Vaisala RS92-SGP Radiosonde teardown

A look at a radiosonde - a device for monitoring weather conditions at high altitudes using a balloon.
Manufacturer product page : www.vaisala.com...
Product Datasheet : www.vaisala.com...
User manual : www.vaisala.com...

[@JoshuaTClark81]

Mike, I worked with the RS92 sonde when I was in the US Navy. The dual humidity sensors are designed to work in 10 second cycles. One is sampling as the other is heating .

[@iandavis6742]

First class presentation ..This is the stuff kids will absorbe .better than school anyday ..Well spoken + uncomplicated + great editing...You really should do more teardowns ..quite a talent

[@deathstarnhb]

It is a great teardown. The heart of the RS92 is the sensor and boom boards. The thin wire at the end is fro air temp, the dual humidity sensor works in a interesting way. One senses while the othe heats up to "decontaminate" then they switch. There is a ton more.

[@PapiDoesIt]

The reason it hangs on such a long wire from the balloon is so the temperature sensor won't read the heat given off from the balloon as it rises.

[@JasonKaiser]

+Coffee Shark That, and to ensure the sonde doesn't hit the balloon.

[@filipsky3248]

Please, keep up with those exotic devices' teardowns, they are awesome :)

[@itsevilbert]

The battery is Exothermic and generates a good bit of heat, because of that, there is very little chance of the water freezing during its short life. The advise from NOAA if you find a Radiosonde is to "Keep the instrument outside and wait until the battery has cooled off before removing it" - www.nws.noaa.gov/ops2/ua/radiosonde/

[@Landrew0]

I've seen a few from the 60s that were recovered from a farmer's field. They were made of stiff paper and used a single vacuum tube.

[@gamccoy]

I always love these tear downs. I am amazed at the level of off-the-cuff information and speculation Mike can bring to bear against the most arcane circuits and applications.

[@aavronestep9031]

The anemometer looking thing on your radiosonde at the end of the video was a switch to change between the different data streams that were being broadcast from the different sensors. Due to limited bandwidth they could only broadcast one sensor at a time.

[@AureliusR]

Yes, that's... literally exactly what he said in the video.

[@robstorms]

Another great one Mike ! Many thanks for all your work in make these for us. In addition to showing your deep ,on the fly, insight into this stuff, your vids are well done in the sense of keeping our interest. Figuring out how to dwell on the interesting aspects and speed past the mundane. Great job all round !

[@spagamoto]

Great as usual Mike! I love your teardowns- they're proper little windows into areas of engineering I'd never dealt with before. Glad aserta was able to help you find info on the old radiosonde you mentioned.

[@sharrynuk]

A radiosonde was one of the first things I took apart, sometime in the 1970s. My father found it in a wheat field. It had a spring-loaded baroswitch, an antenna package the size of a Coke bottle, and a set of batteries that could deliver 3 different voltages.

[@NerdNordic]

Cool stuff Mike, I love to see this kind of "strange" electronics! Cheers!

[@ElectronicMarine]

also that gps antenna make a very good omnidirectional antenna for the L band, if you're in to sattelite reception and decoding that is a realy nice antenna. for more sensitive satelites like inmarsat ecc you will need a LNA and an sdr even the rtl usb one work pretty good.

[@ChrisDavidson76]

Good stuff We've tracked these to 80kft before pop with Tacking Radars and a 12" alu sphere for cal purposes. It's 90mins to get there and a long to come down as we fit them with a small parachute to slow them down the assent rate. The sonde comes in two frequency variations and comes to life once it's placed into the basestation. It's almost like paring with the base station for the duration of the flight. If you want anymore info, balloon or another sonde just ask and I'll see what i can do.

[@OlafoWaffle]

I worked with the older models that used LORAN-C and RDF asa meanings of tracking the sounding via the RAWIN-12. I still have a soft spot for weather and it's the reason I became an environmental professional.

[@aserta]

Ok, the device you described is called a "Mark 2b" made by the British. If you go to Google,Images and type: "mark 2b radiosonde", you should get what you need. Hope this helped. I'm usually a good information tracker.

[@conoba]

Are you sure the thin wire element is a temperature sensor and not a thermoelectric Anemometer?

[@FrozenHaxor]

Construction reminds me of a Mass Airflow Sensor in car intake!

