Help Please Trying to set up maplin N25fr for Primary School

[spaceface]

Hi Ive just bought a Maplin N25Fr for our school (with my own money, unreal) I'd like to get it connected to cumulus- running win 8.1 I've got the weather station working fine I cannot find a guide on how to get it running on cumulus - I cat see anyway of getting the data from the device it doesn't even have a usb port or any cables.

This will be a great project using real data for the kids but I stuck- is there a step by step guide out there to getting this thing running with cumulus?

ANY help appreciated.
Cheers

N.

[steve]

It won't work with Cumulus- I doubt that it will work with any software, as it can't be connected to a computer.

[AllyCat]

Hi,

Yes, the cheapest compatible "off the shelf" station is probably one of the "Touchscreen" Fine Offset (manufacturer) stations (WH-1081 etc.).

Sometimes they are no more expensive than the N25FR is (currently), but the lowest I can find at the moment is this one. Maybe Maplin will give a refund or exchange for their (currently) rather more expensive version (N96GY).

Cheers, Alan.

[ConligWX]

You have 28 days from purchase to return it for a full refund under consumer law. so do that. then buy a product that is compatible with Cumulus

[spaceface]

Thanks everyone -alas too late for a refund I work at an International School and have just set this up- it was a an impulse purchase -that will teach me not to do my research - oh well- next time (maybe).

[BeaumarisWX]

There is a very simple solution that will possibly result in you being able to purchase a more expensive Weather Station.
Run a Raffle (Prize being your current Station) use the proceeds to purchase a new one. How many at the school !

[e-monitor]

The solution to get the Station online could start with another project....if you have enough time to try....

https://github.com/cawhitworth/weatherduino

Cheap Arduino and sensor parts....

http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-Ardui ... -2364.html

The GitHub is a good source of information to help understand Arduino etc...

[TerryMulhern]

Hello, we have just bought a used Maplin N25Fr for our private school lab. I'm planning to use the Maplin-N25FR-weather-station-scanner sketch on an Arduino Uno (with the cheap 433MHZ receiver).
Is it a good idea?

___________
Path access: Raspberry Pi reading WH1081 weather sensors using an RFM01 and RFM12b by Kevin Sangeelee, Scottish blogger and cheap essay writer

[TerryMulhern]

Additional resources used:
https://github.com/CurlyWurly-1/Maplin- ... on-scanner
Raspberry Pi reading WH1081 weather sensors using an RFM01 and RFM12b >> http://www.susa.net/wordpress/2012/08/r ... nd-rfm12b/

[AllyCat]

Hi,

It looks as if the N25FR was the real "bottom of the range" station (even for Maplin) without a Wind Vane or computer interface, so you won't find much interest here on the Cumulus forum. It might be relevant whether yours is a "Primary" school (as in the OP title) or is more advanced.

The best advice I can give you is that there are "cheap" and "CHEAP" 433 MHz receivers, they are not all the same. That is (probably) the reason why the GitHub text refers to the data packet being 79 pulses when it really does have 80 ! I've tried various low-cost 433 MHz receivers which may "lose" anything from zero to around 3 pulses at the start of the packet (not even always constant for the same model). A solution I have tried was to capture the data packet first, and then work back from the last bit (which will nearly always be "clean"). Also, the range may be anything from just a meter or two up to some tens, but don't believe the 100+ metres in the FO / Maplin specifications.

Take a look at the "RXB6" receiver (and perhaps more) that is used in the Weatherduino Project , e.g. at the foot of this page or here.

IMHO, what is really needed is a "bridge" from the Fine Offset (Maplin) wireless protocol to the Weatherduino / Arduino operating system (it currently has an alternative interface to the much less popular Auriol sensors). I live in hope that somebody will have the interest and ability to do it sometime; I have most of the necessary knowledge of the FO wireless protocol, but really struggle with "C" coding the Arduino. Maybe I'll see you on that forum.

Cheers, Alan.