DIY Wind Gauge for Home Assistant with No Moving Parts

[@DominiqueComte]

an analog joystick, but for the wind :) nice !

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Fantastic comparison! ;)

[@kania363]

Dodajesz filmy naprawdę rzadko, ale zawsze czekam z niecierpliwością, ponieważ są one wysokiej jakości i widać ile pracy w nie włożyłeś! Trzymaj tak dalej!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Dzięki, doceniam! Ostatnio publikuje wręcz niewiarygodnie rzadko, ale zamierzam to zmienić. Kolejny projekt jest już na całkiem zaawansowanym etapie, więc mam nadzieję, że tym razem przerwa między filmami będzie krótsza :)

[@kania363]

@SmartSolutionsForHome pamiętaj, że nadrabiasz jakością. Jeśli masz mozliwość zmonetyzować swoje filmy, to powinieneś to koniecznie z tego korzystać :)

[@fschatz12]

Really great job and idea! I don't know why this isn't more popular. One question, How do you power the ESP32?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Right?? :) I was surprised too that no one had thought of it yet. As for the power supply, I'm using a 5V charger, and I have an LDO on the PCB itself.

[@Renouveaux_dev]

@@SmartSolutionsForHome Very good video, as usual :). I will ask the same, and thinking about adding a tiny solar pannel to avoir using power cable with a tiny battery for night and rainy day.

[@Sherlock_Ohms]

Awesome design. Using my statistical software, I fitted a non-linear model to those voltage and wind readings. The best fit with 0.99 R^2 is the power model 2.6611E-6*km/h^1.717. You might get more accurate readings with that than with simple linear regression. Let me know.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Wow! Thank you so much! I’ll gladly compare your function with the one I used. If it really turns out to be more accurate, I’ll definitely use it and update the info in the article. Thanks again!

[@stigantonnielsen]

Great video! Do be careful with those holes in the chimney cover-tile. If you get frost the water in those holes will expand and break the tile.

[@christophec.482]

Very complete built with many techniques. laser cutting, 3d modeling, maths, web interface, etc. Very cool. I'm on my way to check your other videos.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I hope you’ll enjoy the other projects too! :)

[@olafmarzocchi6194]

It is a good idea nad I could try it, but advantage of traditional ones is that they don't resonate, since there's a lot of moving/rotating mass. Yours, given the very low weight and inertia (no rotation, only bending, so barely any moving mass), will vibrate/resonate. You need to do a high speed averaging to remove vibrations.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Yeah, you’re right. There are vibrations in this project, but they’re easy to minimize with software-based data filtering.

[@billyjoe3309]

I've missed your videos, always super interesting to watch!!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks!! :)

[@itsumonihon]

Woah. Great channel, instant subscribe from me. You're doing very important work getting science and engineering out into the world in these dark times. Keep at it please!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Welcome aboard! :)

[@yaroc07]

+1!

[@neogeo8267]

Brilliant - really! Simple. Love it. Thinking outside the box like this makes me thing using several pito tubes may work also though Wheatstone Bridge strain-gauge setup is a great solution

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Hmm... very interesting idea! And definitely thinking outside the box

[@sjamesparsonsjr]

This DIY wind gauge is incredible! I’m working on something similar, but using load cells to measure large-scale forces.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! Could you tell me more about your project? I was also considering using ready-made load cells instead of attaching strain gauges myself, but that would probably be a much more expensive solution

[@l0gic23]

Awesome build. Thx for open sourcing it. When i build it ill be sure to use your affiliate links. Very glad this video was sponsored

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thank you! I really appreciate it! :)

[@HolmgrenJensen]

Lovely project, and fantastic build quality in the end 🙂 One note, a cutout beneath the trace antenna of the ESP can do wonders for the RSSI from my testing - even if you have remembered to pull back the ground plane. I'm working on a similar project with very different application (I hope to get a set of strain guages to monitor and transmit the weight of a load of between 25kg and 200kg twice an hour for a few months between battery changes) and I was able to save a decent bit of transmission strength from letting the antenna end of the ESP dangle before going to an external antenna.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Of course, I made sure there was no mass under the antenna. I tried both cutting out the entire PCB and just removing the copper, but I didn’t notice a difference-though to be fair, I’ve never done any serious testing. I assume you’re right, though-the less around the antenna, the better :) As for your device, you should easily be able to get a few months, maybe even a whole year. It really depends on how often you wake up the ESP from deep sleep and what kind of batteries you use.

[@joku5150]

Excellent project! I might have to give this one a go, as I love all of the work you put into it and how accurate it appears to be. Very well done!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! I’m glad you like it! Be sure to show it off once you make the device yourself!

[@joku5150]

@@SmartSolutionsForHome Absolutely I will! Gotta clear out the current queue for the printer, but I can get the electronics ordered while the other projects 'finish themselves', haha.