[@eileennelson6615]

I found a couple (of the old type in your sketch) on the farm when I was a kid, one even had the remains of the balloon attached. Found this video because I found the remains of current type on the beach and googled the DSP number. There was no sign of the battery and there was only the attachment point of the plastic case left but I could recognise all the main components from your video

[@Aussie50]

interesting device!, I wonder if it compares readings between the 2 humidity sensors and comes up with a average? the contents of the pressure sensor look a lot like the contents of a sealed can I found inside a airbag trigger module, probably based on the same principals

[@nostromo387]

It doesn't compare the two hum sensors, but one is unheated, the other is heated regarding the low temperatures in great heights. So it switches over on a certain height. Best regards, Martin

[@ElectronicMarine]

the only thing usefull inside for me is the quad antenna and preamplifier stage... interesting is how it use the gps: it recive the raw data and send it right away on a 400mhz frecvency (or something in that neighburhood), ther decoding part is donne on the ground, that way they can achieve faster update rates for the gps. the same techniique is used in the rockets since they need a realy fast update for the gps... another intersting fact is that almost all gps reciving and decoding chips stop working over a couple km of altittude and speeds over 7-800km/h, that stops most of them to being weaponized...

[@OlafoWaffle]

Fun fact there are Motorola walkie-talkies that hit that register and can cause you to lose the sounding.

[@creatiph]

2 humidity sensors : It's common to double the sensors to handle deviation or failure when sensors are prone to them.

[@nostromo387]

Thats no saltwater but plain tapwater lithium batteries, no need to keep the GPS working on their way to the ground. No wet and dry temp bulbs (not necessarity with the additional hum sensor), one sensor is unheated, the other is pulse heated to keep away with icing in greater heights and thus results in better results up there. Best regards, Martin

[@f4573r]

Nice to see this. I worked with this exact model for a while.

[@ElectronicMarine]

do you happent to have the schematics?

[@neddyladdy]

There would be a notice attached asking the finder to ring reverse charges and someone would go around and collect them, but they were basically disposable. No one had any idea where they would land, some went for many many miles. cheers

[@SeanBZA]

Other versions are often sold as surplus. Very interesting things they are.

[@nostromo387]

Dear Mike, some more interesting details on the VAISALA page, look for "sounding data continuity" there. It's a little tricky to get the right measurements on such heights (up to 30km), hence the effort. I grow up literally with radiosondes, 44 years since then. The one you described in your video sounds like some original Vaisala stuff. I get back to you later if I find some more informations and photos perhaps, if you like.

[@ronaldlijs]

Well done, once more to the point and excellently explained, keep them up Mike! :-)

[@aserta]

My pleasure. Who knows, maybe you will find one, reenact the old days? That would be fun.

[@nostromo387]

Thats not a MAF sensor, wind vectors will be measured with the GPS correlated data. Best regards, Martin

[@IanScottJohnston]

30mtr long string so that any oscillation/movement in the balloon is not transmitted directly to the sensors perhaps?

[@neddyladdy]

On some old sondes the cylinder had a series of grooves with a morse code signal. The sensor would move an arm with a stylus up and down and different codes would be sent to the ground and recorded on tape. A series of short and long tones. Poor bloody students would sit in the office with headphones and decode the tapes. That would have been oldish tech in the eighties. I enjoy your videos mate cheers

[@TecnoBeast1]

I found one of those once... Had no idea what it was

[@nostromo387]

Wind vectors will be measured with the GPS correlated data, no compass. Best regards, Martin

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Yep - that's the one - thanks.

[@HDXFH]

will that water activated battery pop if recharged?

[@raguaviva]

Your videos are so much fun! Thanks!

[@thegreyman6486]

The old radiosonde you described sounds like a Mk2 kew Met Office sonde if you do an image search on google for radiosonde a picture should come up they where used from the late 40's into the 1960's, hope this helps???

[@MastaBlastaZDusta]

Where do people like you Mike, or Dave from EEVblog, or other get all this cool stuff to tear down from? I Wish a had such stuff too, so much things to salvage there! Nice video anyway :)

[@mkerna]

I think the 30 meter load line might be a regulation. The load line also has to be no stronger than a certain spec. I guess to mitigate problems with airplanes? Longer load line also might help with the whipping about the balloon is subject to?

[@OlafoWaffle]

When did this in the army we would do a double arm internal light of string to tie to the balloon to the chaste and dozen paces away with the bale for launch. it would unravel as it got into the air. what I learned was that the lenght reduced swing and dirft and thus came a more stable sounding.

[@high1voltage1rules]

mike where do you find your stuff lol. Crazy!! Many thanx for sharing mate. Thumbs up*

[@SreejanAlapati]

Is this the radiosonde you were talking and couldn't find information about? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYvXm3xuns2kqbc

[@AntiProtonBoy]

I'm not sure if someone asked you this already, would mind elaborate on the function of those guard traces and why they have exposed copper?

