I fell in love with the LED & KEY board

@joelyddon

You would reach a far wider audience if you posted your questions about setting up weather stations in the "Help Wanted" subsection of "Projects Corner".

@robo-pi

James,

Since all you use is Fahrenheit why not just leave the "F" off as well?  You'll know what the temp display means! 

@joelyddon

Joe,

Why not just have a button that you press that changes a flag that controls whether fahrenheit or celsius is displayed. Each time you press the button it changes to the other display mode.

As for Avatar sizes, of the ones here on the forum that I have looked at, they range from 3K to 100K with a pixel dimension size from the smallest at 80x80 and the largest 433x500 (this one was mine actually).  So I can't answer your question directly as to max size, but that may give you some guidelines.  Maybe Bill can help us out here.

@joelyddon

Here are my answers to your questions.

1.  Is there a simple way to determine Battery status and Alert Battery changes BEFORE it goes dead?)

Not on the transmitter side, unless you had a second battery, but you could run a function on the receiver side that determines when the last data was received!

2.  Is there a way to Input data from the keyboard as each char. is being typed WITHOUT having to WAIT for a Return Key?   Like the Basic instruction:  A$=INKEY$.  If the K/B is pressed, it automatically is recognized and input WITHOUT stopping the computer waiting for more data and a Return key.

Quite simply NO! These systems are event-driven and only occur when an event is triggered. Any value typed into the serial input field is held in the buffer until the return key or send button events are triggered.

Keypress, is in a multitude of other languages, an event, but as the Arduino has no direct access to the keyboard input, can have no effect on the microcontroller.

Posted by: @joelyddon

Is your name James?

Yes.

Posted by: @joelyddon

My, it must get REALLY COLD in the New York area! 

Historically it has reached -30 F in my location on very  rare occasions and that was the temp, not the wind chill.  But that is rare.   A more common min temperature over a winter is -15 F.   These extreme temps usually occur in Dec and Jan, sometime in Feb.   Last year was a fairly mild winter I don't think we got below -10 F.

All of the aforementioned temperatures are extremes.  On typical winter days it seldom goes below 0 F.   But it's common to be in the teens or  single digits for extended periods.

Posted by: @joelyddon

What kind of stove do you have??  Wood burning?   Have to keep 'feeding' it to stay at a certain temp. range?

It's a home-built wood stove that heats water in tanks.  People tend to call these "boilers" but they actually have open systems and the water should never boil.   Ideally they are supposed to be run at 180 F regardless how much heat you might need.   You control the amount of heat you actually use at your heat exchanges inside the house.

My firebox is quite  large and I typically only need to fill it up once a day in the coldest parts of the winter.   Sometimes I can get away with only feeding it every other day if it's not real cold out.   And while I'm pretty good at keeping an eye on it there have been days when I simply forgot to load it with wood.  So in the middle of the night I had to get up and go out and stoke it up.   This has more to do with my malfunctioning brain than with the woodstove. ? 

The other think you need to watch for is overheating of the water.  If the water boils this causes problems with the pumps that circulate the water.  They become air-locked due to the bubbles of boiling water.   I've had that happen and it's not fun.   So you need to be sure it doesn't boil over.   This can happen if the  damper control system become physically stuck in the open position.   It can also happen if the water level is allowed to get too low due to evaporation or if the system springs a leak, which is rare, but has also happened over the years.

So you need to be prepared for emergency situations.

My house is not well-insulated.  So if the wood stove quits working it can get cold in the house pretty quickly.   So in the coldest days of the winter keeping the stove  humming along properly can be quite important.  If it quits you need to fix it quick and it's usually below freezing outside when that happens.  So it's not fun to have it get derailed.   Last  year I was lucky and had no problems until spring when the weather was starting to warm up.   The stove sprung a leak and needed a complete rebuilt.   That's what I'm currently doing.   It has served me well for over 10 years, so I'm not complaining.   If it lasts for another 10 years after this rebuild I'll be happy.

Posted by: @codecage

@robo-pi

James,

Since all you use is Fahrenheit why not just leave the "F" off as well?  You'll know what the temp display means! 

You're right I don't need to display the F or the H.  I could just leave those two segment displays blank.  I just thought that since they are there I might use them.

I won't be needing 8 buttons so I'm planning on using the buttons to chose from different display settings.  I could have the display be constantly on.   Or just have it come on every minute or so for a brief time.  I can also have a button that just turns the display on when the button is being held down.   Lot's of options available.  With 8 buttons I'll probably have several different options for the display just because I can. ? 

@robo-pi

WOW  WOW!!

Do you have a small forest of trees around you to keep you supplied with wood?!

I understand your concern about keeping an eye on your heating...  It's very Critical!

That is a lot of wood...

WOW!  WOW!

Awesome!

@pugwash

I was wondering about that...   or, at least, in a different thread...  Thank you...

@codecage

It would be just part of possibly entering other commands / selections, changing delays, C/F, Change days to average, other limits, etc.

I guess I will just have to get used to hitting the Return Key...  I don't want Buttons to contend with in & round the final box.  At least, I can bypass the whole thing if there is nothing in the buffer...  🙂

Thank you.

@pugwash

1.  Is there a simple way to determine Battery status and Alert Battery changes BEFORE it goes dead?)

Not on the transmitter side, unless you had a second battery, but you could run a function on the receiver side that determines when the last data was received!

I was thinking of just Reading the Battery Voltage (via analog input)...  and if dropping to a certain limit, Blow the Horn for replacement, etc.  🙂

Yes?

Thank you

Posted by: @joelyddon

Do you have a small forest of trees around you to keep you supplied with wood?!

Yes, I live in a hardwood forest of mostly oak, cherry and maple.  I also have a lot of white pine.  I only own about 10 acres but I have permission to cut firewood on about 100 acres of surrounding property.

