What's That Spinny Thing on the RV Roof?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ต.ค. 2024
- See full blog post - www.loveyourrv....
See update - I used a device called a Buck Converter to wire the power into my RV 12-volt system - www.loveyourrv....
In this video, I give you a look at the spinny thing on the fifth wheels roof. It's my RVs weather station the La Crosse model CA87092.
I received it from my wife Anne for my birthday back in September. She picked it up on sale at Canadian Tire for $69.95.
Link to La Crosse website with info, specs and owners manual - www.lacrossete...
Link to a Lacrosse Weather Station on Amazon.com (Disclaimer: Affiliate Link) amzn.to/2DxXWbT
Things I Don't Like
This La Crosse weather station is packed with features and fair value for the money I paid, however, there are a few things I don't like.
Display Viewing Angle - Unless you are pretty well eye level with the display it is challenging to read. Making low or high mounting impossible.
Accuracy - I've read several online reviews stating the windspeed accuracy isn't great. I've personally found the future forecast feature is so inaccurate as to be useless.
Outside Sensor Build Quality - You get what you pay for, and the outside sensor construction shows it. It's cheap plastic and doesn't give me much confidence it will endure a long time.
Missing Barometric Pressure - I would have expected this to be included.
I think the La Crosse weather station has been a decent enough introductory system for me. I have enjoyed having it on the rig, but I hunger for something a little more sophisticated now. If you have any recommendations on a system that doesn't break the bank, say in the $100 range, let me know in the comments for this video
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Might be outside of your $100 price range but check out smart weather. It’s an indiegogo crowd funded project. It’s comprised of two key components: sky and air. Air has shipped. Sky is likely a couple months from shipping. The unique features outside of what a typical weather station would offer is a sonic wind speed sensor (no moving parts), haptic rain gauge, UV meter and my favorite the lightening detector. It uses a smart phone app and integrates with weather underground.
www.indiegogo.com/projects/weatherflow-smart-weather-stations#/
Wow, that is really cool looking! Bookmarked, thanks!
Bookmarked! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure. I’ll do a review on the entire system once they ship the “sky” sensor.
This is great, two of my favorite RV TH-cam content creators together!
Ray, you got to check out RV Exodus’s solar setup! Running ac without being hooked up!
Love both you guys!
Lucky Charm RV’ing ... Ray has an awesome channel doesn’t he. One of my early full timer inspirations. I’m on the other hand just a gadget geek with an RV for my playground :)
I have the S81120 model, and I've recorded 33 mph winds on my 14ft pole. Official wind speeds are supposed to be recorded at 33ft, which most people forget about when testing anemometer accuracy, so every weather station they get they say the wind speeds are low, It really mainly depends on where you have it mounted and how high you have it. 33 mph at 14ft is probably closer to 38mph at 10m/33ft. I tend to add 5mph for my official readings, but if I want ground level wind speeds, then I go based off what is being displayed.
This is not supposed to be directed towards you, only the people who don't understand why wind speeds seem low on anemometers and weather stations.
Very cool. Got my wife an Accurite 5 in 1 weather station for Christmas. We're an official Weather Underground reporting station now. I can check the app on my iPhone & iPad to see the conditions at my house. It measures wind speed, direction, humidity, temperature & rain. It was under $200 from the Walmart website. I love ours so far.
Just looked up the price. Now Walmart.com has the Accurite 5 in 1 weather station with TWO displays for $149. The one I got is now $124, I think. I was concerned about the plastic housing of the outdoor unit at first, but it seems pretty sturdy.
Definitely a cool gadget and the thumb screw for the wind meter is a great idea. I sure could go for some of that 70 degree temperature! We got to a high of 8 degrees today and it's now starting to cool off again! I so want to be a snowbird!
