Lightning Sensor
g3cwi
Posts: 262
This looks interesting for use with a Propellor.
http://www.ams.com/eng/Products/RF-Products/Lightning-Sensor/AS3935
I have some here but could do with some advice on mounting them to use.
Regards
Richard
http://www.ams.com/eng/Products/RF-Products/Lightning-Sensor/AS3935
I have some here but could do with some advice on mounting them to use.
Regards
Richard
Comments
-Phil
From the data sheet:
I wonder if there's any directionality with an antenna like that. Could the thing be set up to make a simple real-time map of an approaching storm?
Indeed
the one I used for my SLR was based on a optoIsolator and a AM radio ..
not the most compact Or cute looking but it does work .
( the opto is a last ditch efforto to not smoke a 5 grand SLR ).
Peter
According to the datasheet, there is no antenna, it's just a tuned coil acting purely as a magnetic pickup. When a lightning bolts strikes, think of the ionized column of air as a single wire with current flowing through it. A magnetic field is produced around that 'wire' that can be detected at a distance proportional to the strength and distance of the lightning bolt. The datasheet says that it does not detect individual strikes, but takes several strikes into account to predict an average... using this to determine the storm front, since 'most' lightning happens on the leading and trailing edge of a storm, this makes since. The stray strikes would be averaged. As far as cloud to cloud, the orientation of the magnetic field produced would be perpendicular in relation to a cloud to ground strike. As a result, the received signal would be much lower compared to the the 'average' threshold produced by the cloud to ground strikes of the approaching storm.
Still, it seems they have gone to a lot of trouble with this IC, in what you could probably accomplish with a couple of MPF102's arranged as a differential electroscope and a little bit of software.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CGUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ams.com%2Feng%2Fcontent%2Fdownload%2F249847%2F974777%2F143418&ei=EYO-T8rmOKaC2AWj3-WbDw&usg=AFQjCNFLOM4_kP_5XB7xe_B0MGbUzS4T0A
Fascinating! I love your description of this. I'm totally clueless when it comes to RF, so 'much obliged for the explanation. Knowing it's just a coil, I feel motivated to give this a try. Oh wait... by coil, are you talking about something an inch in diameter or... does this thing have to be, like, 6 feet in diameter?
Thanks, Beau
For calculations, checkout the "Software header" to this link:
http://wiki.ohmspace.org/User:Bschwabe
...typically when I make a specific coil, I work backwards. First I find a capacitor value that I have handy... usually something less than 0.047uF.
Then apply this formula... f = 1 / ( 2*PI* sqrt(l*c) ) ... or you can just go here ... http://www.deephaven.co.uk/lc.html
Form there I see what frequency I need and determine an inductor value. For example... say I have a capacitor value of 0.01uF, using the formula with a frequency of 500kHz, I get an inductor value of roughly 10.1uH
Now all I need is to determine my wire gauge, and use the "Air Core Coil Calculator" spreadsheet located at the top link under software.
Once inside the spreadsheet, I find that the easiest air coil for me to wind is the "Special Case Multi-Layer where l equals b" ...
Note: You should only need to fill in the 'green' fields on the spreadsheet.
Thanks! I'll check this out.
Cheers
Richard
That's great. Do you have any links to where you're buying this stuff?
Very cool. Thanks for the links.