[@BACRULES]

Nice to see at new video from you. Your videos are the best,

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Glad you like them!

[@3d1e00]

A dimpled dome would work pretty well I imagine.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

You're right. I tried using a simple dome, but one with indentations might actually work better.

[@3d1e00]

@SmartSolutionsForHome you may want to do a smooth Vs dimple. Surface interactions could cause issues. If you get oscillation may be vortex shedding. Interesting problem to solve never thought about it before.

[@malquiss]

Amazing! Spotted a Mate on the Workbench!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Without a Mate, I can't solder at all! :P

[@marcos-123q]

More interesting than I was expecting

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I’m really glad you think so!

[@robertbass4590]

Good project! Along with previous comments about plastic becoming brittle (industrial sensors get replaced a frequently due to that), I think there will be some interaction with the chimney stack, especially when the weather gets colder.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

You might be right, but what do you mean when you say that parts in industrial sensors are often replaced? How often is "often"?

[@MarkHopewell]

I too came to the conclusion that strain gauges would be a good solution to removing moving parts in these exposed outdoor sensors. However, in all my designs I couldn't make the breakthrough about how to accurately measure wind direction in more than one direction. Yet you have done that and I congratulate you on your absolutely smashing design!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! I won’t lie, I put quite a bit of thought into it, but it turned out pretty well in the end :)

[@felipenavas]

I saw a project that used normal SMD resistors as strain gauge. He used the ones with larger packages. It was a force sensor to calibrate the distance of the 3D printer nozzle.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

And it actually worked? Do you have a link? I have to admit, I’m intrigued! :)

[@felipenavas]

@@SmartSolutionsForHome 1Kohm 2512 resistors

[@1hdsquad]

I'd like to see the link as well!

[@aleksin92]

Maybe they are referring to this one Z-probe-on-smd-resistors-2512?

[@felipenavas]

KZbin deletes my links. I tried to post here 3 times

[@NicksStuff]

What an amazing idea! But doesn't the flexibility of the sail depend on the temperature? I.e. they will flex more when the plastic is hot and your readings will be lower?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Of course, you’re right-every synthetic material gets more flexible at high temperatures. But I think that at the temperatures we can realistically expect outside, it doesn’t make a huge difference. Plus, there’s an aluminum pole inside that helps keep the sail stable.

[@cornebistouille]

astonnishing ! i ws looking for a solution to monitor the wind to protect my banes for years. the best i got was to built a tiltometer on them, (not visible, in the tube) but its not accurate enough and the sensitivity is bad.... you should improve it with a little battery and solar... how do you power it? thanks for the work, and for the video. and thanks for open source it !

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! About your idea for protecting the banes. Did you mean stingers on the boat, or something else? Are you talking about reacting when they’re tilted too much? Could you write a bit more?

[@cornebistouille]

@SmartSolutionsForHome i first try to put a tuya zigbee vibration sensor( the cheap one aprox 40x10x10mm) in the tube at the end of my bane, hold by a printed cap... but it was not enough sensible to the movements, only to vibrations. At least i created a counter automation successfully, as i am a beginner in HA. Then i recently found another sensor sensible to orientation and tilt ( also tuya zigbee round 40mm diameter for 6 euros) but this one is to sensible and i must work on the automation (my counter goes up to 30000 movements in 10 minutes😁. I have to work on it. ... ill send you more etails via your site

[@jcdammeyer]

Base parts and wing 3D printed now. Parts ordered including the PC boards from Smart Solutions. I have a few questions about assembly. The red and black wires for each strain gauge weren't symmetrical. As in red wire always on the right. Is there a reason for that? Also not a lot of depth for screws to hold down the round PC board. What size and length did you use there? Can't wait to get all the bits and pieces and try this out.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Definitely let me know once everything is assembled and ready! :) As for the wire colors, they don’t make any difference electrically. I just like to keep things tidy, so that’s why I did it that way ;) The screws for mounting the PCB aren’t very long (4mm), but there aren’t any forces acting on it. It would hold even without the screws.

[@HolmgrenJensen]

I wonder if the non linear relationship between resistance and windspeed follows a prredictable pattern with the main variation being mounting and individual guage calibration. It may be possible to characterize the sail once, then calibrate by mounting the sensor horizontally and hanging 2-3 known weight from the tip. If the curve generally fits the drag dynamics of the sail, with minor coefficient drift due to mounting and sensors, that might give a fairly decent curve fit without much equipment other than a good kitchen scale. That would also mean you won't have to break out the leaf blower and anemometer every time you decide to tinker with the mount, as long as the sail retains its drag characteristics.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks for the comment and the thoughtful analysis! :) I think there are just too many variables for it to be feasible.