The "anemometer" is the name for the rotating device that measures wind speed. I use a similar LCD weather station made by Acu-rite, but without the wind speed indicator. I did not think the plastic anemometer would last very long in the Front Range of Colorado where wind gusts can reach 70 mph or over. It would probably just spin off into the sky one day! (Not to mention golf-ball size hail that would smash it to smithereens, too.)
haha, yeah! We'll have to see what happens if it gets a good open desert gust. Highest it's recorded so far is 32.9 MPH
Awesome weather station Ray! Before I got into computers I originally wanted to become a Meteorologist believe it or not lol. So weather is always a passion of mine even if on the side. :) Thanks for sharing the install video, have a great week! - Shane
Ray, all you need is a radar antenna up there and everyone will think you’re a government spy! I like that unit and the info you get from it. Humidity is the big one for me. I live in Ohio near Lake Erie and it gets quite humid here and I don’t do humidity very well.
Yes, I like humidity and wind, lets you know how cold that breeze will feel. It's amazing in the desert to get out of a pool and it's 80F out but cold as crap due to the ultra-low humidity. :)
I too have the accurite weather station. We like it mostly for the indoor/outside temps.
Acurite 5 in 1 Pro Weather center. I/O temps, I/O humidity, wind speed and direction and rainfall. Paid less than $100. I find it to be fairly accurate. It's wireless and Weather Underground compatible.
Cool, thanks.
Hi Ray
I’m a very addictive one of the most admired Fans of your favorite channel I follow all that is new to you in the world of RV and apply it on my RV I even put your logo on my caravan with pride
Hey Ray; Very Nice! Hope you guys are doing well. Stay Safe.
I have an AcuRite 1015A3 that I really like I paid about $100 last year it does wind speed and direction, temp in and out, humidity in and out, rainfall, forecast, pressure, date and time, alerts, and a weather ticker. I do not think that this model is made any more but the 1017 on amazon is about $110 and has all the same features plus it has a color display.
Cool, thanks. Looks like a good one.
Hey Ray,
First off at the base of the anemometer there is a thumb screw that allows you to adjust the level or angle once you mount the base. That could be an easy fix to taking it down when you travel. Maybe? I don't know.
This is the version I have: www.lacrossetechnology.com/v21-wth-wifi-wind-speed-weather-station/
It also comes with a rain gauge. I really like it and think this might be good to use while traveling but again it has the same battery back up and not great to run off of an inverter. Hopefully you find a great RV-ready weather station because I would love to get one too.
Keep up the great videos.
Pat
Yes, I know about the thumb screw. It to orientate it at 90 degrees. It's sort of clunky to work with. Cheers! Ray
Hi i got to say i love your reviews and diy videos.Has thats what i also do with my rv .Ive been switching alots of electronic to 12 volts and 5 volts range by using a usb cell charger cord that i just modified. Keep up the good work. Ps still cold here in victoria bc lol.
My wife says I have alot of gadget & gizmos-you beat me!
im2crafty you can never have to many gadgets lol
If you power through the battery compartment as you stated it will still turn of the display you need to use a cigarette lighter adapter and use the plug in so it thinks it’s plugged into household current
I modded it and added a DC-DC Buck Converter and it worked fine - www.loveyourrv.com/dc-to-dc-buck-converter-mod-to-reduce-the-rv-12-vdc-supply-to-4-5-vdc/ I did some testing. I found what I think is the main filter capacitor 470uf 16 volts. I plugged in the OEM 5VAC wall adapter and measured 7 VDC on the cap. This would be expected after a bridge rectification. Then I fed 5 VDC into the input jack and measured 4.5 VDC on the cap. Also expected as there would be a voltage drop across diodes. It’s quite the difference. I guess there is enough regulation to compensate. But folks supplying 5 VDC to the jack with things like USB adapters are definitely supplying much lower voltage than the OEM design. I changed my buck converter to 7.0 VDC and wired it right to the cap. Now I have the full features just like it was plugged into the wall and the correct DC supply voltage.
