Rain Gauge Retrofit

The rain gauge retrofit entails modifying current rain gauges throughout the northwest to store data in electronic form, saving time and money for the US forest service.

Why make a conversion for rain gauges?
Currently, each rain gauge requires an individual to laboriously convert data on a piece of paper to data in programs such as excel. There are many of these gauges throughout the world, and most still rely on the older designs utilizing paper rolls. Converting the initial data collection to electronic form could save on quite a bit of man-hours, allowing the forest service to use those man-hours elsewhere.

Current methods
There are many small variations in design, but they all work on one basic premise: physical movement of an actuator arm, combined with an internal tension spring. Calibration is relatively simple: the recording paper is marked to give reference numbers regarding rainfall in fractions of an inch, and the system is balanced using various sets of weights until the actuator arm accurately reflects real rainfall amount.

Specifications
Team Rainmen Specifications

Initial Potentiometer Testing
Goals:


 * Confirm a linear behavior between displacement and voltage
 * Detect any possible electrical noise/interference that may cause problems with accuracy
 * Become more familiar with a critical part of our proposed retrofit design

Results:


 * A linear behavior was observed, plotting a curve to fit data should be relatively straightforward
 * Interference was not present. There is a certain level of variation in voltage level with the potentiometer at the same displacement, but this can easily be remedied.
 * The team as a whole became more familiar with the proposed equipment.

Document Archive
Team Rainmen Contract

Team Rainmen Calendar

Availability Chart

Rainmen Roadmap