[@percramer]

Nice project. What would be the minimum wind speed it works with?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! I’m not sure which units you prefer for measuring wind speed, but I was getting stable results starting at 5 km/h, which is really just a light breeze

[@felipenavas]

Very cool design! Did you try using scale strain gauge? They are cheap and easy available.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! I used the cheapest strain gauges I could find online

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

Great idea, great project. However, I think in time you'll need to replace the plastic vane assembly with one that is made of metal, most likely aluminium, as the plastic may deteriorate and become brittle relatively quickly from exposure to sunlight.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I don’t think it’ll really matter over, I don’t know, 10 years? PETG is pretty resistant to outdoor conditions.

[@pooson]

Wow, nice idea and project! But what about temperature influence? There will be difference in flexibility in summer and winter.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I don’t think the temperature changes are significant enough to noticeably affect the material’s flexibility or the readings. Plus, there’s an aluminum pole inside to keep everything rigid.

[@andrejsersen59]

Great work! Where do you ship from?

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

Do you know when the boards with components soldered on will be available yet?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Hard to say. Probably around the New Year. I'll add this item to my store, so you'll be able to join the waiting list. As soon as it becomes available, I'll send out an email.

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

@@SmartSolutionsForHome Awesome thank you, I will make a video about it!

[@BalugaWhale37]

Does your printed wind gauge need some protection from UV exposure? If so, would a good paint change the power function?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Good question! It depends on the material and probably the color you use. In another project - the Rain Gauge - I used white PETG, and it’s been two years without any issues. Of course, the color changed a bit, but it didn’t affect its functionality. I’m assuming it will be similar with the anemometer

[@rklauco]

This is fantastic idea! I'll hack something similar together just so I don't have to order PCBs, but the credit is all yours.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! Let me know how it works out once you’ve done it! :)

[@Tavdog]

Wow, love this project. What's the highest real wind speed you have tested ? I've deployed a couple Ecowitt WS85 units coupled with meshtastic sending node for remote install. I would love to be able to make a version that that runs on low power such as the nrf series of chips instead of esp32.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thank you! It was around 65 km/h. Unfortunately, that’s the max my leaf blower could manage. What kind of speeds are you interested in? As for the Ecowitt WS85: does it use up a lot of power? I don’t have much experience with ultrasonic anemometers. And great idea using regular radio instead of WiFi. Though I still think the battery life would probably be too short for it to be really practical. Maybe adding a solar panel could help

[@Tavdog]

I would like up to 80kmh for the very windy days. The WS85 has it's own solar power system running on supercaps but the meshtastatic node also has it's own power system with a 1500 mah battery so an nrf works fine.

[@philipershler420]

A concern would be performance in winter conditions. What might happen if the vanes get packed up with snow and/or ice?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

"Winter is coming" :) So I guess I'll find out firsthand how it works.

[@AriMenachem]

Any chance you would start selling assembled pcb's, maybe everything but the strain gauges?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Maybe at some point I’ll be able to put together a few soldered boards, but I can’t make any promises.

[@olearydj]

This is really well done. Subscribed.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thank you!

[@Tntdruid]

I'm using a ultrasound one whit modbus 👍

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Ultrasonic anemometers are really great. Aside from being expensive, I’ve got no complaints! :)

[@umbraklat]

I didn't catch how you got power to the device and signal back from it. Were there already cables run up to the chimney?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I’m using a 5V power supply, and the cable runs up along the chimney before tucking under the roof tiles.

[@japanskakaratemuva5309]

Great build. By the way, aren't you worried that heat from chiminey will melt it as wind changes the direction of the smoke column?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! I was thinking about it, but unfortunately, I don’t have a better spot on the roof to mount it. Besides, when I checked before, the smoke temperature wasn’t high enough to melt the plastic. This chimney is connected to a fireplace in the room that I use literally a few times a year, and if it ends up affecting the readings, I'll just extend the mount it's sitting on. P.S. Thanks for the great, insightful comment! :)

[@recon14192]

Can you elaborate how temperature change noise is eliminated with 4 sensors? All 4 change the same amount so are you doing an average to perform the subtraction? I didn't follow

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I treat them in pairs. N/S is one differential pair and E/W is the second differential pair. The result I use in the calculations is always the difference between two readings, e.g., N - S. When there’s no stress and both show the same value, the result is 0. If the temperature changes but no forces are acting, the values on both strain gauges will increase or decrease by the same amount, so the result remains 0. Only when forces come into play does the result become either negative or positive. I hope this gives you a bit more clarity on how it works!

[@kaland1968]

great job!!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thank you!

[@x-cubed]

How does it handle other sources of vibrations like big trucks driving past or earthquakes? Can it filter that noise out?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Great question. I’m assuming that such vibrations don’t have a specific direction, so the wingauge would sway (or vibrate) equally in all directions. And that kind of noise is pretty easy to filter out with software when collecting data.

[@mitchmalta]

Super cool well done!!