Your weather station looks like it uses 5 volt DC, the same as a USB device. It may be possible to install a 12 volt to USB adapter and run a USB to 2.1 mm cable to the weather station display. Just have to make sure the polarity is correct.
It takes 5VAC input or 3 AAA batteries. There is a 12DC volt supply line behind the tank monitor panel. I'll likely use a dc to dc converter like this - amzn.to/2DhkCjJ Solder the output to the battery terminals. It has built-in protections and is regulated, helpful since often my 12-volt system can reach as high as 15 volts when the solar controller is charging the batteries. I can hide it behind the tank monitor panel in the wall.
Nice video and review Ray... you said that you weren't that keen on the unit but didn't say why, or did I miss that? The display looked pretty neat.
If you wanted a full time weather station I would think that if you could find one that could remain set up all the time, even during travel that would be ideal.
Downunda - Melbourne Australia
I've detailed my dislikes are in the blog post and video description:
Things I Don’t LikeThis La Crosse weather station is packed with features and fair value for the money I paid, however, there are a few things I don’t like.Display Viewing Angle - Unless you are pretty well eye level with the display it is challenging to read. Making low or high mounting impossible.Accuracy - I’ve read several online reviews stating the windspeed accuracy isn’t great. I’ve personally found the future forecast feature is so inaccurate as to be useless.Outside Sensor Build Quality - You get what you pay for, and the outside sensor construction shows it. It’s cheap plastic and doesn’t give me much confidence it will endure a long time.Missing Barometric Pressure - I would have expected this to be included.
It’s pretty good for what I paid, 50% off sale so about $56 US. If I paid full price I don’t think it would be worth it. So, my review reflects that. The unit appears to be an old model, likely why it was on sale.The wind sensor is pretty cheap, looks like it will be easily damaged or wear out. I’ve seen some online reviews that stated the accuracy is lacking, although it seems decent enough for our usage.If paying full price I think I would have preferred this one from AcuRite - amzn.to/2FKclCw Has a ton more features.Now that I’m sort of hooked on the weather gadget thing I’ll likely be pining after a more sophisticated setup.Here is a couple that have been recommended:www.ambientweather.com/amws1000wifi.htmlwww.indiegogo.com/projects/weatherflow-smart-weather-stations#/
On Amazon, you can find a 12V to 5V power convertor, and an appropriate size barrel connector, and plug that directly into the power port where the AC connector/adapter would have plugged in. Might have to do some assembly, but it should be nice and clean, and no modifications to the display. The wall wart/plug in, should have the output specifications on it.
The AC adapter output is 5VAC 150mA, not DC. So I'll likely get a 12V - 5V DC to DC converter and solder the output onto the battery terminals. 5VDC should be close enough to the 4.5VDC of 3 AAA batteries to work. I might add a little resistor to drop it a bit.
interesting, usually the AC adapters for battery operated gadgets put out DC voltage, might want to put the tester on the barrel connector to confirm.
I would be willing to bet the unit has the tolerance to run on a full 5 volts without the resistor, but go with what you are comfortable with.
You're probably right, they usually include a little bit of overhead. Some of the alkalines can measure 1.65 volts when fresh.
I'll throw a meter on the wall wart output but that's what the manual states and its embossed on the plastic too. www.lacrossetechnology.com/media/catalog/product/c/8/c87092_en_100317.pdf Cheers! Ray
The power requirements for that device are pretty small. 5 volt 150 MA. A USB car charger for a cell phone should work just fine. If you don't mind cutting up your original power cable it should be cheap and easy to build.
The AC adapter output is 5VAC 150mA, not DC. So I'll likely get a 12V - 5V DC to DC converter and solder the output onto the battery terminals. 5VDC should be close enough to the 4.5VDC of 3 AAA batteries to work. I might add a little resistor to drop it a bit.
I LOVE this weather station! We currently have one like your old one. We have 2 receivers -one in the bedroom, one in the living room, to our single transmitter. Super helpful to know the temps & trends.
