Determining Wind Direction

Thread Starter

circuitrynewbie

Joined Apr 3, 2016
1
Hi! I'm new here and to electronics generally. I'd just like to ask if there is a way to determine the direction of the wind using circuits. Like, maybe you could set-up six thermistors in six faces of a cube and whichever thermistor cools down significantly is facing the origin of the wind? Is that possible? Or maybe there are other clever ways to do this? Hopefully, ones that are easy to comprehend for a newbie like me.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Hi! I'm new here and to electronics generally. I'd just like to ask if there is a way to determine the direction of the wind using circuits. Like, maybe you could set-up six thermistors in six faces of a cube and whichever thermistor cools down significantly is facing the origin of the wind? Is that possible? Or maybe there are other clever ways to do this? Hopefully, ones that are easy to comprehend for a newbie like me.
Put a compass chip on a wind sock. See which way it turns.
 

bertz

Joined Nov 11, 2013
327
Hi! I'm new here and to electronics generally. I'd just like to ask if there is a way to determine the direction of the wind using circuits. Like, maybe you could set-up six thermistors in six faces of a cube and whichever thermistor cools down significantly is facing the origin of the wind? Is that possible? Or maybe there are other clever ways to do this? Hopefully, ones that are easy to comprehend for a newbie like me.
Check out this site.
 

ian field

Joined Oct 27, 2012
6,536
Hi! I'm new here and to electronics generally. I'd just like to ask if there is a way to determine the direction of the wind using circuits. Like, maybe you could set-up six thermistors in six faces of a cube and whichever thermistor cools down significantly is facing the origin of the wind? Is that possible? Or maybe there are other clever ways to do this? Hopefully, ones that are easy to comprehend for a newbie like me.
One or two of the hobby magazines have published ultrasonic wind direction sensors, I didn't bother reading those articles - but the info is out there somewhere.

Differential temperature sensors may not be so reliable if there isn't much wind chill factor.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
A motor rotating a paddle. The motor should have a, encoder so you know the position of the paddle. Measure the current drop as it rotates through 360 degrees. Wind direction is 90 degrees from wind direction as paddle pushes into the wind. Lowest current drop when paddle is blown with the direction of wind. Wind direction and speed should be possible (requires calibration).

Any other Rube Goldberg-like solutions out there?
 

ian field

Joined Oct 27, 2012
6,536
A motor rotating a paddle. The motor should have a, encoder so you know the position of the paddle. Measure the current drop as it rotates through 360 degrees. Wind direction is 90 degrees from wind direction as paddle pushes into the wind. Lowest current drop when paddle is blown with the direction of wind. Wind direction and speed should be possible (requires calibration).

Any other Rube Goldberg-like solutions out there?
If you live next to the coast, you can watch which way the sail boats are tacking.
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Using any web aware code interpreter like Visual Basic for Obfuscation or Jelly Beans to go out to the interwebs and get a weather report for your local area.
 
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