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--- 2m0iig-automated-wx-station [2022/10/02 23:21] – [Enclosure] 2m0iig
+++ 2m0iig-automated-wx-station [2022/10/03 00:00] (current) – [Enclosure] 2m0iig
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 ===== Power =====
-  * Some sort of battery system (how many mAh?) with management board for charging
+  * Some sort of battery system (how many mAh?) with management board for charging? Cost varies depending on type and voltage chosen, but [[https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354254105023|here’s]] a cheap 10,000 mAh LiPo flat-style cell that’s **~£12.99** and the [[https://uk.pi-supply.com/products/pijuice-standard|5V 2.5 Amp PiJuice]] is **£52.99** but it comes with a battery I won’t need
-  * What voltage? I will need to step it down
+  * What voltage? I will need to step it down to 5V if too high
-  * Solar panels? No experience whatsoever
+  * Solar panels? No experience whatsoever on this **£?**
-  * How to efficiently use the power/battery?
+  * How to efficiently use the power/battery? That’s a charge/power board’s job
-  * Estimate/measure power drain of entire system
+  * Estimate/measure power drain of entire system - do I want a system monitor?
-Literally no experience with this, but it seems easy from this: https://howchoo.com/g/mmfkn2rhoth/raspberry-pi-solar-power - I need a PiJuice, a solar panel and a regular LiPo battery with the standard 3 pin connector. I do have an old USB power bank I could use that’d do it, but it only has USB inputs/outputs and no 2/3 pin JST battery connector. I could disassemble it maybe and get at the insides.
+Literally no experience with this, but it seems easy from [[https://howchoo.com/g/mmfkn2rhoth/raspberry-pi-solar-power|this guide]] - I need a PiJuice, a solar panel and a regular LiPo battery with the standard 2 or 3 leads. I do have an old USB power bank I could use sitting there doing nothing, but it only has USB inputs/outputs and no 2/3 pin lead. I could disassemble it maybe and get at the insides, but that’s scary.
-Other people are doing this with 12 Volt LNAs, so need a higher voltage battery and solar panel setup, plus a voltage converter to get it down to 5V. Having said that most of the higher rated panels use 12V, so I would need to go this route if I can’t find a 5V panel of a decent rating.
+Other people are doing this with 12 Volt LNAs, so need a higher voltage battery and solar panel setup, plus a voltage converter to get it down to 5V AND a solar panel controller that will do 12V. Having said that most of the higher rated panels use 12V, so I would need to go this route if I can’t find a 5V panel of a decent rating.
-I just mount a suitable HAT, connect the battery and panel setup, and hopefully it’ll produce enough juice. The current limit on the RPi shouldn’t be an issue hopefully, as I’ve used them off battery with a few gadgets like RTL sticks in before.
+Hopefully I just mount the PiJuice HAT, connect the battery and panel setup, and hopefully it’ll produce enough juice. The USB output current limit on the RPi shouldn’t be an issue hopefully, as I’ve used them off battery with a few gadgets like RTL sticks in before off a full 2A supply.
 If there are any issues with current I may need a powered USB hub, which adds complexity and potential RFI sources. I would also like to know if there’s an alternative to the rather expensive PiJuice for all of this.
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   * RTL-SDR dongle - lots of choices here, but I already have a Nooelec NESDR V3 stick that is perfect for this (current v4 listed here: https://www.nooelec.com/store/sdr/sdr-receivers/smart.html) **£30-£40**
   * (5V) BPF+LNA - many choices (expensive Nooelec ones) here, but this works off 5V and is low current, I have one from AliExpress and it seems okay: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001627969372.html **£15 ish**
-  * Possibly a Bias-Tee board **£10 ish for a cheapo one**
+  * Possibly a Bias-Tee board to inject voltage up the coax to the LNA **£10 ish for a cheapo one**
   * Short USB extension
   * USB Wireless dongle with external antenna socket, plus pigtail and antenna, if I want live comms (ideally, future goal)
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 On the non-RF side it’ll be a RPi 3B or 4, depending on what’s available. A 3B will do it just fine if I can still get them and will run cooler, but Pis are *very* sold out. I’ll maybe need a WiFi dongle with an external antenna socket to try and reach the long range to my living room router (this is a stretch goal really).
-For the RF side I’ll need a receiver, and I have a spare RTL-SDR stick I can use for it. I also have a low-noise amplifier/bandpass filter for 137-138 MHz that will work over bias-T or USB, so I have options depending on where I mount the enclosure box with respect to the feedpoint of the antenna. The LNA/BPF should be close to the antenna, requiring a bias-T, but I’d like to put the box closer to the ground so if I put the amp/filter in the enclosure I can use USB easily.
+For the RF side I’ll need a receiver, and I have a spare RTL-SDR stick I can use for it. I also have a low-noise amplifier/bandpass filter for 137-138 MHz that will work over bias-T or USB, so I have options depending on where I mount the enclosure box with respect to the feedpoint of the antenna. The LNA/BPF should be close to the antenna feedpoint, requiring a bias-T (or a 1-2M micro USB lead, i guess...), but I’d like to put the box closer to the ground so if I put the amp/filter in the enclosure I can use USB easily - but how much will that degrade performance?
-I may want to add some buttons or indicator LEDs to the outside, to shut things down or indicate a problem. These will need to work outside and be waterproofed.
+I may want to add some buttons or indicator LEDs to the outside, to shut things down or indicate a problem. These will need to visible outside and be waterproofed.
 ===== Software =====
   * The barest Raspbian OS install possible, probably  [[https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/operating-systems/|Raspbian Lite]]
   * [[https://github.com/jekhokie/raspberry-noaa-v2|NOAA-Raspberry-v2]] script with any mods found
+  * [[https://github.com/altillimity/AltiWx|AltiWX]] is also an option for capturing more than one satellite at once
   * Try and move things off-SD card and reduce logging for card life
   * Secondary storage? SSD?
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   * Threaded rod V Dipole/Reflector (not good for all-around reception) or QFH (harder to make but better reception?)
-  * Receiver nuts of some kind? How do I mount the rods to the PVC pipe?
+  * Receiver nuts of some kind? How do I mount the rods to the PVC pipe if going with the V dipole?
   * Length of RG58, with SMAs to reduce adapter loss and then into enclosure (I will probably buy a pre-made cable) **£5-£10** depending on laziness)
   * 2-3m tall PVC mast - Wickes do these in decent lengths, 20mm wide with pipe clips to fit **£5**
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 ===== Enclosure =====
-  * Enclosure be waterproof and have enough space to mount literally everything inside **£20-£50 depending on required size**
+  * Enclosure MUST be weatherproof and have enough space to mount literally everything inside **£20-£50 depending on required size**
-  * Pipe clips to mount enclosure to antenna mast
+  * Pipe clips to mount enclosure to antenna mast **£5**
-  * Cable clips or zip ties/sticky bases to secure things on the inside
+  * Cable clips or zip ties/sticky bases to secure things on the inside **£2-£3?**
   * Some sort of board stood-off from the enclosure wall, wood or plastic? Or attach stuff to inside wall of box?
   * Grommets or glue/seal for cable entry? Or use mounted sockets?
   * Velcro also an option for holding things inside the box
-A test of my DIY skills, for decent protection the enclosure should be rated highly on the IP scale, I’m thinking IP68. This gets pricey, so I need to make sure I make the build relatively small and compact to save money.
+A test of my DIY skills, for decent protection the enclosure should be rated highly on the IP scale, I’m thinking IP67/68. This gets pricey, so I need to make sure I make the build relatively small and compact to save money.
 I think I can use Velcro or cable ties and pads to hold most of it together on the inside.