ArchiveSW - Display & Data Archive Storage

Hi @GaryFunk,
No I am not 100% as I only have a cheap usb power monitor as shown:


The 0.05A reading fluctuates between mainly 0.02A and 0.05A and rarely 0.08A.
So I used the mAh display to average out the current. My previous calculations used one hour to gather my total of 24mAh.
Today to answer your question I videoed the process and after the light was green I timed how long it took for my mAh display to change (occurring in the above frame) from 1mAh to 2mAh and it took 2m17sec:

2m17s=2.28min. 60min/hr/2.28=26mAh/h x5V=131mWh/hr or 131mW.
Your meter looks more accurate than mine because it displays more digital places.
People might wonder why we are discussing such tiny amounts, but it does affect our raspberry pi power management and UPS design.
cheers Ian :slight_smile:

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With a minimum of 1second that would probably work and minimize cycling of the battery.

Thinking about what @GaryFunk suggested about different power supplies I might try a 12V to 5V car adapter on one of my large LiFePO4 trolling motor batteries. This would eliminate any AC interference from the wall, at least.

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@dan.gealt - You might want to investigate chicken coop incubator heat lamp thermostats for the tipping bucket. I think there’s a similar one for reptile tanks, but I don’t know if it will go down to near freezing as a set temperature…

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The Texas Electronics 6" tipping bucket is equipped with a factory-installed heater, but the thermostat turns the heater on at a (non-adjustable) temperature of around 35 F. The problem is that light snow hits the warmed aluminum funnel and evaporates before it can run down into the bucket . . . so it under-reports by quite a lot in light snow conditions. Right now I have the timer set for one minute on then 29 minutes off and the instrument seems to match the 4" Stratus/CoCoRaHS gauge melted catch very closely. Still playing with the timing and we’ll have to see how it does throughout our winter temperature range, but at this rate, I get the precip recorded in approximately the same hour that it fell. Not the best setup, but it helps to provide at least some timing detail to my daily 7:00am reading of the 4" Stratus gauge. Now I need to win the lottery and get one of those laser disdrometer instruments.

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Here is the latest on what ArchiveSW is doing.

IMG_20190128_123936

IMG_20190128_124021

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The Hub is connected to the RPi for power and Wi-Fi. The RPi is connected via Ethernet to send the data to WeatherFlow.

The RPi has a battery UPS that will power everything. If main power is list or I disconnect the POE the RPi continues to store data. This is great during a storm when you need to record and monitor weather data. This also allows you to make the entire station mobile. That is great for sailors, pilots, campers and even hang gliders. With a POE adapter it can be powered by 12vdc.

Warning. This setup can draw more than 2 maps. As you can see in the third photo, the Hub is only getting 4.8 vdc. While that is sufficient any fluctuation could cause the Hub to reboot. Look for a battery backup that can supply sufficient power or use two UPS units.

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Just as I feared, there is no driver. This is what I received from Waveshare:

Hi dear,

I saw your message left:

Will the 800x600, 6 inch E-Ink display HAT for Raspberry Pi or the 9.7 inch one work as a monitor once the bcm2835 library files are installed? I wan’t an e-ink monitor to replace an LCD monitor.

The 6inch and 9.7inch epaper can not work as a monitor since there is no driver support.

–

Best regards

Waveshare Sales Team

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I think you asked the wrong question.

It needs to work as a replacement for the Raspberry Pi 7" screen.

Doesn’t the RPi 7" screen have a driver? E-ink displays don’t refresh like CRTs, LCDs, and LED displays do so I would expect that the drivers in Raspbian won’t work.

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The 7" screen is built into Stretch.

The e-link screen is build your own. That doesn’t seem like fun.

I was asked today, “I have ArchiveSW running on my Raspberry Pi, how do I run the Panel on Windows?”

The Panel display is 100% HTML and CSS. It runs in a browser window. This means it will run on a phone, tablet and all personal computers and devices that are capable of handling JavaScript.

While the default page is designed for the official Raspberry Pi 7" touchscreen, it is rather simple to build a display to fit any screen size. The design also allows for one to add custom data such as forecast data from external weather services.

If you have a device screen you want to use and need assistance with, feel free to ask. There are users here that will help. I have the display on several Amazon Fire tablets throughout my house. Someday, I’ll build a custom housing so I can mount these on a wall.

On a side note, I installed this on my Amazon Fire tablets over the weekend:

https://www.ozerov.de/fully-kiosk-browser/

A few of the features require the reasonable paid license, but it does a LOT for free…including restart the app and open the configured web site on reboot. Oh, and no browser toolbar or other cruft on the screen…

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Hi @GaryFunk

Wow silly me. I hadnt realised any device on the same wifi network can access the IP addresses. So I simply type http://192.168.20.24:8088/ into any browser on any computer or device and I see the display. Obvious now but I hadnt realised.
cheers Ian :slight_smile:

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Yes. That is the way I designed it. In the future I want to detect the display and send the proper selected files to each device. The minions are in the backroom working.

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Hi @GaryFunk,

Further testing of my Hub power requirements: 71.5hours, 2033mAh, 5.08V = 28.4mA=144mW. Hub RSSI -62, Air -66, Sky -59. I have ordered another USB power monitor to double check these readings.

cheers Ian :slight_smile:

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That seems too good to be true but I cannot dispute your readings.

@dsj May I please get a super Hub like Ian has?

Hi @GaryFunk,
Brilliant. Now I am being lazy by asking you this next question rather than researching for the answer myself. Can I access the database from another computer on the same network? If so then I may relatively easily generate my graphs etc using excel which I am very familiar with.
cheers Ian :slight_smile:

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Yes. Any application that is capable of accessing a MySQL database will work. It uses the standard 3306 port and the same user and password that is in your config file.

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My rough testing came up with about 400mW but my USB power meter shows a current of 0.07-0.09A but mostly 0.08A at 5.18V, still in the 400mW range.

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That’s what I get too. I think @iladyman is one of David’s favorites and he got the super duper Hub.

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Hi @GaryFunk,
It will be a while before I get my second backup USB power monitor. In the mean time I wonder what might change the results. My RSSI readings? and I do not have any bluetooth running. Perhaps my meter being digital is not registering it accurately.
You know the raspberry pi monitors power output and limits output to its ports, I couldnt find how to get that data from the operating system???
But it will be nice if we discover a low power design option
cheers Ian :slight_smile:

1 Like