Building An ACTUAL Tornado Probe To Storm-Chase With! | Part One: Design and Construction

Ғылым және технология

Check out PCBgogo and their sweet deals here: www.pcbgogo.com/
...and watch me deploy the probe for the first time here:
• Chasing and Probing a ...
I live in central Oklahoma...within a few miles of the National Weather Center and America's top meteorology school. I met Reed Timmer when I was a kid and sat in his "Dominator" storm chasing vehicle. I watched the El Reno tornado happen one or two counties away. SO WHY HAVEN'T I SEEN AN ACTUAL TORNADO YET?? Perhaps it's just bad (or good) luck...or maybe it's because I haven't tried hunting one down yet.
Early this year, I met my now-friend Jack, who chases tornadoes, and we decided to develop a series of tornado probes. This video gives you a peak into my efforts.
Files (PCB Gerbers, rough schematic, parts list, and 3D files):
drive.google.com/file/d/1KFP7...
WARNING: storm chasing is EXTREMELY dangerous, and I do not recommend that my viewers chase tornadoes. Please do not drive into tornadic storms unless you are ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN of what you are doing!
0:00 Intro
0:24 I like tornadoes...
1:02 The quest begins
1:57 Jack's original probes
2:28 Optimizing the old probe (Mark I design)
3:00 PCBgogo sponsorship segment
3:31 Mark I complete, but...
4:25 Looking for new designs
4:57 Presenting: MARK II VTX
6:32 Where we are now
6:49 Wanna mess with my designs/files?
7:11 Patron thanks and outro

Пікірлер: 41

  • @jmstudios457
    @jmstudios457 Жыл бұрын

    The original seems very similar to Tim Samaras's old turtle probes, the VTX Mk2 almost seems like a spiritual successor, that just warms my heart.

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks man, we just deployed both yesterday near Paris, Texas! I'm editing the video now, hoping to publish by the 15th!

  • @winstonsmith478
    @winstonsmith478 Жыл бұрын

    Small, beveled disc shape, central PVC pipe sticking up slightly from unit, pound long tent stake or DIY stake through pipe with small sledge hammer providing fast installation even in hard soil. Use DIY extraction tool for stake removal.

  • @supriyode8716
    @supriyode8716 Жыл бұрын

    You are actually contributing to the scientific community. Great job man!👍

  • @Teslaundmehr
    @Teslaundmehr Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely awesome video!!!!!! Great job man! I Loooooove tornados, its my big dream to see one in realife. (i actually see a waterspout but this is no tornado for me haha) Keep going my friend!

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad to see you here Leon, so happy to hear you liked the video! Come drop by Oklahoma this spring, me and the team might just make your dreams come true. Wouldn't that be the collab of the century, haha!

  • @Nerd367C
    @Nerd367C Жыл бұрын

    Even though I live nowhere near tornado alley, I've been thinking of making a tornado probe and this is impressive, it shows you don't need to be on The Weather Channel storm chasing shows to have tornado probe skill. My only suggestion is adding a camera that way you can possibly get some footage?

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed the video, I actually got to deploy this very probe in front of an EF-4 near Paris, Texas a few weeks ago: kzread.info/dash/bejne/Z4ts2admg7rYo6g.html. Regarding cameras, we actually do have some 360-degree 4K cameras on a few of the pink conical probes, although we don't really have any good footage from them yet...

  • @BackMacSci
    @BackMacSci Жыл бұрын

    Wow man, MARK II VTX is a big improvement on the original design so great job! I'm new to tornado probing, so how does the probe measure the tornado wind speeds if the wind has to go through those slots on the side first, and I imagine that would slow down the wind and give an inaccurate speed reading? Let me know, and great vid!

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad you liked it! This probe doesn't measure wind speed currently, just temperature, humidity, and pressure. Wind speed would be a good addition though, but it'll have to come later...the tech needed would be pretty complex, since the normal spinning-vane anemometers would simply self-destruct in a tornado. I think ultrasonic anemometers are promising, so maybe we'll try that!

  • @BackMacSci

    @BackMacSci

    Жыл бұрын

    @@LabCoatz_Science Cool! That makes sense. I cant wait for you to show us a tornado!

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    @@BackMacSci I can't wait to see my first one, haha!

  • @SouthernStormChasers
    @SouthernStormChasers2 ай бұрын

    @LabCoatz Hey! I'm making mine.. I think i went a little overkill with the 10 inch spikes.. oh well! Im adding about a half inch of lexan for the camera housing. itll be up on my channel soon!

  • @whoever6458
    @whoever64589 ай бұрын

    Oh this is going to be so cool! I can't wait to see the data you get! We don't really get tornadoes around here but I do find them cool and interesting. We get earthquakes here, though, and I also nerd out on them since I've felt many of them, 4 in the magnitude 7 range in my lifetime! I am constantly trying to studying them too, although they obviously happen less often, they do happen here more often than tornadoes in any given area. I am a trained weather spotter for those too, just in case, since a lot of people around here might not know what to look for when it comes to tornado danger so I hope to warn people if I see the weather forming up in such a way. I did see one tornado when I was a kid but it was a small one. Then I've seen several funnel clouds that didn't come down, but it's nowhere near as many earthquakes as I've been in.

