping bucket is only a reed switch? If this was possable then would cumulus think it was seeing the normal data and display it.

thanks

bruce

steve · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:33 pm

duke wrote:

You say the tip size must be specified in inches so does that mean the display on Cumulus and the web tag is also inches not metric?

The Cumulus display and the web tag will be in whatever units you've configured. I specified inches for the tip size as my understanding is that's what you have to use on the device itself?

steve · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:37 pm

bruce45 wrote:

Would it be possable to connect the rg11 to the rain connector on the wh1081 as i think the tipping bucket is only a reed switch? If this was possable then would cumulus think it was seeing the normal data and display it.

I think that's the case, yes, but someone who is more familiar with the Fine Offset hardware would be able to say for certain. If it worked as far as the station is concerned, then Cumulus certainly wouldn't know any different and would use it like a standard Fine Offset rain gauge. You might need to set a calibration figure in Cumulus. You'd have to power it somehow, of course.

AllyCat · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:38 pm

Hi,

To avoid future confusion, note that the RG-11 appears to have a "real" serial interface (open collector so not RS232 as such). The "as is" data sheet says that it is "talk only" but the detail file looks more like a "command" structure.

The reason I'm interested is that I'm looking to see if it's possible to use it wirelessly (with batteries/solar charging). It appears that it can be used in a "low power" mode at 1.5mA from 5 volts dc (bear in mind that's still about one hundred times the power of a FO station). But the "killer" might be the relay which appears to need about 50mA, so I wonder if it can send serial data without the use of the relay.

I must say I'm very tempted at a price of just over £50 but am conerned that I might be "hit" for another £20+ for VAT, Duty and Royal Mail collection fee.

Cheers, Alan.

PS: I think the answer to Bruce is "Yes".

steve · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:41 pm

AllyCat wrote:

To avoid future confusion, note that the RG-11 appears to have a "real" serial interface (open collector so not RS232 as such).

Yes; I haven't looked at this in detail but as it's really a diagnostic interface I wasn't intending to support it in Cumulus, just the relay operation via DTS/DSR.

duke · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:46 pm

Ok Steve, I understand why inches now. For reference it can be set up as imperial or metric so no problem however Cumulus wants the data.
Set up table below.

Quote:

Mode 0-- Tipping Bucket
Rain Gauge emulates a tipping bucket of the
specified size.
Switch
Behavior
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
0 0 0 X 0 0 0 Bucket Size = 0.01”
0 0 1 Bucket Size = 0.001” (Sensitive)
0 1 0 Bucket Size = 0.0001” (Very sensitive)
1 0 0 Bucket Size = 0.2 mm
1 0 1 Bucket Size = 0.01 mm (sensitive)
1 1 0 Bucket Size = 0.001 mm (Very sensitive)
1 1 1 1 Reserved for system test

Quote:

I must say I'm very tempted at a price of just over £50 but am conerned that I might be "hit" for another £20+ for VAT, Duty and Royal Mail collection fee.

VAT would be more like £10.00 if there is any at all. I regularly have parcels of this size come in from around the world and I can't remember the last time I paid any import duty or a collection fee.

Duke

bruce45 · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:53 pm

power is not an issue as i have solar panels charging batteries to run the fans
from the instructions on the site the tipping bucket size can be mm or inches so having it set at 0.2 mm per tip could be a starting point as the bucket size on fine offset is 0.3 mm i thinks.

steve · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:06 pm

duke wrote:

Ok Steve, I understand why inches now. For reference it can be set up as imperial or metric so no problem however Cumulus wants the data.
Set up table below.

Ah, I hadn't noticed that. Perhaps I should make it so that you specify it in the units you actually use, then there are no rounding issues.

Quote:

VAT would be more like £10.00 if there is any at all.

Alan said he paid £15 including the collection fee on his free one, which I assume would have been marked at the normal price for customs purposes.

steve · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:11 pm

I've uploaded another build (to http://nybbles.co.uk/downloads/Cumulus.zip)to change the tip size to be in the units that are configured in Cumulus for rain, and amended my previous post.

bruce45 · **Posted:** Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:55 pm

just orderd a rg11 £47.12 with the shipping will update when it arrives

many thanks for all your help

bruce

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Connecting the Hydreon RG11 digital rain sensor.

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