Unrelated question...is your thermostat programmable? Does it switch from heat to a/c automatically or do you jave to manually change it?
I upgrade the thermostat last year - www.loveyourrv.com/rv-thermostat-upgrade-honeywell-focuspro-5000/
It auto changes from cooling to heating.
I wonder if you might answer a question for me. I just bought one of these and note that the temperature/humidity sensor is in the same unit as the wind speed indicator (anemometer). Since the anemometer needs to be located above and away from any interfering objects (making the roof a likely location) the sensor will be out in direct sunlight for most of the day which will likely give very inaccurate temperature readings on sunny days. What have you done to achieve accurate wind speed while still getting accurate temperature readings?
I have it mounted on the roof and it seems to record fairly accurate temps even in the sun.
I picked up a cheap dc-dc convertor off of Amazon for like $6 for 5V out (usb).
What?! No shot of Angie?
Opps! She must have been lazying around on her pet cot again. :) th-cam.com/users/LoveYourRVcommunity
for power at 5:02 where your finger is it looks like 5 volts not to sure if that is what i can see but you can cut the ac plug off and find a 5 volt source in your rig or use a usb charger and wire it up that way rather than hooking wires up to the aa battery area would be a cleaner install they do have switchable power plugs at stores (got mine at wally world) that you can plug into a 12 volt power socket i did this for my tv and blu ray player
It says AC 5 volts
It's funny I heard you bought it from, as we call Crappy tire. Canadian Tire. Nice spot your at.
Crappy tire. :) I got my 1000w inverter there too. Same kinda sale something like 60% off for a pure sine wave. Almost 7 years later still going strong.
Well don't get me wrong. It's not Crap. We just call it Crappy tire instead of Canadian Tire. It's our English humour. Lol
No problem, I was born in Flin Flon, Manitoba. :)
Anemometer. I'm a meteorologist, retire now. worked for AF for 26 years.
What does it say alert off how do you turn it on
Here is a link to the product manual, check page 10 for alert functionality - www.lacrossetechnology.com/media/catalog/product/c/8/c87092_en_100317.pdf
Hey Ray...really like your how to vids, I followed your install process for adding a propane line for my Big Buddy Heater in my 40' fiver last fall and what a difference. Minimizes propane consumption and the heat is great too. Anyway, you may consider using an appropriate size PIP Pin (www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=3050 ) to secure the wind sensor to it's mount. then when you're removing the sensor you can store the pin back in the drilled holes through the mount.
Cool idea, thanks. :)
Hello Ray, one curiosity question; why the flagpole?
It's mostly for fun and to help folks find our rig when coming out to visit. We also use it occasionally to easily find the RV on the way back from a long hike. Being that the flag is a lot higher it stands out over the horizon from a long distance. Cheers, Ray
Thanks! Great idea :)
Wow love it! I am a weather buff!?
Did you penetrate your rig? And how far? When added on to the roof.
No, I screwed it to the lid of my previously installed junction box for my back up camera and cell booster wiring - th-cam.com/video/L5VmeOMgtlE/w-d-xo.html
Can you not adjust it to stay on longer
It stays on constantly and has three brightness adjustments if you use the AC plugin, On battery only, it blinks off quickly to save juice. Not really a problem though I just hit the button when I want to check things out.
Hey, to convert 12V to 5 V why don't you simply use a 7805 voltage regulator. Simple and cheap.
Thanks, this looks like a good bet too - amzn.to/2DhkCjJ Nice neat package.
does this unit show wind direction?
No, just the speed
It sure looks pretty. Heh. I didn't know Canada used Fahrenheit. Or are you just adapting to our stupid American system?
My husband asked me to ask you approximately how much propane you go through when you're boondocking. Obviously more when its cold but just on average, like when you winter in Quartzite, how much do you use?