  • @garethfuller2700
    @garethfuller2700 Жыл бұрын

    I'd hold off on saying that it'll withstand any tornado- Keep in mind, ground scouring is a thing, that could pose a problem, especially with the larger, more powerful tornadoes. (The 1997 Jarrell tornado had scouring that reached deeper than a foot in some places...) The spikes/design seem like a massive improvement though, and hopefully should allow the probe to withstand some pretty serious tornadoes!

  • @austink6090
    @austink6090 Жыл бұрын

    Very cool video. Came here from NileRed. The background music is a little distracting. I subscribed and am gonna check out more vids. :)

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    I agree, and I've been trying to make the background music more subtle in later projects. Glad I earned your sub though!

  • @ChrisBrewer-no4cf
    @ChrisBrewer-no4cf5 ай бұрын

    I'm a storm chaser as well and plan to made a few of these. I added a couple of cameras in the cad design

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    5 ай бұрын

    I actually just did the same for this season. Also beefed up the circuit with an Arduino Mega, added a GPS to log location, and loaded it with a battery that can be recharged without taking it out! I'm hoping to chase at least once with it late this season whenever college gets out.

  • @badtrip801
    @badtrip801 Жыл бұрын

    Make them out of 1/4 inch plate steel 😒... Then fill it with gussets to make it stronger 💪 will add more rigidity to it but a quarter inch is plenty fine for what you're asking

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    I would, but for the amount of probes we're trying to make, that'd be stupid-expensive. It's also not super necessary: any flying piece of debris with enough energy to break the 3D-printed body would deliver a substantial blow to the circuitry, likely crippling the device anyway. I'm also not too worried, since Jack avidly avoids deploying near "debris generators", and the probe makes for a fairly small target. Not saying armor would be pointless, obviously, it just doesn't make sense for use to try incorporating it right now, given our abysmally-low budget.

  • @Pyromancers
    @Pyromancers Жыл бұрын

    I mean it uses arc reactor tech so you know it's good

  • @1.4142
    @1.4142 Жыл бұрын

    nice. Hope to see it in action

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    Actually, I just did last week in the Paris, Texas, EF-3 tornado! I'm making a video on it that I hope to publish by the 15th.

  • @Jyaastn
    @Jyaastn Жыл бұрын

    Is that testing the Wind flow on the Air and detect if they have tornado, So I guess this have arduino, I'm very excited on your new SSTC design

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks, I'm hoping the SSTC will be my next major video to finish! Regarding the probe, it unfortunately can't record windspeed (might update the designs later to help with that), but it does record barometric pressure, temperature, and humidity. The recording starts as soon as the power is switched on!

  • @Jyaastn

    @Jyaastn

    Жыл бұрын

    @@LabCoatz_Science that's interesting

  • @SilverTerog2
    @SilverTerog2 Жыл бұрын

    yey

  • @styrishrodrigues
    @styrishrodrigues Жыл бұрын

    Is this related to high voltage? .. Sounds like so 😂🖐️💖

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    I suppose I could get struck by lightning...

  • @styrishrodrigues

    @styrishrodrigues

    Жыл бұрын

    @@LabCoatz_Science haha😂

  • @user-sg7up5cw6u
    @user-sg7up5cw6u Жыл бұрын

    Can make volcanic probe with camera

  • @trithedoge8205
    @trithedoge8205Ай бұрын

    I’d argue for Aluminum if you want a cheaper metal

  • @tornadogamer1234
    @tornadogamer1234 Жыл бұрын

    What modeling software did you use?

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    Жыл бұрын

    Just the generic stuff Windows comes with (I think it's called 3D Builder). The fancy LED cover came from Thingiverse.com though. I have Blender, but I found for simple shapes and stuff like this, there was a lot of unneeded complexity involved in using it, since I rarely use it in the first place.

  • @jeffporter7674
    @jeffporter76748 ай бұрын

    Awesome idea. I am looking for something just like this but I want to add a top facing 360 camera as well as the sensors. Wondering if you would be interested in helping me out with this. I chase and am in the Okc area

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    7 ай бұрын

    Adding cameras was an idea for the original larger probes, so these circuit boards do have MOSFETs in place to act as camera triggers (essentially to be hardwired in place of the record button). I might be able to help, but I'm not sure to what degree I can commit yet. If you'd like, we could meet up sometime and discuss the possibilities! Feel free to email zlabcoatz@gmail if you're interested.

  • @Deadwindshadow
    @Deadwindshadow2 ай бұрын

    design the probes to hang onto street signs

  • @Giorgio_Caniglia
    @Giorgio_CanigliaАй бұрын

    Would you explain better and in details the formulas?

  • @cndbrn7975
    @cndbrn79759 ай бұрын

    I couldn't help noticing him mention, several times, that they were "his designs" I'm pretty sure Jack was the one who did all of the work. This guy steals Jack's idea, redesigns the base it's housed in and calls it his. I wonder what Jack has to say? Just so you know Jack's design was way better, all that needed to be done was change the material and add a base.

  • @LabCoatz_Science

    @LabCoatz_Science

    9 ай бұрын

    Actually, I did all of my own calculations, and the circuit Jack used was taken from an Internet tutorial on building a home weather station. The only thing he did was make the conical base, so no, I didn't need to copy even a single element of his own work. And just so you know, his design isn't WAY better. Each has its pros and cons, but if you're looking for the probe that withstands high winds the best and is easiest to mass produce and deploy, mine is superior. In fact, if you watch the next video in this series, you'll see we dropped both in front of an EF4 (although it missed the probes narrowly) and mine was the only one to actually collect data.

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