Now before the naturalists get all bent out of shape let me quickly say that I too am a naturalist.   I am very concerned about cutting down the forest.   I've been heating with wood for over 25 years now and I'm very glad to report that visually you can't even see a difference in the forest at all.   I'm a bit surprised about this myself.  I prefer to cut down dead trees for firewood.  And in the beginning I thought that I would quickly run out of dead trees.   But to my utter shock and amazement there appear to be new dead trees every year naturally and yet the forest doesn't appear to be dying.   Apparently I'm using firewood at about the same rate that the forest naturally dies.   Of course, this also includes trees that are killed by lightening, or other storm activity.   There just always seems to be enough dead wood every year that I never need to cut down a live tree for firewood.   So I'm quite happy about that.

Having said that, I do cut down live trees on occasion and make them into lumber on my sawmill.

But even in those cases I am very selective about which trees I cut down.   Usually they are storm damaged.   Or they are trees that would actually be good for the forest to be removed to allow for younger trees to get more light and room to grow.   Also I often get logs from other people who call me when their trees are storm damaged.

Here's a current example of a storm damaged tree I'm working on.  This one almost fell on my cottage:

As you can see I have been cutting logs off the butt of the tree.  The two logs you see laying at the base of the tree are over 4 feet long each.   And there's four more of those off to the right out of the picture.  And the part of the tree that is still left standing it still a monster tree.   That's a 30 foot ladder in the picture.   I should have had someone in the picture for comparison.  But you can see from the cottage door that a person isn't going to be very tall.

So yeah, trees are falling down around here all the time naturally from wind and lightening, etc.   And if anything the forest appears to be more dense today than 25 years ago.   Pine trees especially grow extremely rapidly.

Anyway, sorry for the long aside.   But yeah, I live in a forest.   Right next to a state park actually.  It's really nice and peaceful here.  I call it heaven.   Especially in the winter, you can go for months without seeing anyone but the mail carrier, and sometimes even she doesn't show up. ?

By the way, while I'm on the topic.  Sometimes trees fall where you would rather they didn't.  Like on the roof of  your favorite pick-up truck:

This actually happened on a calm summer day.  Blue skies and no wind.  I was sitting outside when it happened and watched the event unfold before my very eyes.  The rear window of the truck exploded in wave of tiny glass particles.   Fortunately the windshield was only slightly crack and the side windows escaped unharmed.

I had to use floor jacks to jack the roof back up again.  Then I made a new window frame for the rear window with lumber made from the very tree that fell on the truck   Here's the finished repair.  And yes, she's still my favorite pick-up truck.  Her name is Leah.   But lately I've been calling her "Woodie" because of the homemade wooden read window frame. ? 

@robo-pi

Another double WOW!

Are you into woodworking by any chance; my main hobby...?  If so, THAT would truly be HEAVEN!

You only have the three MOST POPULAR woodworking woods... except no Walnut.

You should be able to get good prices per bd.ft. for the lumber you mill!

You did a Fantastic job fixing your pick-up!

Your "Cottage" looks like a pretty good-sized HOME!  Beautiful!

Thank you!  ...  Take care...  I trust you have a few tons of wood already cut getting ready for Winter?

Posted by: @joelyddon

Are you into woodworking by any chance; my main hobby...?  If so, THAT would truly be HEAVEN!

The best way to describe my woodshop is to say that I pretty much have every woodworking tool except for a wood lathe.  I do have a really nice metal lathe though. ? 

Pretty much every piece of furniture in my cottage is homemade from wood including all the cupboards and drawers.

Here's a fold-up desk I invented.  Yes, I know there are other fold-up desks out there but this one is quite unique.   Trust me, I've been searching for something similar and haven't found anything quite like it yet.

It's slightly larger than a large rural mailbox when folded up, and opens into a desk that is about 3 feet wide.  I call it a Straddle Desk because you need to straddle the legs when you sit at it.

By the way, if you know of any fold-up desks that are similar please do share.   I would love to see them.  Most fold-up desks I find either hang on a wall, or are just a box that sits on a table and unfolds.   I haven't been able to find a complete fold-up desk like this yet.  But it's hard for me to believe that I'm the only one who ever built something like.  Surely there must be others out there that are similar in design?

@robo-pi

James,

I have never seen a fold-up desk like that ever before!  That is SUPER COOL!

If you could write-it up, WOOD, WoodSmith, Woodworker's Journal, or Woodcraft magazines just might publish it!!   A very GOOD chance, I think!

It is totally UNIQUE and doesn't look like it would be super hard to make...  would be very appealing to many.

I doubt if I will ever see anything like this again...

Great Design...

Great job!

Thank you!

Posted by: @joelyddon

If you could write-it up, WOOD, WoodSmith, Woodworker's Journal, or Woodcraft magazines just might publish it!!   A very GOOD chance, I think!

I never bothered to make any drawings or plans for it.  I typically build things freehand as I go.  I just visualize in my mind what I think it should look like and cut wood to match the picture in my mind. ? 

It's pretty simply to make actually.   I was going to make more of them with more intricate joinery and fancy routing.   But like everything else I never got a round tuit. ? 

Actually this spring I did cut up some cherry lumber rough to size specifically to make another fold-up desk like this.  The "plan" was to video the entire build this time and post it on YouTube.   But as life would have it a ton of other things became more pressing.

I was also going to make detailed drawings this time around because I know that other people like to use drawings. ? 

The problem is that I only have one life to live but I have enough interests and hobbies to fill up several lifetimes.  So I'm in a real pickle here.  Nature doesn't seem to want to cooperate with the kind of lifespan I require to satisfy all my hopes and dreams.