EP8266 Weather Station with OTA (remix)

thingiverse

This weather station has evolved significantly over time. Initially, I undersized the roof and solar panels, resulting in about four different versions being created. Starting with a 0.1W solar panel (110mmx60mm), it was discovered that it was underpowered and only charged in the later afternoon. My latest version utilizes a 165mm square solar panel, allowing for more frequent measurements (every minute versus five minutes). This suggests it would be sufficient for low-lit areas. The latest firmware creates a WiFi access point that can be connected to if the device is unable to connect to the internet via WiFi. This enables you to enter your ThingSpeak credentials, the sampling interval in seconds, and the WiFi access point credentials you wish to connect to. To access this page, connect to the ESP access point (named ESP... something) and navigate to http://192.168.4.1 before clicking on the relevant buttons. After configuring the ESP's WiFi access point will disappear if it was configured correctly. First, select the roof based on the solar panel you are using and print all the parts. The parts have all the holes necessary so all you need to do is screw them together. Create a ThingSpeak account and a channel. Enter this channel number and your credentials into the ESP8266 configuration page that appears when you connect to the access point (as discussed above). You can then copy the code for a cool 3D bar graph from my GitHub repository, simple replace my ThingSpeak channel number with your own. Solar radiation is a significant problem and will cause the inside of the structure to heat up. You will need to paint any surface that comes into contact with the sun with many layers of exterior UV-resistant paint (I used high gloss and about six coats). The latest design uses a large gap below the roof (which holds the solar panel) to allow for airflow. The roof is designed so that water will accumulate and drip off areas away from the electronics - although I am yet to prove it is sufficiently water-resistant. If your WiFi goes down, the ESP8266 will consume quite a lot of battery as it will not go into deep sleep but will keep awake running the WiFi access point. This cannot be avoided as it is necessary to run the access point to configure the device initially or at a later date. To configure Over The Air updates simply add this to your metadata field on your ThingSpeak channel: {\r\n "publishInterval" : 30,\r\n "firmwareVersion" : "11",\r\n "firmwareURL" : "link to firmware url"\r\n}\r\n Don't forget to increment your firmware version in the source code as well (to prevent continuous upgrading to the same firmware): const String VERSION = "11"; To generate the firmware "compilation" under "Show verbose output during:" in the Arduino settings dialog. Then copy the firmware listed in the compilation status window after clicking compile: /home/undef/.arduino15/packages/esp8266/tools/xtensa-lx106-elf-gcc/1.20.0-26-gb404fb9-2/bin/xtensa-lx106-elf-size -A /tmp/arduino_build_27952/thingspeak_ota_weatherstation.ino.elf Sketch uses 324156 bytes (31%) of program storage space. Maximum is 1044464 bytes. Global variables use 32228 bytes (39%) of dynamic memory, leaving 49692 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 81920 bytes. In this case, the firmware is located here: /tmp/arduino_build_27952/thingspeak_ota_weatherstation.ino.elf - 18650 battery holder - Diode for the solar panel - Wemos D1 Mini - Wemos Battery Shield (or DC-DC Boost Converter Step Up Module) - TP4056 Battery Charger (or MCP73871 solar board) - 6v Solar panel (165mmx165mm recommended) - BME280 sensor - Cabling - Hot Glue - Silicon Sealant (optional) - Exterior UV-resistant paint [View live data.](https://opens3.net/channel-grapher.html) [View source code.](https://github.com/wilyarti/weather_station "Source code.") [View live data.](https://thingspeak.com/channels/645847 "View live data.")