About
About This Station
This weather station is located in San Fernando City, La Union, Philippines. Weather data is provided by a Davis Vantage Vue, a stand-alone anemometer, and a stand-alone Sensiron temperature/humidity sensor.
The data is collected on a Raspberry Pi 3b+ by CumulusMX for the Vantage Vue, and custom software for the other sensors. The Vantage Vue weather station is providing barometric pressure, rain data, and wind direction. The Vantage Vue outdoor temperature/humidity sensor and anemometer are broken, which is the reason for the stand-alone outdoor temperature/humidity sensor and anemometer to measure wind speed.
The outside temperature/humidity sensor is located in a shaded area protected from direct sun and rain on a covered outdoor patio which hopefully will provide accurate readings.
The ZTS-3000-FSJT-NPNR pulse output stand-alone anemometer has a precision of 0.0875 meters per second (0.315 kph). Three 3 second wind readings are taken, and after 9 seconds the highest reading is transmitted as the current wind speed, along with the 10 minute wind gust. The data is collected by a solar-powered Raspberry Pi Pico-W microcontroller and transmitted over WiFi to the Raspberry Pi 3b+. It's worth noting that the anemometer is rated for DC5-30v, but I am using it with the 3.3v output from the Pico-W without issue.
A 10 watt solar panel is used with a CN3065 solar charger board to charge a 3.7v 3000mAh 18650 battery and power the Pico-W microcontroller. The Pico-W runs a CircuitPython program to collect the wind speed data and transmit it over WiFi. The solar panel is oversized, but in case the battery voltage drops too low, wind speed readings will only be taken every 5 minutes to allow the Pico-W to deep sleep most of the time and wait for the battery to be recharged when there's sunlight.
A battery voltage graph is available. The fully charged voltage is around 4.1 volts, and low voltage (triggering deep sleep) is 3.6 volts.
The webcam is an ESP32-CAM, replacing an old Panasonic BL-C140A camera. The Panasonic camera was still working, but its image had become blurry, most likely because of degradation of its plastic lens cover due to sun exposure for so many years.
An LTR390 UV sensor provides UV and ambient light readings. A fused silica glass plate is used over the sensor to minimize UV loss. The glass plate is attached, and the enclosure sealed, with silicone sealant. The sensor is connected to an ESP8266 microcontroller running a custom MicroPython program and readings are taken about every 10 seconds and transmitted over WiFi to the Raspberry Pi 3b+ that is collecting weather data.
Originally I had used a 2000 mAh LiPo battery, but in February 2025 I replaced it with a 3400 mAh 18650 battery to increase the reserve capacity. I found after 7 months of use the LiPo battery had swollen. It was not over charged or over discharged, but it was in a hot environment outside in a box.
By May 2026 the 3400 mAh 18650 battery had lost significant capacity, so I replaced it with an almost new 3000 mAh 18650 battery. Despite losing capacity, the old 18650 battery still appeared in good external physical condition.
The 18650 battery is installed in a holder and has a protection board wired to it. Early on I found a small amount of water inside the box when I opened it, despite having the screw holes taped. I've wrapped the top of the box in foil and included some dessicant inside, which so far has kept it dry inside.
About This City
San Fernando City is the provincial capitol of La Union and is about 260km north of Manila in the Philippines.
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About This Website
This site is a template design by CarterLake.org with PHP conversion by Saratoga-Weather.org.
Special thanks go to Kevin Reed at TNET Weather for his work on the original Carterlake templates, and his design for the common website PHP management.
Special thanks to Mike Challis of Long Beach WA for his wind-rose generator, Theme Switcher and CSS styling help with these templates.
Special thanks go to Ken True of Saratoga-Weather.org for the AJAX conditions display, dashboard and integration of the TNET Weather common PHP site design for this site.
Rain drop artwork used in the background for banners (shown when raining) by madetobeunique.
Template is originally based on Designs by Haran.
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