[@segwaydave]

This is awesome! Thank you!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I'm glad you like it :)

[@frozenfritz]

nice work!

[@МихаилСеров-ю6о]

Very cool 👍🏻

[@awesomefeldmanfamily]

Forking genius, and so funny

[@SiBex_ovh]

Dzięki Mietek :p

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Przekaże mu! :P

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

Great video mate!

[@sinkingputts]

How about using some type of of whistle that changed pitch depending on the speed of the air moving through it. Then you just need a microphone

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I love thinking outside the box! That would definitely be something new! :) However, I think it might be a bit prone to “sound interference” from the surroundings, plus you’d need a whistle that changes frequency based on the force and works in all directions.

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

Can you build a rain sensor?

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

I see you have one already! Time for me to replace my old weather station!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Show off the results! :)

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

@@SmartSolutionsForHome I plan to!

[@olivier2553]

This is a very clever design. The eagle wings are cool, but the eagles should be facing outward. Alternatively, you could use a rooster.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! You’re right-if they were turned outward, it’d be closer to the center post and more stable. I actually tried something like that at the very beginning, but it just didn’t look good. ;)

[@daynosdr]

SUSCRIBED! What city in Poland are you from?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Thanks! GDAŃSK

[@daynosdr]

@@SmartSolutionsForHome No Way! Im going to Gdansk in December! Lets grab a Piwo!

[@KKJKJH]

wind joystick👍

[@patrickdk77]

please conformal coat that pcb, the amount of humidity that will condense from that exhaust of that chimney is going be massive as it gets colder

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I used a special varnish for the PCB. It’s the same one I used for the Rain Gauge. But great point!

[@bialy100k]

Don't don't trust budget (say 100€) Chinese anemometers in wind speed ranges of 2-8 m/s. Instead, go to a building with a long corridor, estimate the distance e.g. by counting floor tiles and use a stopwatch to determine the actual speeds while walking/running. It will certainly be more accurate. I also used a centrifuge (I made 8 years ago a video on YT "Wiatromierz HP866A - pomiar do oszacowania poprawności wskazań") - but there is also centrifugal force.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

That's a great idea for calibration, I hadn't thought of that. I was considering a car moving at a set speed, but at lower speeds, your idea could actually work! Dzięki za pomysł! :)

[@ashleycawley5816]

I’m still holding off making your rain gauge which I want to make but your website is offering old version files which don’t have the screw/adjuster holes on the sides. I tried to contact you via your site/email but didn’t get a response.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I'm really sorry. Could you send me the files you're talking about? I'm almost sure the files uploaded to the server are fine. No one has reported a similar issue so far

[@ashleycawley5816]

@@SmartSolutionsForHome Thanks for replying, how do I send them to you though, I tried emailing the address on your website weeks ago but didn't get a response, I'm sure its just Spam filtering or something getting in the way. Thanks for sharing your amazing designs btw.

[@ashleycawley5816]

@@SmartSolutionsForHome If you search your billing records for "ashleycawley" you will find my email address to make contact.

[@janoshorvath9430]

Cool! :)

[@jcdammeyer]

A friend watched the video and commented that it appeared that the wings vibrated a bit. He wondered why a 3D printed sphere wouldn't have worked just as well?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

The sphere worked too, but because it’s more aerodynamic, it caused the wind to transfer less force to the sail. As a result, the readings on the strain gauges were lower. And about vibrations-you’re kind of right. I have to use averaging in ESPHome to minimize them.

[@hakanniemi8369]

What about ICE and SNOW?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Good question-I guess I’ll find out soon, since winter is starting here! :) But maybe a small modification to the sail will do the trick?

[@KlenDool]

Why not use a cylinder, instead of the vanes?

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

I tried, but it offered much less wind resistance, which made the device less sensitive.

[@KlenDool]

@SmartSolutionsForHome i guess you'd have to have quite a large cylinder to match the vanes

[@arva1kes]

Hmmm...i wonder why wind changes every time there fire in the owen :p

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Luckily, that chimney is connected to the fireplace in the living room, which I almost never use anyway ;)

[@famousadequately]

I think this setup can not be used for a sailboat, mounted on the rocking mast.

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

No, it definitely can’t be mounted there. It’s really important for it to stay horizontal at all times; otherwise, any tilt of the mast would be interpreted as wind.

[@wernerviehhauser94]

huh. I had figured that this would never work. Seems I was wrong

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

So far, it seems to be working pretty well :)

[@ilrisotter]

But water gets bigger when it freezes!

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

Yes, of course, you’re right! It’s one of those exceptions :)

[@Scaliad]

Justice for Peanuts!

[@markharrison1160]

Cheap board but shipping from them makes it unattractive

[@SmartSolutionsForHome]

That's true... couriers are expensive :( But if time isn't crucial, Poland Post is definitely cheaper :)