I grew up with both systems, they switched in Canada when I was in around grade 4, learned both, so can switch back and forth with ease. I use F when in the US and C when in Canada. We use about a 7.3 gallon (30-pound tank a week) cost around 16-20 USD to fill. We'd use a lot less but Anne likes it at least 66F at night in the rig, or she gets too cold. :) Cheers, Ray
Thanks for the info. We only camp til September in our pop-up. We had no idea what it might cost in a 5th wheel. Hopefully our turn is coming soon.
Very nice!
I thought a USB plug that operates on 12 volts DC put out 5 volts DC
Thanks, this looks like a good bet too - amzn.to/2DhkCjJ Nice neat package.
I knew they made a step down module like that, but thought they cost more and hard to find. I bookmarked that Amazon link!
I bought a la crosse technology
Professional remote monitoring weather station. Model number s84060. I got it at Sam's for about a 150.00 .
is that TFA spring breeze clone?
Could be. It's branded as La Crosse www.lacrossetechnology.com/pages/about-us
I am surprised that u don,t have a wind turbine for windy days
I've thought about it but don't know if I'd like the noise from the vibration in the rig. plus carrying the extra hardware and expensive, Simpler to just get another solar panel or more batteries.
when you remove it will that tube fill up with water?
I haven't noticed, as we haven't had much rain since I mounted it there. But it is hollow like a little plastic cup so yeah, I suppose it could.
just wondering if you might want to drill a small hole in the side bottom to let it drain out.
Good idea
you could also put a cap on it Ray. Can you set the alarm for wind speed alerts?
Yes, www.lacrossetechnology.com/media/catalog/product/c/8/c87092_en_100317.pdf
The alert setting order:
• High Wind Speed (channel 1 only)
• Outdoor Humidity HI
• Outdoor Humidity LOW
• Outdoor Temperature HI
• Outdoor Temperature LOW
• Indoor Humidity HI
• Indoor Humidity LOW
• Indoor Temperature HI
• Indoor Temperature LOW
Call me old school I’ll stick my head out the door...
🤔
You're old school! :0)
I like to know the outside conditions ahead of time, so that I know when NOT to stick my head out the door! :-)
Did you ever rig it for 12v? 🤔
Yup, used a little DC-DC converter www.loveyourrv.com/dc-to-dc-buck-converter-mod-to-reduce-the-rv-12-vdc-supply-to-4-5-vdc/ also used the converter to power my new station display th-cam.com/video/VsPrnq05mMM/w-d-xo.html
Cool video
Hey sure someone had the same idea of using a usb to run power it.
Yup, lots of ideas have been presented. There is a 12DC volt supply line behind the tank monitor panel. I'll likely use a dc to dc converter like this - amzn.to/2DhkCjJ It has built-in protections and is regulated, helpful since often my 12-volt system can reach as high as 15 volts when the solar controller is charging the batteries. I can hide it behind the tank monitor panel in the wall.
Love Your RV that will work I would go old school get a 12v to USB power install it
Behind wall then use the AC plug and a old USB end wire them up and BOB your uncle .
I have a simple, accurate system. It’s a rock. When it’s wet, it’s raining. When it’s white it’s snowing. When it’s cold, put your coat on,? Like that...
WOW, Ray, you are like the Collector of Crap, you must be bored to death, always something to do. Pretty soon you are gonna need a bigger trailer. I do like your DIY videos.
haha, I love my gadgets! I think I need a second RV soon, maybe a truck camper for old Blue, that would be fun to outfit for more serious off the grid adventures. :0)
I'm glad you try all the toys. It means my husband doesn't buy them. ;)
How is the remote station powered and what is the range? I'm assuming it's wireless.
It's powered by 2 C batteries, they claim the range is over 300 feet. I haven't had any problems with reception in the RV
Here’s a 12v to 5v regulator Ray.
Ecloud ShopCA Car Power Supply DC/DC Regulator Converter 12V to 5V 3A 15W
www.amazon.ca/dp/B00D1GQA5O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_rrtxAbVMRHWX5
Thanks, something like that should do the job.