Sun sensors

[krimatic]

Hello to all!

I'm a quite new user of this software and also user of model 2307. As you know my station doesn't have option of "sun measurements" so I would like to equip my equipment with solar sensors. As I can see Cumulus is able to use it, but I'm afraid about functionality because for sun data I can't use same serial port, for that data I have to use any other port, like USB.
How Cumulus handle with that?

Second question, I would like to measure UV index, sunshine hours, which sensor is ok for that purpose?

[steve]

The only additional sun sensor (i.e. not part of the weather station) which is supported by Cumulus is the Blake-Larsen sun recorder - http://www.sunrecorder.net/ - which measures the number of sunshine hours in a day.

[krimatic]

Thanks Steve for a quick response!

Additional question; if I use that sensor I'll have values on log files and in graphs automatically and in real time or I have to use some import method (manually start command to join to log files)?

[PaulMy]

Re the B-L Sunrecorder you would need to check availability with Ole as there may be some significant changes. I have graphs and links on my site http://www.komokaweather.com

Paul

[steve]

Additional question; if I use that sensor I'll have values on log files and in graphs automatically and in real time or I have to use some import method (manually start command to join to log files)?

Cumulus will automatically includes sunshine hours, it reads a file created by the sun recorder software. But note Paul's reply; I do not know what the current status is of the sun recorder.

[Gyvate]

I know, it's an old thread, but I think it is worth re-opening, as the now now here provided information was (at least for me) difficult to find in the main weather forums (WXforum, Cumulus support, ...).
If someone owns (or plans to own) the only low-cost (in the sense: reasonable, affordable price for weather enthusiasts) and at the same time very accurate and smart device for properly recording sunshine hours (= the Blake-Larsen Sun Recorder, still available today end 2020), then CumulusMX (and I read also earlier Cumulus1) is one of the few weather software packages which can directly use and display this information without any sometimes tedious adaptation.
The B-L sun recorder copies, updates every minute a file called SRsunshine.dat which contains the necessary information.
If this file is placed (e.g. via a WIndows scheduled job, or a Linux cron job) into the .../CumulusMX folder (or with Cumulus1 into the .../Cumulus/data folder), Cumulus will pick it up and display it in/on the "Current data" page (Menu item "Now" in CumulusMX).
It will also appear under the "Charts" menu item as "Sun Hours".
The tricky thing was to find out where to place the "SRsunshine.dat" file - the WiKi still had the info which worked with Cumulus1 (but not with CumulusMX).
This has now been corrected.
With the enriched subject line this information can soon also be found in a Google search.

[PaulMy]

Hi Gyvate,
And don't forget the B-L's own DayArchive images that charts each day, and the SunRecords which is a text of sunshine on or off at near live increments.
http://komokaweather.com/weather/sunrec ... today.html
http://www.sunrecorder.net/sunrecorders-worldwide/

Enjoy,
Paul