[@qwaqwa1960]

And that early 'sonde changed your life :-)

[@petoklepko5041]

DSP1C is made and developed by VLSI Oy, is based on VS-DSP (ver1 ?) DSP core. I got confirmed by VLSI Oy , but they cannot provide more info because chip was developed only for VAISALA. Same message received from MAS company. Transceiver chip is most probably also developed by by MAS c. GPS receiver is well documented on inet. I am still working on reverse engineering of this piece of hardware. most info on radiosonda.eu or radiosonda.sk .

[@MichelPASTOR]

I don't really know but it may be compensated with GPS data

[@jeroonk]

If this thing is hanging under a weather-balloon drifting in the wind, wouldn't such a sensor measure basically zero airspeed?

[@Burubrikoos]

I am interested in using one, I just have 2 questions: What is the price, and where can I buy it? I went to the Vaisala website, but I sent an email about five days ago asking the price, and I still have no reaction. Maybe I just need more patience :) Awesome video, thanks a lot

[@Burubrikoos]

+Hillebrand van de Groep I am Dutch, yes! Thanks that's good news

[@TheSolderingGuy007]

maybe the thread is so long so as to keep the sensors away from the heat of the balloon ?

[@selfsameday7448]

Job creation next to satellite utilization’s ?

[@IndustrialGoblin]

That top silver-string sensor is more likely to be a wind speed sensor. Similar to MAF(Mass Air Flow) sensors used in cars. The wire heated up with constant current, and the voltage is measured across that hot wire. The faster wind blows the higher change in resistance (voltage) will be.

[@danksmokaz]

hey mike..mike here....what is a radiosonde and whats its purpose..acording to you is there any other use than weather data

[@proffski]

Excellent, thank you!

[@Bryan6446]

Why are there several tracks uncoated tra... nvm. Great video as usual.

[@proluxelectronics7419]

Sounds like the Radiosonde transmitter MO Mk26 circa 1959 you found as a child, Bet you took that to bits.

[@AureliusR]

that model looks nothing like what he described, unless you're seeing different references than I am.

[@DanFrederiksen]

Yeah I was thinking that the most plausible is that it's just a custom label on a stock chip to hide the design.

[@vandergilden1552]

Just found on of these on my ground i dont know what to do with that

[@Andrew_Sparrow]

If you find one can you keep it? :)

[@epatto]

Hey Mike. I believe VLSIFIN might refer to VLSI Solution Oy, a Finnish fabless ASIC company. Website is vlsi dot fi.

[@arlenalem]

how much is it?

[@danksmokaz]

i like that helical spiral (:

[@danksmokaz]

403.48 mhz i think?

[@202Electrics]

and indeed.. more strange electronics please :D

[@DanFrederiksen]

You mention a custom chip. Is it surprisingly cheap to get big companies to do a custom variant of their products or are these guys just crazy to have paid for that? Shouldn't there be plenty of workable off the shelf chips that it would be crazy to waste money on special projects. I'd think that if you want a custom chip of any sophistication that it would cost several arms and legs.

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Nothing special - it was just a cheap macro converter lens from Ebay

[@aerofart]

". . . it's characteristics will remain a mystery . . ." ROFLMAO

[@ianfinder]

Aww c'mon mike, hook up the thing to the battery, fire up a radio, and let us hear it beacon!

[@OH8EFI]

Suomi mainittu! Suomi Finland perkele

[@HDXFH]

interesting!!

[@202Electrics]

most of the times eBay.. I think. just look at the electronics-auctions which are almost closed :)

[@nostromo387]

:o) that's the point

[@ibryn1968]

ive just found 1 of these in a field where i live if any1 has lost one in landed in nottinghamshire

[@FrankSandqvist]

Yay, finnish design ^_^

[@aserta]

I think that radiosonde was a specific type called "radiosonde with horizontal sequencer". Might help you in your endeavor. I found this: "h ttp: //bit .ly/ 14u DjG p" Just remove the spaces.

[@aserta]

Also this: "h t t p ://b it .ly/ 14 rq p YT" from here: "h t t p : //b it .ly /UC 9 dN g", which is exactly the same thing as the stamp one, only the real deal. Has a dome, has cups, looks like it.

[@aptsys]

Ebay dude

[@tech4pros1]

i want to hack one of these into a silent car alarm. when the car is broken into or stolen it would start sending gps data over 433mhz so when the thieves dump it in a garage i will be promptly there to get it back :)

[@AnanusBananus]

finnish engineering ftw

[@fredlllll]

HA i found one too :D but it is in bad condition =C

[@nostromo387]

Nope

[@qwaqwa1960]

Complaining about a 5¢ header? C'mon...

[@AndrasBato]

Take more care of your pronunciation, accent and please do not gabble and mumble!

[@SamClarke101]

ur a wrinkly