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DIY Solar Radiation Shield

For discussion of DIY weather equipment - sensors, accessories, improvements to existing kit etc
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Orion
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Weather Station: WH1081 (Maplin)
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DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by Orion »

Just finished my radiation shield using 10melamine bowls
I also created a PDF to help anyone who would like to make something similar
especially cutting holes in melamine
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5lqXr ... sp=sharing
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Last edited by Orion on Fri 22 May 2015 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
tjaliwalpa
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by tjaliwalpa »

Thanks for that Roy. A very professional job. Well done :clap: :clap: :clap:
Bob
Gina
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by Gina »

That's a very professional job! :) :clap: :clap:

EDIT - You beat me to it Bob :lol:
Gina

Sorry, no banner - weather station out of action. Hoping to be up and running with a new home-made one soon.
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Solorize
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by Solorize »

Orion,

Great looking screen and really helpfull step by step PDF
installation instructions.

Let us know how it affects you readings.

Mark
Cumulus Real Time Data Grabber
http://bit.ly/WjBh5z

Wokingham Berkshire - weather station
http://www.wokinghamweather.co.uk

CGM UKScene Radio (pi)
http://cgmuksceneradio-pi.noip.me/

Image
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teg
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by teg »

Super job. :) Looks very durable and should last a very long time. Have you thought about fitting a solar powered fan for when the sun directly hits the shield?

Trev
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Orion
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Weather Station: WH1081 (Maplin)
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by Orion »

How about this running from a 40w lamp
Surprised how little light it needs to get going
don't forget to reverse the fan blade so that it draws air thru the unit
Kit available here £5.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Electronics-Kit ... 862&sr=1-6
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Last edited by Orion on Sat 07 May 2011 9:15 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Orion
Posts: 277
Joined: Mon 08 Nov 2010 5:51 pm
Weather Station: WH1081 (Maplin)
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by Orion »

Finished the solar fan mod working very well for such a small and cheep fan
I put the solar panel in a lunch box cut a hole for the panel and sealed it with silicon sealant with a piece of clear acrylic on the outside
P1000434.JPG
P1000432.JPG
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Gina
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by Gina »

Looks good :clap:
Gina

Sorry, no banner - weather station out of action. Hoping to be up and running with a new home-made one soon.
nickjwhite
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by nickjwhite »

That's absolutely brilliant. Thank you. I will need to make a mod as well for it to accommodate the solar sensor, but I am sure I can work from your design and make up the last bit as I go along. Thank you so much.

Nick
pcomer
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by pcomer »

Roy - ever thought of making and offering for sale. Would be interested

pat
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Orion
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by Orion »

pcomer wrote:Roy - ever thought of making and offering for sale. Would be interested

pat
Hi Pcomer
Not really, rather time consuming,
but I do enjoy making things like this and half the fun is making it for yourself
Think next time i would use 4 6mm threaded rods to make the mounting easier and more stable
profzarkov
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by profzarkov »

Brilliant ideas - well done.
My stations not far from yours - I must compare air temps and then plan my shield!
Cheers
Steve Carter
Blagdon (see http://www.vivatek.co.uk)
gergmu
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Joined: Tue 24 May 2011 7:45 am
Weather Station: WH3081
Operating System: Win 7
Location: Towrang NSW

Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by gergmu »

That's a thing of beauty. I have a WH 3081 which has a solar panel to power the transmitter etc. This is attached to the top of the unit with the temp sensor inside, here is the dilemma, the solar panel needs to be in the sun but the temp sensor needs to be in the shade. I'm not confident the enclosure is very effective, temps seem a little high. Anybody have this model done anything about this? greg
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Orion
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by Orion »

Would it be possible to fit an extension lead between the solar panel and the sensor unit
apple8
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Re: DIY Solar Radiation Shield

Post by apple8 »

Great work and a nice and neat design.

I am working on something similar using your design and have a couple of questions.
What is the purpose of painting the inside of the dishes, I assume to absorb heat away from the sensor?
How effective was the screen without the fan and with the fan.
Is the fan at the bottom blowing up or at the top drawing up. The fan is not shown on the original plan.
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